The Baker's Daughter
by LeftNotRight
Summary: Even when one perfects the art of baking, the results can be surprising. A single moment can render everything inedible. In this analogy, I am the one who fudged up. I am bad at analogies. SI/OC (This story is M for a reason!)
1. Chapter 1

**The Baker's Daughter**

 **Well hello there, now I know I've already started another KHR SI/OC story, however it has come to my attention that I am finding it is taking a bit of time to get from the narrative to the** _ **fanfiction.**_ **So to those who prefer their OC's to dive headfirst into the chaos, here, enjoy a different perspective to my last fanfiction. An SI/OC who, unlike my other one, will have no prior training and no inhuman abilities, only plot and prayers to the god that obviously hates her.**

 **LeNoRi, over and out!**

* * *

How should I start this? Once upon a time? No, this isn't a fairy tale. It was a dark, stormy night? Nah, it was actually pretty sunny that day. It is a fact, universally acknowledged that a single man in possess- let's just stop that there.

You know what? Fuck it! Roll tape!

* * *

Three hours ago, I died.

I had been in an apartment building that had been half-assed and rushed, resulting in it to almost sway in the wind and its walls to give out I they were so much as knocked on. I had been on the sixth floor, pointing out every flaw and falsity to the nervous real-estate agent, when the building shook and gave a loud groan, before _CRACK._ The roof gave out, dropping ten floors worth of building material on us.

An ambulance was called, they were slow.

The last thing I heard was they were able to stabilise the agent, and I slipped away as the engine started.

* * *

So yeah, I died. Sad, sad, sob, sob. Who cares? The part I was most concerned about was when _I woke up._

* * *

My throat stung as I screamed, the cold hitting me like a brick wall as I was pulled and pushed from my haven.

I was passed from hands to hands, washed and wrapped, screaming all the way through. I was laid down beside a body of warmth, causing the freezing pain to ease. I snuggled closer to the warmth, seeking to hide from the world of noise around me.

I let out a quiet squeal as the warmth vibrated, a gentle voice flowing over me, settling me in a way I was surprised by. It was motherly, comforting, calming.

The woman's voice cooed quietly, cooling the burning chaos that was my mind.

I was awake. I had died, and I was awake.

Was I saved?

I thought about of the possibility, before writing it off. No, I had defiantly died. I didn't know how, but I knew for _sure_ that I had died.

Why? Why was I back? What was the point? What was the need?

I didn't know. I _still_ don't know. But, I did know one thing. I was not going to let this chance slip past me.

' _If there is a reason that I'm still alive when so many have died, than I'm willing to wait for it.'_

* * *

I groaned as I sat up, half awake and not okay about the situation, at all.

Six years old, hungry and cranky, I slid out of bed and shuffled down the hall. I huffed as the scent of freshly baked bread flooded my senses, as it always did every morning.

During the six years of my new life, I had come to understand my situation. I had been reborn.

Wait, that sounds sinister. Like some kind of villain/demon king making a big speech about taking over the world.

I'd been _reincarnated_.

Yeah, that sounds better.

In my new life, I go by the name of Daiki Yamaguchi. Or Yamaguchi Daiki, as per the traditional way to say it in Japan.

I looked different from my past life, expected, considering genotypes and all. I was tanned, more so than my past life, had black hair, cut short and never obeying the _fucking laws of physics_ and dark brown eyes. Nothing special, nothing stand out. I was pretty average in everything, apparently I was going to shoot up like a weed though.

"Daiki-kun!"

Ah yes, the kun. Always the kun.

"Coming, kaa-san!" I called back, speeding up my shuffle by a millisecond.

I muttered to myself as I dropped from step to step, jumping off the last two and landing on the carped a stride's length away in true children's fashion.

"Kaa-san, what's for breakfast?! I'm hungry!" I chirped as I ran through the small living space and down the next set of steps into the shop below the apartment.

We had to live above our work, it was necessary due to the early working hours. 4am, was around the time kaa-san would wake up to start baking.

Yes, I was a baker's daughter. Not all prestigious, I know, but I get fresh biscuits and bread on hand at all times!

"I'm not surprised, you woke up late! It's already eleven o'clock, your friend is waiting for you outside! Hurry, and take these cookies with you."

I looked up at her, noticing the grainy look of her left cheek. Make up. She's covering it up, still.

"Ah, really! That late!?" I yelped, turning tale and running out the door, bag of fresh co- _biscuits_ in hand.

Australian. Not American. _Australian._

Aside from finding that I was in reincarnated, renamed and relocated, I also found out another much more _interesting_ fact.

I lived in Japan, yes, but the town, specifically, I lived in, you wouldn't find on your map. Considering the fact that it doesn't exist, well, it not meant to.

Namimori, a sleepy town with average weather and average people.

'Not for long.' I though with a quiet laugh.

Yes, Namimori of the lovely Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Home of the Sawada lineage for ten generations, and more importantly, the home for Vongola X and co.

Now, I be you're thinking: 'Cool! Now go find Tsuna, get all buddy-buddy, become a BAMF, get a harem while you're at it too!'

How 'bout no?

I'm not letting this chance at a new life go to waste. That means _no early death._

I'm going to live a _long_ , life. A long, _peaceful, Mafia-less_ life.

Or as Mafia-less as you can get in Namimori, in the days to come.

Though, I do say that, I have to admit that I have thought about it. Deciding to leave it up to fate, if I meet Tsunayoshi, so be it.

However…

I didn't meet the boy-well, the one I was prepared to meet anyway. And now I'm…

"Daiki-kun! These cookies are EXTREME!"

I'm stuck with this idiot.

Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Sasagawa Ryohei, otherwise known as Turfhead.

"Sasagawa-san, we're meant to share those." I muttered blandly, looking down at my now empty hand with a just as bland expression.

"Ah, sorry, sorry! Your mum's a great baker!" He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck as he crumpled the empty bag.

"It's fine." I sighed, submitting to the fact I had lost my breakfast to the boxer-to be.

"You ready to go to the park?! Let's race to the EXTREME!" He suddenly roared, fire in his eyes as he pumped himself up in a split second.

He grabbed my wrist and took off, my body flying after him like a half-assed flag. I watched the world wiz past with half-lidded eyes as my heel dragged across the ground, a sigh escaping my lips.

"C'mon Daiki-kun! Or are you too slow to keep up with me?!"

My gaze snapped to him, a spark of annoyance igniting within me.

"Is that a challenge?" I asked, finding my feet quickly.

"EXTREME!"

I rolled my eyes before a flicker of a smile flashed across my face, taking off and keeping up with the boy.

"Keep up now, Sasagawa-san." I mocked before upping the speed, forcing my little legs to run faster and faster as I saw the fire burn brighter.

We panted as we saw the park come into view, moving faster as to not be beaten. I narrowed my eyes before doing a last sprint and vaulting the last meter, touching down just before Ryohei did.

"I…win." I panted, hands on my knees and bent over.

The families around us gave us a glance before returning to their children, used to Ryohei's sudden appearances.

Ryohei grinned, in a better state than me, but not by much. He stood straight and trotted over to the surprisingly vacant swings, clambering up with his six year old height.

I shuffled after him, watching him kick his legs uncordially, attempting to gain momentum. I rolled my eyes and tottered behind him, grabbed the chains of the swing and took a few steps back before pushing the sun guardian.

My lip twitched as he let out a happy laugh, leaning forwards to help the swing along. I continued to push him when he came back, watching as his arcs started to get wider.

"Hey, Daiki-kun?"

I looked up and gave a grunt, showing that I was listening.

He looked over his shoulder for a moment before facing back to the front, his hand clutching the chains harder slightly.

"I…I heard about what your dad did…"

I paused for a moment, moving to push him again, suddenly aware of the people's eyes.

"And? Was I wrong, to do what I did?" I asked, wondering what a child thought about such an annoyingly complicated situation.

"No…No. If my dad did that to kaa-san, I'd protect her too! Men shouldn't do that to women!"

I raised an eyebrow, wondering what he'd do if he found out I was a girl after all those times he's punched and dog-piled me.

" _Did you hear?"_

" _About the Yamaguchi's?"_

" _No, what happened? They're the baker family, right?"_

" _Yeah, apparently Yamada-san's been beating poor Kaede-san for years, he went too far last week and knocked her into a shelf!"_

" _No, really? He was such a nice man, too."_

" _That's not all, apparently their son, Daiki-san, walked in on his father beating her!"_

" _Oh, the poor boy!"_

" _Ha! Poor father more like! Daiki-san blew_ up _! He managed to kick Yamada-san_ out _of the_ house _! He might be young, but_ hell _can he punch! Broke the man's nose!"_

" _Daiki-san? No, he's too quiet for that."_

" _You know what they say, 'it's always the quiet ones.'"_

I blocked out the tittering group of women, already knowing the story. I gave Ryohei another push, drawing another loud 'EXTREEEEEEMEEEEE!'

" _Where is he now? Yamada-san?"_

" _Don't know. Disappeared into the night, tail between his legs."_

" _Serves the bastard right, striking such a nice woman like Kaede-san."_

" _But what about Daiki-san? Punching someone like that, hard enough to break their nose! I hope he doesn't turn out as a delinquent."_

" _I don't think so."_

" _You never know, with a father like that. Like father, like son. He might turn out just as bad."_

I pushed once more before turning and walking up to the trio of women, my face still blank. I stood at to the side of their group, not being noticed yet.

"Could you please tone it down in volume? You're being incredibly loud."

The mothers all jumped, spinning around and paling when they saw who had addressed them.

"A-ah, Daiki-san! How is your mother?"

I looked to the woman who had asked, agitation roaring in the back of my head, barely restrained by common sense.

"She's doing fine, miss. Would do better without her domestic problems being used as entertainment." I stated, looking pointed at them, my eyes accusing.

"That's quite the vocabulary you have there, dear…"

I walked away before they could muster up conversation, restraining my temper as best I could. I was a patient person, incredibly so, but recently I have not been in the best of spirits.

"Sasagawa-san, do you want to go play on the equipment?" I asked, pointing to the multi-coloured playground.

"Sure!" He grinned, but he knew that I knew that he had heard.

He vaulted off the swing and grabbed my hand, dragging me from the collection of nosey adults. I looked over my shoulder and looked at them with the same eyes I had looked at my father with, I knew their intentions and I wouldn't let them do it.

I wouldn't let them touch my mother.

* * *

I stood in front of the mirror with a tight smile, letting my mother undress and redress me like a doll. I watched her look pointedly at my flat chest, a flash of pride going through her eyes.

Yamaguchi Kaede was a pretty woman, no one could deny. She wasn't _beautiful_ , but she wasn't anything to sneeze at either. She had long black hair pulled back into a ponytail, black voids as eyes and pale skin. Her body was supple and lithe, long legs and small waist.

She reached into my drawer and pulled out a pair of briefs and pulled it up my legs, covering the one thing she couldn't deal with about her son.

I looked off to the side, scanning my room in boredom.

My mother, Kaede, while she was nice on the outside, she was a bit of a mess on the inside.

She herself, had admitted that she couldn't function without a man in her life, and with the sudden removal of her husband, she moved to her daughter who, under the demands of her disappointed father, had taken the guise of a son.

She became obsessed with turning me into the perfect son, and I let her. She was already at her wits end, whatever kept her grounded and functioning, even if it was crossdressing, I would do it. For my mother, I'd lie.

I was taught masculine Japanese, she would laugh and give me a light smack if I used feminine, I was given boys clothes and shounen manga.

It wasn't hard, fun, to an extent, actually.

The only I foresaw was the education system, and their take on the situation.

Oh well, we'll deal with that hurdle when we reach it.

"Oh Daiki-kun, you're going to be so handsome when you grow up. Just like your father, tall and handsome."

I gave her a smile, wondering if what I was doing was the right thing.

She wrapped my in her arms, burying her face in my hair.

"My little boy. My son. Boy. Only boy."

I really wonder.

* * *

"Oomph! Damn, that was a heavy one." I muttered as I dropped another 50kg bag of flour, sneezing as the powder got up my nose.

"Kaa-san! I'm done with the flour! Anything else!?" I called from the store room, patting my hands off on the back of my pants.

"No, you can go shower now! Thank you, my strong little man!"

I took off my apron and hung it up and I ran up the stairs to the living space, glancing at the clock as I did.

I had been two years since my father's disappearance, and things have been moving smoothly. People have mostly forgotten the scene of a little boy throwing out his father in the middle of rush hour, last minute shopping and have started to treat them the same as before.

"Ah! I only have fifteen minutes! Kaa-san!" I yelled, yanking my work clothes off and turning on the cold water.

Almost as soon as I had been completely covered in water, I got out, toothbrush hanging from my mouth. Drying myself off quickly, I pulled on my Namimori Elementary boy's uniform, stumbling down the stairs.

I sat on the bottom step, pulling on my little socks as I called for my lunc-bento box, sorry.

I ran into the kitchen and grabbed the green, frog shaped bento box, stuffing it into my bag as I thanked mother.

"I'm off! Bye kaa-san!" I called as I ran out the door, shoes on my feet and bag on back.

I ran out of the bakery, waving to the butcher and his wife across the street as I did. I ran out of the shopping district and entered the residential, passing uniform houses as I did.

"EXTREEEEMEEEE!"

"Quickly Sasagawa-kun! Speed is key!" I yelled over my shoulder as I glanced at my watch.

The sun guardian caught up with me as we turned the corner, the gates of the elementary school coming into view.

"5! 4! 3! 2!" The teacher called to us, standing at the gate with a smile, used to our antics.

I dropped to the floor and slid through the gate as she closed it, ending the countdown.

"Safe!" I yelled, slumping.

"Aw man! This is so UNEXTREME!"

I turned and let out a laugh, looking at Ryohei through the bars as he pouted, glaring up at the teacher.

"C'mon sensei, let him in, please?" I asked, tugging her sleeve.

She sighed before opening the gate a fraction, letting him shuffle in sideways, looking down at him with a laugh.

"You owe me, Sasagawa-kun." I teased as we traded our outdoor shoes for indoor ones.

"How 'bout you call me Ryohei-kun then!?" He yelled/asked in a way only Ryohei could.

I blinked before uttering, "Really?"

"TO THE EXTREME!"

I rubbed my ear as it rung slightly, looking at the pale-haired boy with one open eye.

"Okay then, Ryohei-kun, but tone it down a bit?" I mumbled, pushing his face away from me.

"You two!"

We jumped and turned sharply, to see the principle glaring at us from down the hall.

"Class has started already! Get going!"

"Yes, sensei!" We yelped, taking off.

That principle never did like us, no matter how good my results were.

* * *

"Yamaguchi-san, another A, well done."

I looked up from my book, to the teacher, and thanked her as I took the math test back, scanning it over. I finally nodded to myself, happy with my 100% on the pop quiz. I was a legal adult in mind, I would have been disappointed in myself if I had got any less.

We were enjoying free time, the teacher using this time to hand out our pop quizzes. The sound of children playing with Lego and blocks, barely distracting me from my thick biology book.

"EEEEEXTREEEEMEEEE!"

The class jumped at the sudden scream, snapping to look at the sleeping Ryohei next to me. I rolled my eyes, and gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs.

He gave a squeal and sat up, glaring at me with annoyance. He pouted as he rubbed his side, asking me why I had attacked him in such an 'unextreme' way.

"You were sleep extreme-ing. Again." I stated, taking off my reading glasses.

I blinked and rubbed my eyes, knowing they shouldn't be like at this age, I had read too much. Ryohei looked at me, head in his arms, a lazy grin on his face.

"Of course, I'm just so EXTREME! Even in my sleep!"

"Sasagawa-san, please stop shouting."

I snorted as he shrunk under the teacher's stare, flushing slightly.

"Don't laugh at me, Daiki-kun!" He whined, pouting for the fifth time that day.

"Hmm." I hummed, putting my glasses back on and going back to revising the process of mitosis.

 _ **RIIIING!**_

I closed my book and shoved it into my bag, grabbing my bento box before walking out of the classroom, Ryohei following close behind.

He went to the canteen, grabbed a milk carton and we walked to the playground. I stayed off to the side, sitting under the shade of a tree as Ryohei went and greeted some of his other friends.

I ate my bento box, holding my chop sticks correctly, compared to how I did back in my other life. I blinked as Ryohei thumped down next to me, making me raise an eyebrow as he leaned against me, looking prepared to sleep.

"Ryohei-kun, when did you last sleep - properly?" I asked, noticing the bags under his eyes.

"Um…"

I sighed and shoved a sausage into my mouth before closing the lid, putting it off to the side. I shifted and let him fall into my lap, covering his little body with my jacket.

"Sleep now, then. So you are capable of concentrating in class." I said, leaning against the tree.

"Noooooo, I wanna plaaaay!"

I grabbed him as he tried to slink away, and slammed him back into my lap, his body giving little resistance.

"Ryohei-kun, our bodies need rest to grow and recover. Sleep. Now."

He grunted, crossing his arms as he did, before a grin split his face.

"Fine, but you have to do _that._ "

I straightened and frowned, not at all happy about his request.

"No Ryohei, that was once, and we were at my house, not in public."

"Then I'll go and play, to the EXTREME!"

"Fine! Fine, I'll do…that." I grumbled, huffing as he dropped back down.

I mumbled to myself, gently prodding his head.

"Well Daiki-kun, I'm EXTREMELY ready."

I sighed, deciding to just get it over with and do it. I moved and began trailing my nails through his hair, the way my first mother did, and began quietly singing in English. He couldn't understand it, but seemed to enjoy it anyway.

" _Dear Theodosia, what to say to you?_

 _You have my eyes. You have your mother's name_

 _When you came into the world, you cried and it broke my heart_

 _I'm dedicating every day to you_

 _Domestic life was never quite my style_

 _When you smile, you knock me out, I fall apart_

 _And I thought I was so smart._

 _You will come of age with our young nation_

 _We'll bleed and fight for you, we'll make it right for you_

 _If we lay a strong enough foundation_

 _We'll pass it on to you, we'll give the world to you_

 _And you'll blow us all away…_

 _Someday, someday_

 _Yeah, you'll blow us all away_

 _Someday, someday."_

I paused when a teacher walked past, she didn't seem to notice and kept walking. Ryohei gave an annoyed grunt, shifting slightly.

" _Oh Philip, when you smile I am undone_

 _My son_

 _Look at my son. Pride is not the word I'm looking for_

 _There is so much more inside me now_

 _Oh Philip, you outshine the morning sun_

 _My son_

 _When you smile, I fall apart_

 _And I thought I was so smart_

 _My father wasn't around_

 _My father wasn't around_

 _I swear that_

 _I'll be around for you._

 _I'll do whatever it takes_

 _I'll make a million mistakes_

 _I'll make the world safe and sound for you_

 _Will come of age with our young nation._

 _We'll bleed and fight for you, we'll make it right for you_

 _If we lay a strong enough foundation_

 _We'll pass it on to you, we'll give the world to you_

 _And you'll blow us all away..._

 _Someday, someday_

 _Yeah, you'll blow us all away_

 _Someday, someday…"_

I sighed as I felt Ryohei's breath slow to a steady deep, showing he was asleep, finally.

In my past life, I had an acceptable voice, nothing outstanding. This body had a slightly better one, with training it could draw attention, but nothing ground breaking.

"The things I do for you, Ryohei-kun, honestly…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Fair warning, I have been listening to the Hamilton playlist for three days straight. So much Hamilton ahead.**

 **LeNoRi, over and out!**

* * *

"Kaa-san! I'm going to the park!" I called, soccer ball tucked under arm.

"Okay, be back by dinner! Take a hat!"

I pulled on my shoes and took off in a gentle jog, adjusting my cap.

That had confused me slightly, Namimori tendency to let their children roam without much guidance. I had seen children as young as five run past me, alone and without an adult following close behind.

I remember almost never leaving my house, unless going to school or shopping with my mum, in my past life. So, by habit, when I see a group of young children walk past, I watch them for a little while in case they do something stupid. Call me a creep, call me cautious.

I reached the park and let out a breath, looking around before deciding to go over to the grassy areas and kick the ball around. I walked to the middle of the oval and dropped my ball, catching it in the crook of my foot before tossing it up and catching it with the other foot.

I repeated this a few times before getting the ball up higher and bumping it with my chest, following with my head. I shifted around, trying to keep under the ball and balance it, before letting it roll down my front and pinning it between my thighs. Using my left foot, I moved the ball down my leg before popping it with the heel of my right, launching it up and over my head.

I looped through a mess of practiced movements, doing things that my old body could never do. Going through the movements without thinking of what I was doing, my only goal to keep the ball moving and in the air.

I let out a whoosh of air as I lost the ball, it flying off the side of my heel. I turned and ran after it, catching up quickly and rolling the black and white ball up my leg in one smooth movement. Bouncing it off my knees, I leaned forwards and pinched it between my shoulder blades.

"Wow, that's so cool!"

I jumped and lost the ball, making me groan as I rolled down the slight decline of the oval into a trench in the ground.

I turned to the distraction, an eyebrow raised, before stalling.

Ah fuck.

"Nah, that's pretty basic stuff. I'm Yamaguchi Daiki, who're you?"

The black haired, brown eyed child grinned up at me.

"I'm Yamamoto Takeshi! Do you wanna play baseball with me?"

I repeat. Ah FUCK!

"Sure, why not."

WHY!?

" _Cool!_ C'mon then!" Yamamoto cheered, pretty much butchering the English language.

I parted from him to grab my ball before following after to join him in front of a small pile of baseball equipment.

"Do you have anyone else playing with you?" I asked as I dropped my ball to pick up the smaller one.

"Ah, nah, they're all busy right now." He shrugged, grabbing the bat and giving it a few test swings.

"Hm, I'll bowl first then." I hummed, jogging a few meters away.

"This good?" I called, raising my hand in a wave.

Takeshi stood in position, his trademark grin on his face, and gave me a nod.

" _Ready when you are!_ " He called back in cringe English.

Stop. Pls.

I remember Yamamoto being a great base-baller, but I didn't know what level he was at yet.

I frowned down at the ball in my hand, spinning it slightly. Let's start slow?

"Ready!" I called, throwing the ball with more of an arc than I would normally.

I blinked as Yamamoto's eyes hardened for a moment before, jumping to the side sharply as the ball whizzed past me.

"Damn…You're good at this." I breathed as I saw the ball _eventually_ reach a stop at the edge of the park.

"Hehe, sorry, I can't really hold back when it comes to baseball!"

I waved off the apology and jogged after the ball, grabbing it off the ground and rubbing the dew off on my shift. Reaching my original position, I prepared to bowl again, before Yamamoto raised his hand, student style.

"Ya?" I asked, moving back to a normal stand.

"Could you pitch a bit faster? I really like it hard and fast!"

COUGH! COUGH! AHEM!

"Okay, I'll bowl a bit harder." I agreed, thanking every lord that this body seemed incapable of blushing.

" _Alright!_ "

Where did the R go, mate?

I was strong enough, having needing to pick up at least 100kg's worth of flour and other ingredients every morning. I was solid, tight chords of muscle making up my arms and legs. This body was easier to maintain, a faster metabolism and high testosterone levels allowed me to remain thin and form muscle easier than my last. Small blessings.

"Hey, Yamamoto-san! Toss me the glove!" I said, pointing to the mitt at his feet.

"Kay!"

I caught the brown material, noticing how stiff it felt, relatively new then. I looked at the bat in his hands, shiny and barely any scruff marks. The ball in my hand was in a similar condition, a polished sheen reflecting the midday sun. He hadn't been playing for long.

"Ready!"

I got into position and recalled my arm back, trusting that he's hit it. He's Yamamoto Takeshi, he'll do it.

I threw the ball, using all the muscles in my arm to launch it from my palm. I watched in satisfaction as it shot towards the batter in front of me, before widening my eyes slightly.

His face, he wasn't ready for that fast.

"C'mon batter! Hit the ball!" I yelled, pulling the mitt onto my hand.

Yamamoto snapped out of his stupor at the last second, swing his bat sharply. I stood still as the ball rolled to my feet, glancing at his with confusion. He…didn't hit it properly?

"Again!"

I picked up the ball and raised an eyebrow, oh dear.

"Pitch it again!" He yelled, falling into position.

Ah, competitive is he?

I rolled my arm and sighed, here we go. I'm going to be throwing a lot aren't I?

"Ready!"

I threw the ball again, letting it speed towards the rain guardian. I watched as he swung, hitting the ball before stalling. The bat unbalanced in his grip, falling back slightly, sending the ball rearing off into what would have been the out area.

"Again, please Yamaguchi-san!"

I groaned to myself but trotted after the now still ball, watching Yamamoto out of the corner of my eye as he adjusted his grip on his bat, frowning at hit.

He only just started, I shouldn't expect too much of him. He has plenty of time to grow and progress. Come to think of it…

"Yamamoto-san, how old are you?" I asked, tossing the ball in my hand as he shifted his feet.

"Me? Oh, I'm 8, I'll be 9 in April, the 24th, though!"

"Only a month left then, are you excited?" I asked, remembering it was March.

I blinked when no comment came, I looked to him and found him tilting his head and watching me with a confused expression.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just that sounded like something an adult would say…" He muttered, shrugging.

Oh dear, I forgot how perceptive Yamamoto Takeshi was.

"How old are you, Yamaguchi-san!?" He suddenly chirped, straightening.

"10, since January 21st. Ready?"

He nodded, falling into position, and watching the ball with rapt attention.

I prepared to throw again, nodding to him as warning before ridding myself of the ball with the usual speed and strength.

Yamamoto watched the ball speed at him before swinging the thick wooden bat in his hands, a flash of pride passing through his eyes as the pieces of equipment connected with a satisfying ' **whack!'**

My eyes widened as I moved quickly, watching the ball arc up as I moved beneath it. I sighed as it landed in my mitt solidly, sending Yamamoto a small smile.

"You hit it! 'Bout time!"

He grinned at me, bat leaning on his shoulder as he straightened his cap. Yamamoto held his hand out as he moved towards me, offering me the bat and taking the ball.

"My turn to pitch! Get ready, I'll pay you back for those balls!"

I nodded, taking the threat very literally, not doubting him for a second. I jogged to where my ball was, watching him as he weighed the ball in his hands.

"Ready when you are!" I called, swinging the bat before adjusting my grip.

" _Ready!_ "

Why, Yamamoto? Why?

I nodded and swung the bat back, ready for the ba- _Nope! Not ready for that!_

" _Son of a fuck! That could take someone's head off!_ " I hissed quietly in English, too quiet of Yamamoto to hear from where he was.

"Told you!" He laughed like the little devil he was as he ran after the ball.

I stared dumbly at the bat in my hands, before narrowing my eyes. Yamamoto Takeshi or not, I'm not going to be beaten by a _nine_ _year old._

"Ready!" He called, copying my warning.

I fell into position, remembering when I used to play squash against my first dad.

' _Wall-watcher! Eyes on the ball!_ '

Eye on the ball, got it.

I watched as he reared back and threw the ball like a true base-baller, the blob of white coming at me with disconcerting speed.

I swung as it neared, a burst of satisfaction shooting through me as they connected. The ball bounced off the bat, falling an arms-length away and rolling half way to Yamamoto.

"Damn, I thought I got it." I mumbled,

"Another one?" The rain guardian-to-be asked, a grin of his face as he jogged back.

"Of course." I affirmed, falling back into position.

I was going to hit that thing, if it was the last thing I bloody do.

I tensed as he threw the ball at me, his face flashing with his game face. My eyes followed the ball as it connected with the bat in my hand, flying off over Yamamoto's head.

"Yes!" I cheered, a grin splitting my face as I watched it bounce along the ground.

"Aw man!"

I shrugged and jogged up to the shorter boy, placing my hand on his head and messed up his hair.

"Don't worry, you'll be able to curb stomp me in no time, I assure you. You've got talent, I just got lucky."

He grinned up at me, making me blink.

Oh, so that's what his real smile looks like. I gave a slightly smile, a small wisp of pride swirling to life as he let out a laugh when I messed his hair up further.

* * *

I yawned as I leaned over a book on my desk, pages of drafts, notes, graphs and self-imposed assessments littering the floor around me. I sat back in my wheelie chair with a sigh, took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes.

"Ugh, logarithms, still hate 'em." I muttered, as I looked at the booklet of year eleven maths.

Leaning forwards again, I put my glasses back on and went back to the equations.

 _Graph the following logarithmic equations:_

" _C'mon, if Alexander Hamilton, an orphan, bastard and prostitute's son can do it, so can I."_

I grabbed my calculator out and began plugging in the numbers with my left hand, writing down my working on a blank piece of paper with my right.

Ah, gotta love ambidextrous multitasking.

I frowned down at the question as I tried to imagine the graph, before nodding and graphing the question with my frog ruler.

For some reason, my mother had come to believe that I loved frogs. I had no idea why.

"Daiki-kun! You have visitors!" Speak of the devil.

I blinked and leaned back, looking through my open door in confusion. Visitors?

"Who?!" I called back, straining to look down the hall without getting out of my chair.

"Yamamoto-kun and his father! I'm sending them up!"

Wait, _what?_

"Daiki-kun!" Yamamoto cheered as he ran in, trampling over my papers with socked feet.

'When did I become Daiki-kun? _'_ I thought, raising an eyebrow as he vaulted into my lap and threw his arms around my neck like the spider monkey he was.

I looked down at the grinning batsmen, wondering why the hell he was here. I'd known him for a month or less, and he was _clingy_. He liked to touch, he would poke, grab and hug almost every chance he could get, going as far as just flopping on me if I ignored him long enough.

In that time though, he had never come to my house. The bakery, sure, but never the house.

"Yes, that is my name." I replied as I reached around him to label the graph, intent on getting every point I could from the sheet.

"So, this is the Great Yamaguchi Daiki-san that Takashi-kun won't stop talking about."

I looked up and stared at the man in the doorway, recognising him from vague memories.

"Good morning, Yamamoto-san. I would get up to greet you properly, but it seems I have gained some weight." I said, bowing my head slightly as greeting.

"No problem, it's nice to finally meet you, Takeshi's told me _all_ about you." He smiled as he approached us, pausing as he stepped on one of my sheets.

"All good things, I hope." I replied, looking down at the boy who was looking at my booklet in disgust.

"All good things, don't worry. Tell me, Yamaguchi-san-"

"Please, call me Daiki, Yamamoto-kun already does." I insisted, giving the said boy a pinch when he tried to touch my glasses.

"Daiki-san, tell me, how long have you been doing algebra?" He asked, showing me one of my old work sheets.

"Daiki-kun's always studying, he finished algebra ages ago! He's doing this now, logs!" Yamamoto chirped, displaying my finished graphs.

"Is that so?"

The way he looked at me set alarm bells ringing in my head, he knew I was abnormal, he knew I was unnatural, he-

As soon as the expression came, it left, leaving him to turn to his son.

"You should take after Daiki-san here, study more instead of mucking around in the park all day."

"But studying is _boooriiiiing_!" Yamamoto whine, leaning back and dragging me with him.

"If you think it's bad now, just wait until middle school and high school. You'll cry then." I breathed, remembering the days of old.

…Well that was dramatic.

"Hey! Hey! Daiki-kun, do you remember my birthday?!"

I blinked and rubbed my ear, looking down at him with a vague scowl.

"April 24th, you foghorn."

He grinned up at me, completely at peace with being called 'foghorn'. It was nicer than 'baseball idiot', I suppose.

"Yeah! That's, like, a week from now! I'm going to have a party, it'll have cake, candy, presents, baseball and everything!"

I looked down at him blandly as he flailed on my lap, probably would have fallen if it weren't for my arm acting as a backboard.

"Five days, actually, and…?"I asked, tilting my head with a raised eyebrow.

"Well? Can you come?!" He asked, leaning his face near mine.

I looked at him over the rims of my glasses, before dropping my pen and scooping him up. His eight year old body was easy to lift compared to the piles of flour, letting me carry him bridal style. I walked out of my room, descended the stairs and walked into the bakery, Yamamoto's father following close behind.

"Ah, Daiki-kun! How are you?"

I looked up and smiled at the brown haired woman browsing the pastries section, recognising her easily.

"I'm doing well, Sasagawa-san. How about you? Is Ryohei-kun keep out of trouble?" I asked, shrugging the young Yamamoto up when he let go of my neck and started to slip.

"I'm fine, and Ryohei's doing well too. You should come over some time, my little Kyoko-chan really wants to meet you!"

Behind me, Yamamoto's father let out a hearty laugh as he walked over to the woman. They exchanged pleasantries before turning back to me.

"I see Daiki-san's being just as elusive towards your family as he was to me! I only met the boy today!"

I gave a bashful smile before turning to look for my mother, perking up when I saw her come out of the store room. I shifted Yamamoto before running up to her, joining her behind the register.

"Kaa-san! Can I go to Yamamoto-kun's birthday party on the 24th? It's on a Friday!" I asked, bouncing the boy as if to make a point.

She smiled down at us, something flashing through her eyes that I couldn't quite describe, but whatever it was, it made Yamamoto's grip on my shirt tighten.

"Sure, sweetheart! Yamamoto-kun, what do you want as a present?" She asked, crouching down to reach out level.

"Baseball stuff!" He cheered, one hand coming away to fist pump.

I raised an eyebrow, what could the boy not have already?

I guess I could get him a helmet, to avoid any…further brain damage.

"Haha, okay, baseball stuff it is!"

I smiled up at her in thanks, before turning to look at the little one in my arms. His smile was fake again, I don't think he trusts my mother.

I don't blame him.

"Is there a specific theme to the party, Yamamoto-san? A certain dress code?" I asked, turning to the elder.

My mother turned away from us and focused on serving the other woman in the room, taking and packaging the chocolate cupcakes.

"Well, we're going to meet at Takesushi, then go to the local park and play for a while before going back to the shop for pickups. Takeshi-kun here, though, was hoping that you would be able to do a sleepover afterward. If that's okay with you, Yamaguchi-san?" He asked, raising his gaze to her.

I looked up at her, Sasagawa-san already gone, and waited for her response. She had paused and turned to the calendar on the counter, tracing her finger along the 24th.

"Yeah, that sounds fine! From what time to what time?"

I let a chuckle rumble in my chest as I heard Yamamoto whisper a quiet 'victory!' under his breath, amusing me greatly.

"Friday, 3:30pm, to Saturday, 11am? Is that okay?"

"Definitely. We'll see you then, Yamamoto-san."

The man nodded and turned to me and the little rain guardian in my arms, Yamamoto, lolling his head back so he could see his father, albeit upside down.

"Come on Takeshi-kun, let's get going, we need to pick up the fish!"

"Awww! C'mon tou-san! Can I stay with Daiki-kun? Please?" He whined, twisting to wrap his legs around my waist and cling like a koala.

"Takeshi, come along. We don't want to give Daiki-san and Yamaguchi-san trouble."

My mother smiled before raising her hand to pause the older man.

"He could stay, until you finish your order pick up, I don't mind."

One Yamamoto sagged in defeat and the other perked up in happiness.

"If it's no trouble, it would be a great help." The single father laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No trouble, go on."

Yamamoto and I watched his father walk out and head off to the markets, the little boy still clinging to me. I looked up as mum turned and looked down at me with a smile.

"Okay, before you to run off to play, Daiki-kun, I need you to move some of the flour and grain, again. You put it in the wrong place this morning."

I slapped my forehead when I realised, I had put it down to do something and hadn't come back to it.

"Oh man, I completely forgot! I'll do that now, sorry." I apologised as I ran into the store room, placing Yamamoto down on the cold concrete floor.

"Can I help?" He asked reaching for a 50kg bag of salt.

I scooped him up and disposed of him at the doorstep, worried he'd do damage to himself if he tried to lift the bags.

"Yamamoto-kun, these bags are all 25kg _at least_ , I don't think it is wise for you to move them around." I warned, standing straight and walking over to the unsteady pile of flour that leaned against a 100kg crate of dried meat.

"Why can you pick them up, you're only a year older than me? Are you really strong?" He asked, sitting on the step.

I thought about it for a moment, squatting in front of the 100kg box.

"I suppose so, for my age I guess I am." I said as I lifted it off the ground with a small grunt.

"How heavy if that box?" He questioned, pointing to the wooden box in my hands.

"100kg, it says so here. All the bags and crates are labelled with their weights so people don't hurt themselves." Was my answer as I gestured to the room.

Yamamoto stood and walked to me, holding his hands out.

"Can I feel, only for a bit." He asked, placing his hands under the crate.

I frowned and thought, could I do this without hurting him?

"Your hands, try to keep them right there. I'll slowly add the weight of the crate on them, then you'll see how heavy it is. I won't let it go though, so no need to worry about the full 100kg." I decided, shifting my grip on the box.

"Ready?" I asked, looking at him from around the wood.

"Ready."

I nodded and slowly loosened my arms, making sure to keep a good grip. I stopped when I heard him grunt, pulling back and holding the full weight.

"That was probably 20kgs of weight, I don't want you touching those 50kg bags from before." I stated, before walking away and lowering the box next to a similar crate.

"You move all of these things?" He asked, looking around.

"Yeah, kaa-san hasn't got much muscle on her. I do most of the heavy lifting around the house."

"You're really strong then! No wonder you were able to throw so hard!"

I smiled at him before dropping the last of the bags, and turned to him.

"Yeah, now my warm ups over I can throw even better. I think I have a ball out back, let's play catch?"

" _Oh yeah!_ "

"Yamamoto-kun, please stop."

* * *

"You bastard!"

"Let go of my imouto!"

"Onii-san!"

"Watch out!"

"Daiki-kun!"

"Stupid Ryohei-kun…the things I do for…"

* * *

I sat in the hospital bed, ignoring the questioning glances of the nurses, instead looking at my reflection in the window.

Why did I do that? Why did I step in? I knew the outcome of the scuffle, but my body moved on its own and took the hit. Why did I take the hit?

I clenched my hands in my lap, my teeth gritted.

I felt like a thief, I had taken something from Ryohei, a characteristic, a flaw, a trademark. I had taken the scar on his temple, I had split my forehead jumping in the way of the punch that was meant for him.

I could only hope that he kept fighting, promising to win.

* * *

"Onii-san, y-you have to promise me! Promise that you won't fight anymore, people always get hurt!"

"…I…"

"Onii-san!"

"They hurt Daiki-kun…If it makes you cry, and gets my friends hurt, then I promise not to lose! I'll win!"

* * *

"I'm not sure about this, are you sure? You only just got out of the hospital…"

I smiled up at her, sitting next to my mother on the couch. My hand reached up and brushed my stitches, they were itchy and my hair got caught, but I didn't mind.

Neither did mum.

"I'll be fine, I'll have my Panadol and pain-killers with me. If I feel unwell I'll tell Yamamoto-san and come home, I promise." I responded, placing my hand over my heart and my other in the air.

"You really do look like your father, more and more every day. The scar just adds to the likeness." She muttered, tracing the skin around the stitches.

She was right, I did look a lot like him, I had his colouring and his skin tone. My shoulders were broad and my back and wide, my face looked like him too, resulting in a solid jawline and an androgynous face.

He had scars too, one that cut his cheek in a long line from his jaw to his nose. Another one should be marring his face now, if that punch of mine was effective enough. I hope so.

"Okay, you'll be walking with Yamamoto-kun from the school. I'll come and drop your stuff off at their home during school, so no need to worry about that." She said, taking her hand back and folding them in her lap.

"Uh huh, I understand, thank you."

Mum smiled before turning to look at the clock, standing and grabbing her apron.

"It's time for you to go now or you'll be late, I'll see you tomorrow! Play nice, you'll probably be the oldest at the party!"

I nodded and jumped off the couch, grabbing my backpack and taking off down the stairs and out the shop.

"I'm off! See you Saturday!"

* * *

"Oh my, Yamaguchi-san!"

"Where'd you get that cut!?"

"Cool, you got stitches!"

"How much blood was there?"

"Now, now children! I don't think Yamaguchi-san likes you all asking him about his stitches!" The teacher called, making the students disperse.

I looked at Ryohei out of the corner of my eye, noticing he was being very quiet. Expected, he thought it was his fault, as anyone would, but the silence was still aggravating.

* * *

It was fourth period and I had had just about _enough_ of the situation.

I could handle, understand even, if Ryohei blamed himself. However, the fact that our _peers_ also blamed him. Made. Me. _**Angry.**_

It was around the time the teacher had walked out of the classroom to talk to a fellow teacher, that a student had the _gall_ to shoot a _spitball_ at the back of Ryohei's head. Ryohei, himself, accepted the punishment and kept his head down.

That was the last straw for me, I slammed my hands down on my desk and stood sharply. Throwing his desk out of the way, I grabbed Ryohei by the back of his shirt and used all my strength to throw him over my shoulder and stormed out of the classroom.

I brushed past the startled teachers, not caring that they were making out at the least, and walked to the back of the school. I threw Ryohei down and punched the tree behind him, making the leaves fall and a bird to piss off.

"You can hit me, go ahead. It's my fault you-"

"Shut your trap, Ryohei!" I snapped, ditching the '-kun' as my anger brought back Westerner habits.

"Yes, sir…"

I leapt forward and grabbed his collar, lifting him off the ground easily and shook him, my face twisted into an angry snarl.

"Why, Ryohei?!"

He looked down, his fringe shadowing his eyes.

"They took my sis-"

"No! You fucking idiot! I don't care about that! Why the _fuck_ are you letting them do those things to you!?" I roared, throwing him back down.

He fell to the dirt, not fighting back.

I growled and jumped on him, straddling him I grabbed his face and made him look at me.

"Sasagawa Ryohei, look at this!" I growled, pulling my fringe back to show the stitches better.

I felt him flinch and sag, the strain on my arm growing against the weight.

"This wound is _on me!_ Not the _other students_! They have no _right_ to blame _you_ , you are _mine to blame!_ _I_ blame you! _I_ blame you!" I roared, my grip on his chin tightening.

"I blame you for _fighting on your own_! Am I so _useless_ to you that you can't ask me for a _little help_ when you need it!? You _stupid_ boy! I got this wound because you didn't _think!_ "

I panted, my nails digging into the skin of his face and my other hand pulling my hair harder. Slowly, I regained control and let out a long breath, calming myself. I looked down at him, he was no longer covering his eyes, tears gathering in the corner of them. A flash of guilt struck through me as I remembered…

"Ryohei, we're only ten. We need to rely on our friends and family when we're out of our depth, lest we drown." I said, before tightening my grip further, nails digging deeper.

"I don't care if you blame yourself or not, not really. If you continue to do so though, I at least expect you to do something to recompense. I took a blow for _you_ , you take a blow for _me_. If I get in trouble, I'm going to fall back on you for help. Is that clear, Sasagawa Ryohei?" I growled, my teeth coming to bare.

I dropped my arm from my head and let it fall beside his, letting me loom over him.

His eyes were wide, one hand around my wrist to stop my nails from digging further. I refused to break eye contact with him, my brown eyes piercing his own brown. Earth meeting mocha.

"…" He whispered something, too quiet for me to hear despite our close proximity.

"What was that? Speak up, boy!" I growled, making him jump.

"Yes sir, I understand."

I grunted and nodded, letting go of his face, beads of blood bubbling to the surface of the crescents in his face. I looked down at them, a flicker of guilt was squashed as soon as it was felt. I ridded his blood with my sleeve, leaving raw skin behind. I stood, taking a step away from him and crossing my arms.

The classes at the back of the building had heard our one-sided screaming match, causing some of the students to move to the window to see the cause. They crowded the windows and muttered to one another, some pretending to know what was going on, others asking.

I glared at the children, annoyance bubbling to life in my stomach. I scanned their faces, seeing a mixture of emotions, before stopping on a familiar one.

I stared at Yamamoto with the same bland expression that he sent at me, knowing he wanted to know the story.

"Ryohei, get up. We need to get back to class." I stated, offering him my hand, not looking away from the Rain.

"Yes sir." He said, grabbing my hand and letting me hoist him up.

"Drop the 'sir', I'm your friend, you twat. If you screw up, I'm going to set you EXTREMELY straight!" I yelled, letting my lips tilt slightly.

His eyes flickered for a moment before he too smiled, brighter and stronger than mine could ever be.

"You too, Daiki, to the EXTREME!"

* * *

"Daaaaiiiiiikiiiiii-kuuuun!"

I stood strong as a body was flung on me and long limbs wrapping around my frame, only stepping back to balance myself.

"Well hello Birthday Boy, finally nine now, huh?" I smirked, down at him.

" _You bet!_ I'm gonna eat so much cake!" Yamamoto grinned, holding the straps of my bag and circling my waist with his legs.

"Uh huh, and I bet you're expecting me to carry you home like this?" I asked, one hand coming up to stop him from leaning too far back.

He lashed his head up and down in an exaggerated nod, leaning into me happily.

I rolled my eyes, noticing people glancing or outright staring at us. Well I guess this was odd, Yamamoto was only a head shorter than me, and probably only weighed a few kilo's less.

"Okay, fine, take your bag off and drop for a second." I told him, dropping my own bag.

I leaned forward and let him clamber up onto my back, picked up our bags and hooked my arms under his legs. I bumped him higher before walking off, following his directions to Takesushi. He grinned the whole way, waving to people if they looked at us oddly or at all. He rattled off about just about everything, his classes, baseball, sushi, baseball, his dad, the baseball that will happen at the party, homework, his friends, baseball.

"It's going _to be awesome!_ " he yelled, butchering the sentence.

"I'm sure it will be, stop screaming, you're right next to my ear." I hummed, leaning my head away from the boy.

"Hehe, sorry, Daiki-kun." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's fine, just tone it down, I'm literally right here. How much further?"

I shrugged him further up, following the last few directions before the familiar store came into sight. Leaning forwards, I let the little Yamamoto slide the door open and walked in.

"Yamamoto-san?!" I called into the quiet store.

"Tou-san!? Daiki-kun and I are back!" Yamamoto called as well, still sitting on my back.

"I'm in the back! You two go and change, the others will be here in ten minutes!" We heard from the far side of the shop, making me shrug and glance up at the boy on my back.

Ah, so Yamamoto's dad was in the dojo. That's nice.

"Okay!" He called, tugging my hair to guide me over to the housing area behind the shop.

"Take off your shoes here, Daiki-kun." He said as he kicked off his own, making me wobble unsteadily for a second.

I hummed and toed mine off, setting them straight before doing the same to his messy ones. I dropped our bags next to the umbrella stand and stood straight, Yamamoto no longer able to splay out over my back.

"I'll show you my room! That way!" He chirped, pointing towards the far door.

I stared at it, unimpressed by what I was seeing. Baseball themed stickers cover the plain white door, the name 'Takeshi' nailed just above my eye line in blue. I opened the door, using one arm to keep the boy up, and walked in.

Yamamoto shuffled off my back and ran ahead of me, jumping on his bed and pulling out a magazine from the mess of his sheets.

I closed the door behind me and walked over, taking in the baseball themed room. He had a baseball night light. Jesus Christ.

"It's definitely cleaner than my room, that's for sure. You can actually see the floor." I commented, plonking down next to the younger boy.

"Look, look! I got this yesterday, it's got the descriptions of all the players in the Samurai's, Japan's national baseball team! People like Makita Kazuhisa and Shima Motohiro!" He beamed, shoving the open magazine in my face.

I plucked it out of his hands and flipped through it, scanning the bios, showing polite interest.

"Cool, did you get anything else?" I asked, closing and returning the magazine.

He nodded and ran to his closet, taking a white jacket out when showed me his new baseball jersey. I didn't recognise the team, unsurprisingly, but complemented and congratulated anyway.

"What'd you get me?" He asked, leaning forwards expectantly.

I looked to the door and said, "Kaa-san should have brought it while we were at school, it should be somewhere in the house."

He hummed and ran out of the room screaming "Scavenger hunt!"

I rolled my eyes and followed after him quickly, wondering his reaction to the gift.

"I found it! It was under the sink!"

I turned into the kitchen and leaned against the door frame leisurely, watching his shake the dark blue, wrapped box in attempts to figure out its contents.

"What is it?" He asked, flipping it over, trying to find a gap in the wrapping.

"Baseball stuff." I answered blandly.

"Specifics, please dear." He said, repeating the sentence I use against him, quite a lot actually.

"You're a smart kid, you can figure it out." I shrugged, my lip twitching at his pout.

I watched as he shook the box a bit more before putting it down and crossing his arms, glaring down at it.

"Tou-san said I couldn't open any presents until the others get here." He pouted.

I perked up and scooped him up, throwing him over my shoulder and walking back to our bags and brought them to his room.

"On that note, we should get changed." I said tossing him on his bed and throwing his bag on him when he laid there limply.

Turning my back to him, I shrugged my jacket off and unbuttoned my shirt, revealing my washboard abdomen. Opening my bag, I pulled out a black shirt with the number 5 printed in red.

My mother had gotten it for me, and it had quickly become my sport shirt. Reason? Aomine Daiki from Kuroko no Basuke is no.5.

I reached and dropped my pants, pulling on a pair of black shorts quickly as replacement. I folded my uniform and slid it into my bag, before standing and turning to Yamamoto. I blinked when I noted he hadn't changed, still laying on his back with his bag on his stomach.

"Did you just watch me change?" I asked, my face and tone flat.

"You have a big scar on your back." He muttered, his hand twitched sightly.

I raised an eyebrow, that's new. Not.

"I'm aware of that. Why aren't you changed?" I rolled my shoulder, noticing the faint cracking coming from the right one.

"But I'm comfy!" he whined, throwing his head back.

"Yamamoto-kun." I warned, approaching him.

He huffed before turning his head away from me, crossing his arms.

I raised an eyebrow before an idea entered my mind, my hand raised and ventured near his open side. Surging my hand forward, I poked his sensitive side, eliciting a surprised shriek to erupt from the nine year old.

"C'mon Yamamoto-kun, get changed or I'll tickle you."

He remained stubborn and scooted away from me, making me grunt as I noticed that he had boxed himself in between the wall and me.

"Not a very strategic move, I must say." I mocked, crawling up onto the bed and easily poking him again.

He squealed again and grabbed his blankets, cocooning himself in the fabric. He let out a laugh as I let my hands roam, trying to find a kink in his new armour. Finding one, I let my hands slip and feel when it was, his stomach.

I let an evil grin slip across my face, remembering one of my best attributes. My _freezing_ hands that are _never_ warm.

I pulled his shirt up and laid my cold hand along his hot core, the sudden cold making his shriek and recoil. I laughed and followed his retreat, switching to the back of my hand when the palm warmed up.

"C'mon kid, get changed." I laughed as I changed hands, sliding my hand up his back.

"Cold! Cold! Why are your hands so _cold_!?" He screamed, writhing away from my grasp.

"Because of circulation." I answered truthfully.

I grabbed the sheets with my free hand and tugged it off when his grip loosened, successfully leaving him at my mercy. I laughed when he tried to scramble away, grabbing his arms I easily pinned the boy, letting me smirk down at him.

"I do believe I win this round, and look, your shirts already off." I said, tilting my head back to look down at him with a smirk.

"Fine, I'll change." He pouted, twisting in my grip.

I nodded and let go of him, backing off and grabbing the sports magazine. I read the bio of the first bowler, or pitcher as they said, and raised an eyebrow at the amount of personal details it supplied. Creepy.

"You done yet, kid?" I asked, turning the page.

"Gimme a sec."

"I'm already half way through the magazine, Yamamoto-kun."

"You're just really fast at reading!"

I sighed, closing the magazine as I finished it, the last three pages being empty sticker boxes. Well, now we know where the stickers came from.

"Yamamoto-kun, I have finished the magazine, redressing cannot ta- you're changing your underwear, okay I'll be outside now."

I stood and speed walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind me.

…

 _JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! MISTAKE! MISTAKE! ABORT MISSION! DON'T STORE MEMORY! BURN IMAGE! NOW!_

I groaned and sunk down the door, once again thanking that this body seemed incapable of flushing.

* * *

"Hehe, sorry about that."

I sighed and raked my hand through my hair, using the other one to close the door behind him. I waved off the apology, offering my own one as we walked into the shop of Takesushi.

"A bit more warning next time, hey?" I asked, ruffling his hair.

Yamamoto laughed and batted my hand away from his head, reaching up to do the same to me, only for me lean back and get out of his range. He leaned forwards and I reciprocated by leaning further back until I was parallel to the wooden floor with him splayed over my stomach, me straining to hold balance and him straining to reach my head of black hair.

 **Click!**

We turned our heads to see a sweaty, but relaxed Yamamoto standing over us with an amused expression and a camera in hand.

"That's one for the scrapbook, I'll give your mother a copy!" He laughed.

We stayed in the same position as he walked past, opening the fridge and pulling out trays of cut up fruit and lollies.

"As much as your posing is impressing me, I'd appreciate if you two would help me set out the snacks."

We parted quickly and each grabbed a tray, sliding them onto one of the booth's table, before returning to grab the drinks. Yamamoto held the stack of cups, leaving me to lug the 5 litres of cumbersome bottles onto the shoulder height table.

"Careful there, Daiki-san." The oldest Yamamoto laughed as he helped me put them up, before retreating back to the kitchen.

He came back with a permanent marker and began writing the names of the guests the cups, handing me my own to write my name before handing Yamamoto his prewritten one.

I took the pen from him when he finished writing the last name and wrote my name, 大輝, in thick, practiced lines before underlining it. I did _not_ want some kid slobbering over it.

 **Knock! Knock!**

"Yamamoto-san! Roshi-kun and I are here!" a mother's voice called from the entrance as she slid the door open and ducked under the flaps.

"Ah, Roshi-kun!" the littlest Yamamoto cheered before running after his father to greet his guests.

I shrugged before hopping up and sitting at a booth, enjoying the cushioned seats and sipping my apple juice in content as I watched the children pour in. As mother had said, I was definitely the oldest child at the party, the others being nine at the most. I recognised them from the school, but didn't see any of the key characters, making me lose interest fast.

I watched them blankly, they were loud, talked with their mouths full, their footsteps were heavy and they all clambered for the Birthday Boy's attention. They acted like children, and I couldn't fault them for being what they were, but that didn't mean I had to like being in such close proximity. To my relief, it seemed that neither parent nor child had noticed my being there.

Heh, and I had wanted to be a teacher in my past life.

I tipped the last of my juice back, before sliding out of my booth and walking over to where I had put the bottle. I paused when I noticed a short eight year old reach for the bottle, deciding to wait for my turn, and watched as he urged it towards him with the tips of his finger as he stood on his toes. My eyes widened as the bottle tipped dangerously, the contents began to creep towards the open top and the bottle itself slid from the counter and fell towards the child. The parents noticed it a second after I did, panicked gasps and yelps erupting from them.

I surged forwards, cutting through the crowd. I scooped up the bottle, hugging it to me with my left hand and caught the loose liquid with my cup, covering the top with it.

"This is why we always put the lid back on." I muttered as I slowly removed the cup, now having it half full of my original intention.

I poured the stunned child some before putting the bottle back and reaching for the lid, it was hidden among the oreos. Little savages.

"Good catch, Daiki-kun!"

I finished twisting the top back on, before turning to the birthday boy with a raised eyebrow. The call seemed to unfreeze the party, the a parent coming over to check on the child who had begun sipping his juice happily, the others talking to one another and the other children training their eyes on me with surprising intensity.

"You're that boy from this afternoon, right? The one at the back of the school?" A little boy of non-descript appearance asked, getting the attention of the others.

"Yes, my friend and I were having a disagreement that couldn't be handled within the classroom." I answered, nodding before walking back to my booth.

"Daiki-kun, why are you sitting all alone?! Come and be with us!" Yamamoto called, making the adults turn and see me properly.

"…sure..." I muttered, slowly walking over to stand over the little children.

I shifted slightly as their little, prying eyes focused on my stitches and the bruise that painted my temple.

"So, Yamamoto-kun, when are you planning on opening the presents?" I asked, looking down at the Rain.

The boy perked up suddenly, before he turned and ran to his father, calling for his gifts. As per usual, the cloud of children followed the centre of attention, some branching off to grab treats or their presents to display.

I remembered that my present was hidden under the sink and went to collect it, finding it easily, I returned to the circle of children and planted it next to the intended, before walking off to get my drink.

"Not going to sit with the others?"

I looked up to see the eldest Yamamoto smiling down at me, a full cup of juice with my came on it in hand. I reached out for it and gently took it from it with a quiet 'thank you'.

"No, I don't want to cramp Yamamoto-kun's style with my old people ways." I laughed, shrugging.

"Yes! Tou-san, I got Aoizaka High School Baseball Club! Finally! Thank you Daiki-kun!"

I turned and saw Yamamoto wearing the shiny new, blue batter's helmet and clutching the four pack of the baseball manga with a grin on his face. I smiled and inclined my head, acknowledging his thanks silently.

* * *

"Okay kids, get a partner and hold onto them! We're going to the park!" Yamamoto's voice boomed over the laughing children, calling them to attention.

I watched the children either flock the birthday boy or fall into line with their friends, myself already walking over to the adult and grabbing his hand.

"Is something wrong, Daiki-kun?" He asked, looking down at me.

"Yamamoto-kun looks a bit preoccupied, I'll be your partner." I said, falling in line with him.

I didn't notice the youngest Yamamoto's glance when I finished my sentence, content to be where I was. He lead the way to the park, holding hands with a girl from his class, me and the adult following from the back, making sure none of the children wondered.

I held the bat under my arm and the ball in hand, the single father to the right of me holding mats to be used as bases under his arm, free hand securely around mine.

"So, Daiki-kun, other than Takeshi-kun, do you have any other friends?"

I looked up at the sudden question before a wave of depression hit me.

I had one other friend.

Jesus Christ, I needed to step up my game.

"I have Sasagawa Ryohei, I've known him since preschool." I answered, turning back to the trail of children in front of us.

"…Is that all?"

"Yeah. I don't have much of a social life, sadly." I mumbled, spinning the ball in my hand.

He didn't say much after that, the pair of us falling into silence.

We crossed the street and then the children dispersed into the field, being able to run freely under the watchful eye of the sushi chef.

I let go of the man's hand and walked over to a shady part of the oval, plopping my ass down at the base of a tree.

"Hey, where's the bat and ball?!" Yamamoto called to his father, only to be pointed to me as I held up the desired equipment.

The birthday boy and his ducklings followed the finger and came to take the bat and ball. I tossed the ball at him and offered the bat to the girl who had partnered with him, folding my empty hands in my lap.

"You're coming to play, right? It's funner when you pitch!" Yamamoto asked, crouching before my seated form.

"Funner, is not a word, kid. I'll play later, now shoo, go get warmed up." I answered, waving the group off.

I blinked when the group froze, their eyes all pinned to the foliage of the tree above me. Yamamoto's smile hardened slightly and he gripped his ball tighter, his other hand moved an inch towards me.

"Herbivores, stop crowding, or I'll bite you to death."

 _Mother of-_


	3. Chapter 3

**Not much to say here, go ahead and read.**

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

"Herbivores, stop crowding, or I'll bite you to death."

 _Mother of-!_

I sighed and stood, opening my arms slightly to herd the children from the tree and its dangerous resident.

"C'mon kids, let's not get him angry." I said, giving Yamamoto a little push to get him to move faster.

"Does that mean you're going to pitch, Yamaguchi-san?" the little girl holding the bat asked, looking up at me with her wide green eyes.

"Sure, I'll bowl first. May I ask your name, little miss?" I smiled, trying to make an effort to be civil with Yamamoto's friends.

"I'm Tomoe Tamaki!"

I smiled softly, she was such a cute little girl. Her light brown hair pulled into two long pigtails with yellow bows, her clothes were clean and looked relatively new showing she put effort into her appearance. Or at least her mother did.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Tomoe-san, I'm sure you know, but I'm Yamaguchi Daiki."

"Stop."

Ah, shit. I thought we were safe too.

The children turned to the skylark, some noticeably moving to hide behind me, Yamamoto reaching for my arm. I continued to smile, looking straight ahead where the eldest Yamamoto was setting up the bases, watching us out of the corner of his eye.

"You said your Yamaguchi Daiki?"

I tilted my head and glanced at him over my shoulder, wondering how I should get out of this. I may be strong, but taking on _Hibari Kyoya_ was a no go. I frowned as Yamamoto moved slightly, whether to go in front of me of behind I was unsure.

"Yes, that's me. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you are Hibari Kyoya?"

Be polite, don't give him a reason to attack you. If you do that, you'll survive.

"I heard you got into a fight, hospitalised three of your peers and disturbed the peace. I'll bite you to death, now."

Unless he already has a reason, of course.

"I was protecting a friend, I acted out of self-defence and I was straightening out a misunderstanding, respectively. I am sure you understand, Hibari-san. Will an apology suffice?"

I watched as his eyes narrowed further, a small part of me found it funny how he was still quite nerve wracking, despite being an eleven year old, still a child.

"Fight me."

"No."

Perhaps I had been too fast to answer, but I was not fighting at Yamamoto's _birthday party_.

"Come along children, we should start playing otherwise we'll run out of ti-" I cut off sharply as a sharp pain rung out through my side, metal digging into the sensitive flesh under my ribs.

I stumbled by managed to keep my footing, that was a warning shot. I turned to the battle stanced skylark, a look of thinning patience on my face.

"Hibari-san, this is neither the time nor the place for a confrontation of-"

"Why do you talk like that?" He cut off, raising his tonfa slightly.

"Why do you interrupt?" I shot back, my arms coming to shield the preteens behind me.

"I asked first question."

"And I asked the more important one."

"Fight me."

"No, we've been over this Hibari-san."

I nudged Yamamoto, gesturing to the awed but shivering children behind me.

"Start playing Yamamoto-kun, I'll be with you in a moment." I instructed, giving Tomoe a push.

I watched the Cloud, listening as the children all but evacuated the immediate area. When they were out of ear shot, I lowered my arms and crossed them over my chest instead.

"Why do you want to trade blows with me, Hibari-san?" I asked, standing straight, finding a small victory in height compared to the older boy.

"You were disturbing the peace of Namimori, such a thing is only punishable by being bitten to death." He responded, talking a threatening step forwards.

"I offered to apologise, and yet you only wish to resort to violence." I sighed, a single foot sliding back.

" _Kamikorosu._ "

"I'd rather you didn't." I muttered, quickly stepping out of the way of his tonfa.

I did _not_ want to fight this boy, I just got out of hospital, and if I went back I would be less than pleased. I kept stepping out of his range, the wind of his swings brushing my face. My eyes widened when he suddenly ran right up to me, his foot planted between mine and his tonfa fast coming for my jaw. Acting out of instinct, I opened my palms and slammed the heels of them into Hibari's stomach with as much strength as I could, surprised by how light the boy actually was. I flinched as he skidded, probably winded seeing how my hands had _sunk_ into his stomach with little resistance.

"Hibari-san, please stop. I'm supposed to celebrating a friend's birthday today, I'd rather not land myself in hospital again." I pleaded, trying to get out of the situation I was in.

I swerved sharply when his leg lashed out, trying to trip me up. I danced around it like an awkward pelican, ducking under another swipe. How I was dodging any of these was a miracle in itself, luck probably. I yelped as another tonfa caught me in the side, definitely leaving a bruise.

I let out an agitated breath when I saw another come fast, I realised its target and scowled. I caught his wrist, my arm straining to keep the tonfa where it was.

"Aiming for my stitches, that's a dirty move." I breathed, my other hand shooting up to stop the other tonfa.

Hibari was as fast as he was strong, and that was a lot, but I doubt he had spent his whole life lifting things twice his weight and carrying them from A to B, daily. When it came to raw, explosive power I outranked him. For the moment at least.

We remained in the dead lock, neither of us backing down as we stared at each other with impassive eyes.

"You talk too much."

I tilted my head, a small smile flickering onto my face. I began to add strength, pushing harder and harder against the Cloud.

"Or maybe you talk too little, ever thought about it that way?"

I smiled as he took a step backwards, taking my own forwards.

"I really don't want to fight you, Hibari-san. Perhaps we can stop, and just give you the match?"

"Chattering herbivore." He growled, pushing back against me.

"I'll take that as a 'no', then." I muttered, bending my arms slightly before _pushing._

* * *

 **\\\\\H.K/**

Hibari gave grunt as he dug his heels into the round, a little mound of dirt collecting as he slid slowly. Letting out a growled, his heel bumped into the trunk of the tree he had been napping in before the children had begun to crowd around the boy matching his strength.

No, not matching. _Overpowering._

"Wao."

 **/H.K\\\\\**

* * *

I grunted as I continued to push, moving until the skylark was flush against the bark. I glared at him, my head bowed and breathing hard.

"There, we've fought. I've pushed you back, we're done." I stated, gazing at the pinned boy.

"No we're no-"

"What more do you want Hibari-san? If we were to really _fight_ , you could curb stomp me so fast it wouldn't even be funny. You know it, I know it, hell even Yamamoto-kun knows it, I bet. There's no real point." I hissed, squeezing the wrists in my hold.

"And yet here I am, pinned." He responded, flexing his hands.

"Give it a month, hell a _week_ , and you'll be able to break out of this easy." I grumbled, dropping my gaze for a moment.

"But then again, by then I'll probably have started to punch you…"

Maybe I shouldn't have said that…

His eye flashed for a moment and the corner of his lips twitched, his grip on his tonfa tightening.

Yeah, shouldn't have said that.

* * *

 **\\\\\Y.T/**

If one were to ask what Yamamoto Takeshi thought about his friend, Yamaguchi Daiki, his answer would be 'different.'

Takeshi won't pretend to understand the older boy, he didn't think anyone really did, Daiki was too…complex for him.

Too complex, due to being too simple.

He was like that one question on the math test, that looked simple written down, and was simple in theory, but there were too many ways to get too many answers and you didn't know which the right route was. However, he was also like a character on a children's show, shallow personality and very little character development, allowing the viewers to be able to predict their actions.

Too much, yet too little.

A lot of nothing.

Then Daiki goes and pulls a stunt, like that at the back of the school, and Takeshi doesn't know what to think.

The way he talks, the way he walks, the way he sees things were all so different to how Takeshi or any of his friends could. Takeshi had tried to talk to his friends the same way he did to Daiki, half expecting to get an outlandish result, as outlandish as Daiki, but instead he got one he could have come up with himself.

How painfully boring.

Daiki _interests_ him, his presence sets off alarms in his head that he could just _barely_ hear. He didn't seem to _work_ in the world, like he some sort of rogue element.

There were moments where Takeshi could read his friend like an open book, pick him apart in less than a second, and then there were times that he felt as if he couldn't even tell Daiki his own eye colour.

There was so much he knew about the older boy, his favourite colour was dark blue, he loved fresh bread, his favourite number was 5, his name was written as 'big light', he was amazingly strong, he didn't care for touching unless he initiated it, he plays with his ear lobe when he's thinking or bored, he was fatherless, and he was probably smarter than some Takeshi's own teachers.

But for every fact her knew, there were ten he didn't.

And by _Kami_ did he wanted to _know._

He wanted to understand the boy who moved his body around his ball effortlessly, the boy who agreed to play baseball with him, the boy who pitched the first ball he couldn't homerun, the boy who says 'bowl' instead of 'pitch'. He wanted to pick apart the boy who talked like an adult, who looked at him like he knew him, who would sleep next to him. Takeshi wanted to be able to be able to systematically and chronologically order the boy's life, he wanted to know what his first word was, what was his first injury, who was his first crush, who put that scar on his back, where his father was, what was wrong with his mother.

But, at the same time, he didn't.

If he learned everything there was to know about him, would Takeshi grow as bored and distant to him as he did his other friends? Possibly, and that scared him.

The chances of meeting and interacting with a person like Daiki again within his life time was less than improbable, it was _impossible_. Not in a small, sleepy town like Namimori.

But, that all relied on the fact that there was an ' _everything'_. What, if there was something more? Something _past_ the first everything, did Yamaguchi Daiki ever really end? The thing that set off distant alarms, perhaps?

Takeshi didn't know, but he knew that someone like Daiki could pull off something like that.

Especially Daiki.

 **/Y.T\\\\\**

* * *

"A week."

"Huh?" I asked, looking down at him, my brows frowned.

"You will fight me properly in a week." Hibari stated before slipping out of my loosened hold and walking away.

"Wait, you can't just-get back here!"

I growled and clenched my fists as I watched him walk further away, ending the conversation on his terms. I slumped and let out a loud sigh, wincing as my rib smarted from the tonfa strikes.

"Yamamoto-kun, you still want me to bowl?!" I called, turning to the grouped children.

I trotted over to them, sending the only adult in the party a glance, before catching the ball tossed to me.

"You bet! Show them what you got, Daiki-kun!" He grinned before tuning to his friends and split them into two teams.

"Team Yamamoto bats first! Team Yamaguchi fields!" The father boomed, the children under his watch moving to their areas.

I tossed the ball up and down, looking at the first batter, Tomoe. Nodding to the girl, I decided to be gentle.

"Ready?" I called, falling into a lose position.

She gave an unsure nod, Yamamoto's new helmet falling over her eyes for a moment before she pushed it back.

I smiled and tossed it, the ball arcing easily and approaching the girl steadily. Letting out a sigh, I watched as the little girl hit it, the ball bouncing before being caught be the boy standing at first base, catching her out.

Tomoe slumped, a pout falling onto her face before she turned and ran to the back of the batting line. The next batter donned his helmet and fell into a clumsy position, the weight of the bat foreign to the boy.

"Ready?"

I kept tossing, making sure to be gentle with the children, not caring about how Yamamoto kept giving me pouted glances.

"Yes! My turn!" The birthday boy cheered, taking up the bat from the ground and slipping on his helmet.

I reared my arm back and prepared another underarm throw, before pausing at Yamamoto's 'stop' hand.

"C'mon Daiki-kun, give me a good one! Like you normally do!"

I gave a loud sigh as I rubbed my shoulder, feeling the prying eyes of children watch the interaction. Giving an exasperated nod, I waved off his continued plea and fell into a proper position.

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

I gave a grunt as I worked my muscles to _fling_ the ball at the boy, letting the ball turn to a blur. Straightening once ridden of the equipment, I watched as Yamamoto's game face slid on and his eyes flashed. His arms flexed, before swinging with force and strength that none of the other children in attendance could match.

A satisfying _**'crack!'**_ rung out as the bat and ball connected, sending it arcing up into the sky, blending in with the afternoon sun.

The field burst into action, the based players taking off to home, Yamamoto running after them, the fielders flocking to the falling ball and the inactive players cheering for their homers.

"Oh no," I muttered, noticing the arc of the ball and just where the little Yamamoto was running.

Of course, only when I'm here does the world decide to go to hell.

I began moving, my feet kicking off the ground and propelling my body forwards as Yamamoto reached half way to second base.

First Ryohei goes all doom and gloom, then Hibari gets on my ass, now this! Damn, move faster!

"Heads!" I yelled, my arm shooting out preparing to catch the ball bare handed.

Yamamoto looked up at the last second, ball falling directly above him. He flinched and stopped running, wrapping his arms around his head out of instinct. The batter waited for the inevitable impact of the ball, but when no such thing came he looked up.

I loomed over him, my body casting a show over his face as I clasped the ball in my hands, taking a hissed breath as the skin on my palms burned from the collision. Looking down at the boy, I gave him a once over before pulling away.

"Wao."

" _Mother_ offffffffffffff- _fabulouse_ to see you again, Hibari-san, so soon too." I jumped when the voice sounded behind the centre of my attention, making me snap my head up and Yamamoto to spin around.

"Eh! It's you again, are you here to play with Daiki-kun again?"

Yes, Yamamoto, we were _playing._ That's exactly why I feel like I have fractured ribs.

"You said a week, it's been less than an hour." I stated, my arms coming up to circle the smaller boy between us slightly.

"I came to watch. That was no herbivore trick, what are you?" The skylark asked, making a move forwards.

With my hands cupped around Yamamoto's waist, I moved the two of us backwards and out of the eldest boy's range.

"An omnivore, like most humans." Was my smart-alec reply, Hibari's grip jumping for a moment.

"Hm."

Yamamoto and I watched as the boy walked away, neither of us really relaxing until he turned the corner and disappeared from our sight.

"I'm sorry, Yamamoto-kun. It seems I brought much unneeded tension to your party." I apologised, feeling the boy turn.

"Nah, it's fine! It's always good to make new friends, Daiki-kun!" He grinned up at me, his hands coming to grasp my still interlocked arms.

I smiled down at his slightly, so naive and trusting. Yamamoto really does think that everything in life is a game, after all.

"I wouldn't call us friends just yet, our intentions towards one another aren't entirely pure at the moment." I chuckled, before taking a step back and tossing the ball in my hand.

"We're still playing Yamamoto-kun, better get to third base before I get to my plate, otherwise you're out!"

A grin split the boy's face and we were off, the other children around us cheering for their teammate, hollering incentives for victory.

"Base!" I heard Yamamoto call, just before my foot planted on my own mat.

"You're still in, beat me by the skin of your teeth, kid!"

"Alright!"

* * *

"Bye-bye, Yamaguchi-kun! Thank you for carrying me back!"

I bent over to Tomoe's level and gave a small smile to the girl, reaching out and petting her head.

"It's fine, Tomoe-chan, don't go tripping on the way home okay?"

I felt her mother watching the interaction with unsettled eyes, apparently she had heard about the incident, she didn't trust me around her daughter.

Ah well, what can you do?

"Say 'thank you' to Yamamoto-kun for inviting you, Haruhi-chan." Her mother cooed, tapping her shoulder.

"Thank you, Yamamoto-kun! I hope you like my gift!" She grinned, showing off her missing tooth.

I straightened as the two exited the shop, one stiffer than the other, and turned to face the two men behind me.

I opted to dismiss the sympathetic glance Tsuyoshi was giving me, already accepting that I had done damage to my reputation. I could only hope that the bakery, and by extension my mother, didn't feel the effects.

"Well, I suggest you two get washed up, we'll be having a special dinner tonight! Takeshi-kun's favourite, Hamachi and shrimp, with lots of toro!" The man laughed heartily as Yamamoto cheered doing a little happy dance on the spot.

"C'mon Daiki-kun, let's have a bath together!"

Wait, what? How 'bout _no?_

"Um, Yamamoto-kun?" I spluttered as he dragged me though the living area of his home, approaching the bathroom with a little too much vigour.

"It'll be fun, like in the manga!" He laughed, reaching for the door.

"Yamamoto-kun, I don't _exactly_ feel comfortable with this." I spoke up, my voice coming out loud and clear as compared to my last attempt.

He stopped and turned to me, a look of surprised confusion on his face. He closed the door and faced me fully, leaning forwards and narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Daiki-kun, are you…a girl?" he asked slowly, lowering his voice.

I raised an eyebrow, showing no outward emotion other than mild amusement. I lifted my shirt and presented my pancake flat chest.

"What do you think, Yamamoto-san?"

Suddenly, the boy let out a laugh wrapping his arms around his midsection.

"Haha, I was joking! No girl would change in a boy's room, the first time she came over! I was just messing with you, Daiki-kun! No need to show off your six-pack!"

I let out a huffed laughter, dropping my shirt. I wish I had a six-pack, how awesome would that be?

"But why don't you wanna have a bath with me?" He asked, calming down and leaning against the door.

Mentally being a legal adult, hiding the fact I'm a girl, you know, normal things.

"I don't feel all that comfortable being completely bare to you, they're called privates for a reason, maybe next time." I breathed, patting his head before walking over to his room, opening his door.

"You shower first, I'll wait my turn."

Yamamoto gave a pout before nodding and running into the bathroom, closing the door behind him with a solid click.

I did the same to my own door, before leaning against it and sliding to the floor.

"That was _way_ too close, Jesus Christ. Yamamoto Takeshi, you are way too scary."

* * *

 **\\\\\Y.T/**

"I wonder why Daiki-kun didn't wanna take a bath with me…" Yamamoto muttered as he stripped himself of his sweaty clothes and tossed them in the corner.

"Ah well, he said next time!" He grinned, before turning on the water of his shower.

Yamamoto would have preferred to have a bath, especially with his aching muscles, but Daiki was waiting for him in his room, so he had to be fast.

'Speed is key!' as Daiki often said. Where he heard that, he had no idea.

He paused as his hand glanced over his ribs, his mind suddenly jumping to the bruise he had seen when Daiki had raised his shirt.

The other boy, Hibari Kyoya, Daiki had called him, had given it to him. The bruise had looked bad, and Yamamoto won't deny that he probably would have cried if he had been on the receiving end of it, and he was _damn_ sure his other friends would have _bawled_ if _they_ had got it.

The bruises on his body, the stitches on his forehead, how much more damage could he take?

Yamamoto had just about had a _fit_ when he heard that his Daiki was in the hospital, the fact it was through a friend had only spurred him further. How come _he_ had not known? Why did some _other person_ know before _him_?

Soon after, he had learned just about every version and variation of the story, Daiki was attacked on the way home, Daiki picked a fight against some high schoolers, Daiki challenged a local gang, Daiki was in the yakuza! Each one even more as ridiculous as the last, he knew Daiki would never do something so _stupid._

Yamamoto had just been about at his wits end, ready to pack his back and head straight to the hospital to ask the man himself, when he noticed the sullen looking boy he vaguely recognised.

* * *

Pale blond hair, a bandage tapped to the bridge of his nose, brown eyes looking to the ground and his shoulders slouched. If it weren't for his stand-out hair, he might have not recognised one Sasagawa Ryohei. He was usually more-what did Daiki say- _exuberant_ than this.

He made the connection between his Daiki and the Sasagawa child immediately, remembering seeing them together often. _More_ than often, actually. Yamamoto didn't know why, but he made a point of not approaching his older friend when he saw him with his own. Maybe it was to give him breathing space, or a chance to make his own circle, he didn't know nor did he care. As long as he was there to be with him when he needed him most, he was okay.

An idea struck him as the upper-class man passed him, making a grin pass his face. Perhaps he knew, that must be why he's so quiet right now!

"Hey, Sasagawa-san! Can I ask you something?!" He called, spinning on his heel and chasing the boy down the corridor.

Sasagawa paused and turned, letting the younger catch up before he eagerly asked the last this the older wanted to hear.

"Do you know what's going on with Daiki-kun? Why's he in the hospital? When'd he get taken there?"

Yamamoto's smile dropped slightly when the older froze, emotions flashing across his face, the main and most reoccurring made Yamamoto's eyes narrow slightly.

 _Guilt._

"A-ah, why do you want to know…uh."

"Yamamoto Takeshi, I'm Daiki-kun's friend." He introduced quickly, wanting to _know already._

"Well, it was…It was an accident! I didn't know he'd jump in the way, I didn't even know he was in the area!" He suddenly yelped, feeling a tad bit on edge around the younger boy.

"Wait, what?" Yamamoto didn't really understand, but he didn't like where this was going.

"My sister, Kyoko-chan, was taken by three of our peers and they were going to use her against me. They attacked me and then Daiki-kun was just _there_ and he was punched, then there was so much blood and he just got back up and punched them back! Knocked him right out! Kept pummelling them, he didn't even notice he was doing it! Th-then he just _dropped!_ As-"

"Wait, wait, wait! I don't get it, so Daiki-kun _did_ get into a fight?" Yamamoto was awed, another side to Daiki that he had yet to learn about!

"Well yes, but only to protect Kyoko-chan and me! He wouldn't fight for any reason! He's no delinquent, he's too nice for that! Sure, he's a bit scary, and maybe a little bit rude and stand offish sometimes! But I swear he's-"

"I know, Sasagawa-san! Daiki-kun's cool, no need to worry. So Daiki-kun's in the hospital because he stepped in on your fight, to protect your sister and you?" He asked, just to make sure he got all the facts right.

"Yeah, yeah! And when he did, he got in the way of a punch meant for me! That's why he's in hospital, he split his forehead! The punch hit his temple, doc said it's a bad place to get hit, but he'll be fine. The cut'll scar though, he doubts it'll fade anytime soon too."

Temple!? Daiki got punched in his _temple_!?

"So…Daiki-kun got hospitalised by saving you?" He asked slowly, a vague frown flitting across his face.

"…Yeah."

"Heh, sounds like something he'd do! Daiki-kun's too nice sometimes, am I right?!" Yamamoto laughed, grinning up at the boy openly.

Sasagawa gave a tiny, strained smile back before parting with the younger boy.

Later, Yamamoto learned that Sasagawa Ryohei had become the target of blame and bullying due to the truth coming out about why his Daiki was in the hospital.

He didn't feel sympathy for him.

Imagine Yamamoto's surprise and glee when he heard that Daiki could still come to his party, the next day! He probably spent a good, solid minute doing a shuffle beside his father as he confirmed Daiki's health over the phone to Daiki's mother.

The entire next day, he was restless, more so than usual. He wanted to get school over and done with, especially since he'd have Daiki all to himself before and after the party.

His excitement was dampened slightly, during first break, when he noticed something was undoubtedly wrong with his Daiki. He watched from within the confines of his friends as the older boy _stalked_ across the playground with a certain, almost deadly grace. His face was mostly blank, but a faint wrinkle in his brow showed strain. He scanned the crowd of uniformed children, almost as if looking for someone.

When his gaze passed over Yamamoto's group, they visibly tensed. Even though they weren't singled out, they could still feel the barely contained, feral _intent_ that was wafting off their upper-class man in _waves._

Yamamoto quickly shook off the faint buzzing of the familiar alarms in the back of his head and prepared to approach his friend, greet him, welcome him back, wish him good health and ask his side of the story.

However, before he could, a girl from Daiki's grade did.

The second he spotted her, he didn't like her. He didn't know why, she just rubbed him the wrong way. Her voice agitated him in ways he couldn't explain, her actions made him grimace and her laugh was…urg. He wanted her gone, _now_.

It seemed, that he wasn't alone in this either, because as soon as she started to reach for Daiki's arm the boy whipped around and said a quiet few words that sent the girl running, fat tears running down her cheeks.

Daiki rolled his eyes and gave an aggravated grunt, before turning on his heel and storming back into the school building with the bell.

From there on, at every break and passing, Yamamoto saw the agitation turn to anger. So, when he heard slamming from the classroom above his, he _really_ shouldn't have been so surprised. But, he had no reason to expect the look of sheer _**fury**_ on Daiki's face as he stormed past his classroom, with the body of Sasagawa Ryohei slung over his shoulder.

Yamamoto was the first in his class to move from his seat when the _screaming_ started, the tree outside their window suddenly shaking as if punched. He moved to the window, blending in with the rest of his classmates are he watched Daiki straddle his reason for hospitalisation, forcing him to listen as he drilled words that Yamamoto couldn't hear clearly into the boy's head.

Yamamoto wanted so desperately to tell the children around him to ' _shut up_ ' so he could hear what was happening, but the sudden shift in Daiki's expression kept him focused. He watched him release his peer's face and almost caress it, eyes still hard. He spoke, quiet strong words that had the boy under him stunned.

At a moment, the class fell to a hush and Yamamoto could finally hear what was being said.

" _Yes sir, I understand."_

The class burst back into a tittering mess, asking each other for details that just weren't there.

He watched as Daiki removed himself from the Sasagawa fluidly, standing tall before sending his gaze over his unwanted audience.

Yamamoto's breath caught for a moment, as Daiki looked straight at him, unlike before where he completely disregarded him.

 _I want to know._ Was all he could think as he gazed at the older boy, watching his offer his hand to the still laying boy.

He watched in mild confusion as the two peers exchanged words before smiles brightened their faces, both heading for the school building, the words 'EXTREME' echoing through the hall.

Slowly, a sharp smile slid onto Yamamoto's face as he slid back into his seat and tapped his foot impatiently.

"Daiki-kun, you're too nice sometimes."

 **/Y.T\\\\\**

* * *

"I'm done, your turn Daiki-kun!"

"'Bout time too, I wonder if you even left me or your father any hot water!" I teased as I mused his damp hair.

"I think I did…"

I snorted and flicked his ear with the mutterings of 'brat', causing the dripping boy to laugh loudly. Rolling my shoulders, I tossed one of his sports manga back onto his bed and grabbed my own towel and pyjamas before walking to claim the bathroom.

" _1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9!_

 _It's the ten dual commandments…_ " I groaned as the lyrics began to play on repeat in my mind, yanking my shirt off my head with a little too much force.

"Speed is key here, five minutes maximum Daiki." I muttered as I dropped my pants and turned on the water, hot water.

Good little Yamamoto.

Throwing my head under the water, the rest of my body following after, I scrubbed the sweat and grime off my skin. I hissed when I pushed against my right ribs, making me look down to examine it.

Not too bad, not a fraction of how bad it _would_ be given a few years. It was blue, purple and yellowing green, outlines by a fading red, making a bruise that was about the size of my palm stain the bottom of my ribs. Nothing some ice can't fix, it'll be fine in a couple days.

I muttered curses to myself, at this rate I was going to meet _every_ main bloody character!

"Goodbye, quiet life."

Scrubbing the grime from my hair, I thoroughly washed myself, not wanting to stink of sweat in someone else's house. I stepped out as I finished on the three minute mark, drying myself in less than two. I pulled on an oversized, dark red shirt and a pair black of night shorts, and slipped my towel around my neck to catch any stray drops, before walking out of the bathroom an into the hall.

"And that is what we call a 'fast shower' Yamamoto-kun, not your century long ones." I said as I walked into the room, closing the door behind me.

Yamamoto looked up from the baseball manga and stuck his tongue out at me, before rolling off his bed and dropping down onto the guest futon on the floor next to it. He looked up at me from his starfish position and reached a hand up to me, making a grabby motion.

I rolled my eyes at his antics before gasping his smaller hand in mine and sitting beside him, my other hand coming up to dry my hair. I blinked when I felt moisture splat into my thigh, making me look down to where I saw Yamamoto's head on my leg.

"Yamamoto-kun, have you dried your hair sufficiently?" I asked patting his hair, pulling my hand away to find a small puddle in the centre.

"What does 'sufficiently' mean?"

"Adequate, enough. Now, did you dry your hair?" I answered his question before reaching out and grabbing his towel off his bed.

"It'll dry eventually, don't worry 'bout it." He whined as I pulled him up and draped the towel over his head, before I began to rub his hair, soaking up the drops.

"Lemme go, Daiki-kun!"

I rolled my eyes and continued to rub his head, not as hard as I would do my own, but enough to get it over with quickly.

"Suck it up, Yamamoto-kun. I don't need you getting sick on your birthday, especially when I'm sleeping right next to you."

"But Daiki-kuuun!"

"Deal with it."

"Meanie."

"Factual."

I gave his hair another few more rubs before checking the moisture, finding it acceptably dry. Folding his towel, I draped it over the end of his bed and began to dry my own hair vigorously.

My hair was short as all hell, like Aomine short, so getting the water out was pleasantly easy when compared to my old, mid-back length hair.

Come to think of it, I really do look like Aomine Daiki…

…

Shit. I'm a rip off.

"Hey Daiki-kun, can I ask you something?" I looked down at Yamamoto, half his face cut from my vision by my towel.

"You just did." I answered, chuckling at his loud groan.

"Why do you study so much? I mean, you're doing eleventh grade maths! I don't even get my fourth grade stuff!"

I hummed before letting my towel fall down my neck, different ways of expressing my reasons coming and going through my head.

"I am the one thing in my life I can control, so I'm going to make myself the best I can." I smiled, remembering the play I basically live by now.

It was true, in my past life, I had natural talent in a lot of subjects, getting A's in science and English tests I hadn't even thought about studying for. But, as per usual, without studying I missed at least three marks, missing answers I could have easily gotten with a little bit of study on my part, dropping my position in the overall ranking.

I wasn't going to let this chance slip past, I had decided that ten years ago. So if I had to read every tome and treatise on every shelf, and solve every possible equation, to become the best version of myself, I'd do just that.

I smiled softly down at the dazed expression on the little boy's face, remembering that Yamamoto was smart, but had moved all his motivation to baseball, resulting in scores that were similar to the infamous Dame-Tsuna.

"There would have been nothin' left to do,

For someone less astute.

He woulda been dead or destitute,

Without a cent of restitution.

Started workin', clerkin' for his late mother's landlord,

Tradin' sugar cane and rum and all the things he can't afford.

Scammin' for every book he can get his hands on,

Plannin' for the future." I recited, translating the lyrics to Japanese as closely as possible.

"Huh?" He breathed dumbly, not really understanding what I had said.

"Just another quote to live by."

Yamamoto let out a groan and let his forehead to thump against my sternum, winding me for less than an instant.

"I really don't get you sometimes." He mumbled, making me chuckle.

"Not exactly a bad thing, is it? Some things are better left in the dark."

"You two, dinner's ready!" Tsuyoshi called from the other side of the door, knocking as he did.

"We'll be with you in a moment, Yamamoto-san!" I called, pulling the towel from my neck and throwing it beside Yamamoto's.

The Rain moved from me, a vaguely confused expression on his face as he rolled my words over in his head.

"C'mon, Yamamoto-kun, you're birthday dinner is ready." I said suddenly, getting out from under him and opening the door, offering him first passage.

"What do you mean?" He asked, still kneeling on the floor.

"You don't need to know, it's not time yet." I smiled, happy to confuse him further.

* * *

 **Here we go, a dash of Hibari. Not really all that much of him, he's more of a 'hit and run' kind'a guy, I feel.**

 **Careful Yamamoto, your yandere is showing. XD**


	4. Chapter 4

**QUESTION! If you were to go into an anime world, and then draw a bunch of people. Would you be great at drawing 'realistic', or would it still be counted as anime?**

 **Hey! I'm a year older now! Cool! Ew! I feel old! Yay!**

 **And this should finish Yamamoto's century long party! Finally! I feel like tossing some more Hibari in here for you Hibari Lovers. Some more Ryohei in this one too! That sound good? Ya? Ya.**

 **References Alert! Intertextuality up in here, gimme a shout if you get it! :D**

 **LeNoRi, over and out!**

* * *

"Okay, you two, don't stay up too late. I'll see you in the morning, don't get too loud."

"We'll try, tou-san, g'night."

"Will do, Yamamoto-san, good night."

Tsuyoshi smiled at use before closing the door behind him, leaving us in the soft glow of Yamamoto's nightlight.

I shifted in my futon, turning on my side as Yamamoto stuck his head out of his blankets from the middle of his bed to look down at me. I raised an eyebrow as he suddenly stuck his tongue out at me, scrunching his face up.

"Is there a reason for this?" I asked, propping myself up onto my elbow, becoming eye level with the boy.

"You didn't ask what I wished for, everyone else did." He pouted, blowing up one cheek.

"But that's counter-productive, I though you would rather I didn't." I stated, letting an amused tone slide in.

"Counter-productive?"

"It means to defeat the purpose, like microwaving an ice-cube." I explained, thinking up a scenario.

"Ah, that's pretty dumb."

"Don't I know it." I mumbled, remembering just who was dumb enough to do it.

"But how's it counter-productive? Everyone always asks!"

"Don't you know the basics of wish-making, if you tell someone your wish, it won't come true?" I asked, surely everyone knew this.

"That doesn't make sense, if no-one knows your wish, how can they make it come true?"

I blinked, stunned for a moment, before a laugh bubbled past my lips. I had forgotten just how smart the boy was, just how analytical.

"Very true, though it is debatable, that you are to work towards your wish with your own power."

" _Stupid,_ everyone needs help achieving their goals!"

"Who're you calling stupid, brat?" I scoffed, flicking his glabella making him yelp.

"Okay, since you're so adamant about it," I started, leaning forwards slightly.

"Yamamoto-kun, what did you wish for?"

Yamamoto grinned wide before his hands surged from under his blankets and grabbed my face, making my eyes widen slightly in surprise.

"I wished to be Daiki-kun's wife!"

I remained still, stunned at the sudden declaration, before my brain caught up with the situation and I burst out laughing, falling back onto my futon.

"Hey, why are you laughing?! Don't laugh! I'm serious!"

I wiped my eyes, finding the situation mildly ridiculous.

"Aw, Yamamoto-kun, you're too adorable, you know that?" I laughed again, sitting up to face to frowning boy.

"I'm serious! I wanna be Daiki-kun's wife!" He stated again, drawing back into his blankets.

"Oh, come now Yamamoto-kun, don't run away." I teased, reaching out and pulling him back into the dim light.

"You're being mean, it's not nice to laugh at people's dreams." He pouted, looking away from me.

"I will admit, laughing at another's ambitions is quite rude, I must apologise. Something you must be corrected on however, I do believe the correct title is 'husband'."

"No, a husband marries his wife! There's one of each!" He pressed, leaning forwards.

"In the heterosexual manner yes, however depending on the orientation of the couple, there can be a two wives, or two husbands."

He blinked at me, a blank look on his face.

"You'll understand when you're older." I sighed, deciding I wasn't up for explaining it at the moment.

"Basically, 'wife' refers to a woman, and 'husband' refers to a man. You, my dear Yamamoto-kun are a man, and thus you would be titled husband."

"Ah."

"That's probably the best I'm gonna get, I suppose."

A thought came to mind as I sat up, my arm growing tired.

"What spurred this?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Spurred?"

"Sorry, what made you want to be my husband? We've known each other for a month at most."

Simple words, Daiki. Simple words.

"You make me feel all fluffy on the inside! You're cool and you help me whenever I need it! You carry me, even when I'm not tired and you play baseball with me, even when you're trying to study!"

"That sounds more like friendship, or brotherhood. Perhaps idolisation, even."

He shook his head rapidly, making my plant my hand on his head to keep it still.

"No, no! It feels weird to think of you as a brother! I only feel like this when I hug you and stuff!" He denied, hands moving to illustrate his point.

"A simple crush then, I recommend a few month, a year perhaps, and you'll be over it." I stated, trying to find sense in this.

"No I won't! I wanna be Daiki-kun's husband!"

By this point, I was pretty sure that either his head was gonna fall off, or his face was going to stay in a permanent pout.

"Yamamoto-kun, you are _nine_. I highly doubt you understand the prospect of marriage, or the responsibilities that come with it."

"I'm not listening, not until you say I can be your husband!" He shouted, plugging his ears.

Oh god, Yamamoto was _that_ kind of kid back in the day, huh?

"Yamamoto-kun, be reasonable-"

"Not listening! Lalalalala-"

"Come along, there's-"

"Lalalalalalal-"

"Fine! Fine, you can be my husband!" I snapped, having enough of the damn 'lala'ing.

"Really?!" He grinned, dropping his hands.

"Only, until you either a) get over it, or b) get another partner." I said, pointing at the boy.

"I'm not getting 'over it', I really wanna be Daiki-kun's husband!"

"I can tell." I groaned, dropping my hand.

"First things first! You need to start calling me by my first name! Tou-san calls kaa-san by her first name all the time!"

I blinked in surprise at the statement, kaa-san? As far as I remembered, Yamamoto's mother had never been so much as mentioned throughout the anime, maybe it was in the manga? I was pretty sure she was dead though, she must have died young then.

"Okay…Takeshi-kun." I muttered, trying out the new label.

I watched as he suddenly flushed, his grin growing wider as he did a weird wiggle/dance. I didn't know how to feel about this, one of the most sweet-hearted characters was interested in me, great, but he was nine.

Why is this my life? Which god did I piss off?

"Hey, Daiki-kun! Sleep in my bed tonight!"

WHICH GOD DID I _ROYALLY_ PISS OFF!?

"Why?" I asked, my finger twitching slightly.

"All married couples sleep together, kaa-san and tou-san did!"

I groaned as he shuffled back and grinned at me, opening his arms to invite me in.

I'm pretty sure I'm committing like, four different kinds of faux-pas at the moment…kind of.

"C'mon Daiki-kun, we're gonna get married when we're older so this is fine!"

Doesn't make this any easier, kid. Let's just pretend this is make believe, kids play that a lot, right?

"…Fine." I slowly said, slipping out of my futon and standing unsurely by his bed.

Why am I doing this again? I'm sure I could get out of this, Yamamoto's not someone to pressure people who genuinely don't want to.

"Daiki-kun?"

Ah yeah, that's why. He's an adorable little shit.

"Comin', comin'." I sighed, crawling into the bed, somehow keeping my face straight.

I kneeled on the bed, having no idea what to do next. Do I just lay down? Sure, let's go with that.

I shuffled before laying down, my arms stiff at my sides and my mind hyper aware of the distance between our legs, straining to keep it so. I kept my body straight, only curling slightly for comfort, and locked my eyes on the bulge of pillow in front of my face.

I tensed harshly and flinched away when I felt fingers glance over my stitches, my hand twitching to slap the offender's away.

"Try not to touch them, Takeshi-kun." I muttered, guiding his hand away from my head.

"Where'd you get them?" He asked, crossing his legs and leaning forwards.

"…Protecting a friend." Was my eventual answer.

"Ah, they must be really important to you!"

I blinked up at him, wondering what was going on in his head. I didn't like that smile, it was…off-putting.

"Hm, my oldest friend. Stuck with me through thick and thin, even after the incident all those years ago." I murmured, a small smile coming to my lips.

" _Incident?_ "

I almost stiffened at the tone, somehow keeping my cool and merely looked up at the younger boy, realisation clicking in place.

The incident had happened four years ago, give or take a few months, so the kid would have been, like, four or five. I highly doubt he remembered the event, no one talked about it around him, probably.

"Does it have something to do with the scar on your back?"

Ah, better fix that little misunderstanding up actually.

"That mark on my back isn't actually a scar. It's actually just a birth mark, it's caused by the pigment of your skin being uneven in certain areas." It just so happens to be in the same place the piece of roof carved off a part of my back. So kind of scar?

"Oh! That's good! I was worried, you're getting hurt a lot!" He sighed, his smile loosening to a more relaxed version.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Don't worry though, I'm a fast healer."

Yamamoto gave me a toothy grin before flopping down beside me, shuffling forwards until the lengths I had taken to keep a distance were proven to be in vain. He laughed at my grumble when he decided that my arm now belonged to him, no doubt cutting off my blood flow to my hand as he snuggled into my shoulder.

"Really Takeshi-kun, you like to cling, don't you?" I huffed, pulling my arm and drawing the kid closer.

"Mhm! Daiki-kun's warm."

"Expect my hands?" I raised an eyebrow, a snicker falling from my lips.

"Except for your hands." He agreed.

* * *

"Go to sleep, Takeshi-kun."

"I caaaaaaaan't!"

I groaned and covered my face with the boy's pillow-pet-ish toy as I rolled onto my back, Yamamoto's head coming and slamming onto my chest.

The kid had been tossing and turning since the mutual agreement to sleep had passed, resulting in neither of us getting any rest and the sun to be long gone from the sky.

"I told you to not eat so much cake, you're experiencing a sugar rush." I sighed, patting his back when he began to kick his legs.

"But it was good! Yamaguchi-san said you helped make it, too!" He whined, rolling up and flopping over me entirely.

"Takeshi-kun, you aren't exactly light, you know." I grunted, lifting the soft pillow off my face.

"You callin' me fat?"

"I'm calling you heavy. Muscle is actually heavier than fat, believe it or not."

"Really?"

"Yes, now sleep."

I let out a breath, Yamamoto sinking out of my line of vision as my stomach fell. Why were kids so energetic?

"What can I do to get you to go to bed?" I finally asked, my hand coming up to rake through my hair.

"Hm…sing!"

Ah, no.

"Ah, no."

Yamamoto pushed off my stomach and straddled on my hips, crossing his arms as he pouted. I looked up at him tiredly as I pinned my fringe back with my hand, a yawn building in my chest.

"Why not? You sing for Sasagawa-san! I wanna hear Daiki-kun sing too!"

How did he know that?

"Hush, Takeshi-kun. You don't want to wake your father up at-" I glanced over at the glowing red numbers next to the night light. "-at 11:53 at night, do you?"

His jaw clicked shut instantly, his shoulders bunching up around his head, turtle mode.

"Please? I promise I'll go to sleep right after. Just one?"

I sighed, wondering if I was getting soft for the Rain.

"Very well, a single song. Nothing more, got it?"

"Ya! Ya! I got it!"

I rolled my eyes as the small Yamamoto rolled off me and buried himself into my side, laying his head on my arm. Looking to the ceiling, I thought about a song I could sing to get the birthday boy to _sleep_.

Wait, birthday… It's still Friday.

"Okay, I have one. When it's over, go. To. Sleep." I stressed, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye.

"Mhm!" He nodded, fidgeting slightly in excitement.

"Here we go…" I muttered, letting out another sigh as I reached around to twist a lock of his hair.

" _Happy Birthday to You,  
Happy Birthday to You,  
Happy Birthday Dear Takeshi-kun.  
Happy Birthday to You._

 _From good friends and true,  
From old friends and new,  
May good luck go with you,  
And happiness too."_

I finished the English song, hesitating before the last verse to try and remember the less known part.

"You know English?"

"Not really, _'Happy Birthday_ ' is a pretty simple song." I lied easily, dropping my arm onto the pillow.

"Do you know any other song-?"

"Takeshi-kun, our agreement was one song, then sleep. So sleep." I cut off, moving to curl up slightly.

"O-kay." He whined, burring deeper into my side.

"Goodnight, Takeshi-kun."

"G'night, shujin-kun."

"Takeshi-kun? Yo, Takeshi-kun? You literally _cannot_ be asleep already. Dude, you can't suddenly call me _shujin-kun_. Takeshi-kun! Goddamn it!"

* * *

I yawned as I sat on a bench in the park, Ryohei jogging in circles as little Kyoko made a daisy chain a few paces away from me. Kyoko was a good kid, always smiling and bright eyed. Not nearly as loud as her brother, but just as enthusiastic.

"Daiki-nii-san! Wear this?"

And she had declared me her other brother.

I smiled down at the child before dropping from the bench and bending slightly so she could reach, the little girl placing a flower crown on my head.

"Thank you, Kyoko-chan." I thanked, reaching up to stabilise the flowers.

She gave me a Sasagawa grin before running back to the patch of flowers that never seemed to lessen, starting another one for Ryohei, no doubt.

I never did make daisy chains in my other life, I though as I sat back on the bench, my feet kicking slightly and the tips of my shoes scrapping the dirt.

"Chattering Herbivore."

 _SWEET_ MOTHER OF GOD!

"Hello Hibari-san, I heard about the yakuza incident, how're you holding up?" I greeted, turning slightly and catching a glance of a bruise peeking out his sleeve.

A frown forced its way through my defences as I reached out and snagged his hand before pulling up his cuff slightly, revealing a patch of purple that was longer than it was wide.

Baseball bat?

"Baseball bat?"

"Hm." He yanked his arm out of my grip, taking a step back and reaching for his tonfa. As usual.

"Fight, _now_."

"Sorry no, it's too good a day for conflict. You're not in the best condition Hibari-san, swinging your tonfa with your wrist like that isn't good for it either. Go home and rest, put some ice on it."

Oh, hello there tonfa.

I threw myself off the bench as the metal weapon crashed against the wood, drawing the two Sasagawa's attention. Quickly sidestepping a significantly slower swing on Hibari's part, I tried to disengage the boy, snagging the back of his collar and tossing him a few paces from me.

"Daiki-kun! Are you EXTEMELY okay!?"

"Yeah," I called over my shoulder, "just, ya know, playing a bit of rough and tumble. Keep jogging, you haven't done 100 yet!"

"EXTREMELY RIGHT, DAIKI-KUN!"

Ah, sweet, innocent Ryohei. May you never change.

"Chattering herbivore."

"Oh, sorry Hibari-san, I didn't intend to ignore you just now." I smiled, stepping out of range of another double swing.

"Hm. _Kamikorosu_."

"Please don't."

With that, I turned tail and ran. I regret nothing.

" _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._ " I muttered, people easily moving out of the way when they saw my follower.

The town's people had long gotten used to our antics, seeing the cloud chase me down the street was not a rare occurrence, in the least. Hell, some store owners keep a bottle of water handy for us when we run past.

On the bright side, my stamina had gone through the _fucking_ roof! See, all I needed was a murderous, future Mafioso to chase me, and now I'm fit as a fiddle. Look at me now, ma.

I let out a small yelp as I heard metal clash against the pole I swung around, the edge of what was probably a tonfa skimming my elbow. Upping the speed, I sprinted down the street and vaulted over a cart of fruit, the owner rolling his eyes at me.

"You're gonna break your neck one day, kid!"

"Not if he breaks it first!"

" _Kamikorosu_."

"Son of a bi-"

* * *

"Tch, that hurts more than it's allowed to." I muttered as I held my ribs, leaning against the wall of an ally as I waited out the skylark.

Walking further into the ally, I scrunched my nose at the smell of garbage, wondering just how far the Cloud had chased me. The sound of a bin falling made my head snap to the side, there were no shadows due to it being early afternoon, but the lack of such gave me no hint as to what was behind the mass.

"Ello?" I called, my jaw jumping when I was responded to with a growl.

A dog then.

I began backing out of the situation, not wanting to get bitten by a rabid canine, before the mass of junk was roughly disturbed and the source of the growl shot out.

Yelping, I dropped to the ground as it leapt at me, the dog flying over my folded form. Spinning in my position, I faced the dog as it stood guard at the end of the ally, blocking my exit.

"Hey, boy. You trying to keep me here?" I asked, keeping myself small and trying to look unthreatening.

The dog kept growling at me, its tail raised and leaning forwards slightly. When I moved, it mirrored the action and let out a louder snarl, bearing its teeth until I moved back.

I sighed before sitting cross-legged on the floor, no longer wanting to crouch. Resting my head in my hand, I stare at the dog, deciding to work out what breed it was.

"What the fuck is a Scottish terrier doing in Namimori?" I muttered, tilting my head to the side.

The dog was white, for the most part, grime and dirt staining its fur a greyish brown. It was average sized, maybe a little small considering how thin it's legs looked. Socks of dirt and mud caking his little feet and muzzle, a piece of his right ear was missing as well, chewed off from the looks of it. It looked like it had been through hell and back, like 'I've seen some shit man' kind'a hell.

I stood up and slowly walked forwards, reaching out steadily towards the unblinking terrier. The black eyed dog watched my hand wearily, going cross-eyed when my fingers touched his muzzle. It didn't move when I came in contact with it, giving me confidence to flatten my hand and run it along his gritty fur.

Reaching under the forelegs of the dog slowly, I lifted him gently, using my other arm to support his lower body. Holding him up to the light slightly, I noticed how light he was. Like, really light.

"I dub thee, Mephistopheles! Lord of Time!"

 _It's the circle of liiiiife!_

 _And it rules as sooooo!_

Oh God, now I've got that stuck in my head.

* * *

"Kaa-san, can we keep him?"

"Daiki-kun, he's bitting you."

"He's showing affection."

"He's drawing blood."

"He wants to bond with me."

"Does he have a name?"

"Mephistopheles, Lord of Time."

"…"

"Or Miphy, for short."

"…"

"So can we?"

"…sure, sweetheart."

"Yay!"

* * *

"Herbivore."

"The window Hibari-san, really?" I asked as I pushed away from my desk, taking my lily pad-pattern curtains from his grasp.

The skylark dropped from my window, a faint stumble catching my eye when he landed. Brushing off his blunder, the boy began to walk around my room, stepping between my papers easily as he scanned my formula and example covered walls.

"You study a lot."

I raised an eyebrow at his back when he plucked off a polynomials example off the wall, scanning the steps.

"I suppose I do. Is there a specific reason for your visit, Hibari-san? Are you okay?"

I stood from my desk, walking towards the skylark steadily, vaguely aware of Mephisto watching out interaction out of one eye from my bed.

"I'm fine." He grunted, tacking the paper back, before moving to my bookshelf.

"You wear glasses while you study and read."

"What's the point of this?"

This was unsettling, I didn't like this.

I watched him quietly, letting him move around my space gracefully, only disrupted by an occasional stumble. He was injured, I could get that much, but why was he _here_. Glancing at the window, I noticed he had taken his shoes off, some manners at least.

Hibari looked at me for a moment, before walking around me and approached my bed. He observed my golden bell frog sheets with an uncaring expression as he sat on them, keeping a healthy distance from Mephisto.

Hehe, good boy Miphy.

"What's wrong with your leg, Hibari-san?" I asked, moving to stand in front of him.

* * *

 **|H.K|**

He had gotten hurt. _Again._

This was honestly unacceptable, the amount of times an herbivore had managed to land a blow on his body. The lesser had gotten cocky after that, boasting and trying to make himself look big, a defensive strategy of an herbivore if he had ever seen one.

He had set them straight.

' _Resistance was futile.'_

Hibari came to a sharp stop in the middle of the footpath, the grip on his left tonfa tightening.

Yamaguchi Daiki, the Chattering Herbivore, had said that. Many a time.

He just didn't. Stop. _Talking._

Disturbing the peace with useless chatter, rambling complex words and phrases like they were common knowledge. Annoying. ' _Demeaning_.'

The skylark shook his head before continuing down the street, the sun high in the sky as another spring morning blended into the afternoon. People moved out of his way, parting ' _like the red sea'_ around the only carnivore in Namimori.

Hibari's jaw clenched, his mind glancing back to every time the baker's son had used that ' _biblical'_ term.

It had been six days and the boy had yet to retaliate, instead blowing off steam on the punching bag hanging on the tree in his backyard. He could land a good punch, Hibari seen that much. Yamaguchi had no real form, he knew the basics but no further, momentum over strength, however with that alone, he was fierce. With _'no rhythm or rhyme'_ to his movements, he was hard to predict, throwing his body around ' _haphazardly'_ , no intention of fighting back and only to get away.

When they had first met, Hibari had brushed him off as just another _'ruffian'_. Just another ' _testosterone'_ pumped preteen who wanted to show _'masculine'_ he was, only to run at the first sight of real danger.

Yamaguchi Daiki- he was discomforting.

Something was _wrong_ with him. Like fingers that were just a littletoo far apart. Like a line that was a little too slanted.

Out of place.

' _Malapropos.'_

"Why am I here?" Hibari muttered, glancing up at the familiar, open window of the house connected to the Yamaguchi Bakery.

The Cloud had never gone directly to the Chattering Herbivore's house, preferring to approach him in open spaces where movement was easy. Away from where the younger boy had a literal home advantage, and could easily escape or disengage him.

A flicker of movement behind _'sheer'_ curtains alerted the skylark to the room's occupant, and before he knew it, he was climbing the wall with more effort than usually required. Quietly situating himself on the windowsill, Hibari moved the curtains away and quickly scanned the room.

The Chattering Herbivore was sitting at his desk, feet hooked together at the heels as he spun his pacer in hand, pulling his earlobe as he gazed down at an equation through his lenses. He seemed to be unaware of Hibari's presence in his domain, allowing for the Cloud to relax slightly. Hibari glanced at the little white dog laying on the end of the herbivore's bed, looking deceptively innocent and calm, but it was due to that 'Mephisto' that the Chattering Herbivore had managed to escape three more times than he would have alone.

No immediate danger. Proceed with caution.

"Herbivore."

To his mild disappointment, the baker's boy didn't jump or start at his sudden call like the other herbivores did.

"The window Hibari-san, really?"

Hibari brushed off the tired comment, instead deciding to take the step and completely enter the boy's den, unsure if he was making a mistake. The first thing he noticed about the room, was the sheer amount of study material there was. Scrawled on paper lined the walls and littered the floor, pieces crunched under the wheels of the boy's chair and others in half-hearted piles. Books for high school and university were crammed into a large bookshelf, along with folders of undistinguishable contents and more stray papers.

Hibari made comments, stating the obvious as he tried to think of a reason for his being there. He knew of no legitimate explanation, he was just _there_.

Perhaps, it was due to his injury?

More often than not, Hibari would find his way to the Chattering Herbivore when he was injured. It was a recurring incident, not a conscious one from what he could tell. He never would seek the boy out, but he always found him, one way or another.

Maybe he found the concern the boy showed him appealing? Probably not, but it was…appreciated?

Either way, if he was injured, a meeting with the baker's son was assured within the day, if not hour.

Hibari looked at the taller boy for a while, theories of why he was drawn to the boy when he was damaged coming and going, before he noticed the slowly growing pain in his ankle was become a little bit too much. Turning from him, he walked over to his bed, dropping down with as much grace as possible.

"What's wrong with your leg, Hibari-san?"

The skylark looked up at the herbivore before him, noticing the familiar expression of barely masked concern on his face.

Annoyingly familiar. Painfully comforting.

"I was bitting a group of herbivores to death, one caught me off guard and landed a blow." Hibari explained, stunning the boy in front of him.

He hadn't ever told the herbivore about the cause of his injuries.

"Ah, I'm going to guess you taught him his place?" The herbivore asked, letting out a quiet laugh.

"Hm. Obviously." Was his reply.

The two looked at each other, before it was Hibari's turn to be stunned.

The standing boy locked his eyes on Hibari's ankle asking which one was the injured, before slowly kneeling before the seated carnivore. He grasped the skylark's right foot more gingerly than he remember ever being touched, before taking off his sock and pulling the leg of his pant up to show his ankle red and swollen.

"Did you lose your balance, Hibari-san? It looks like you sprained your ankle."

Hibari blinked, before reeling himself back in and responded with a short hum, noticing the cold of the boy's hands sooth his pain slightly. His hands gently prodded the swelling, chastely touching the surrounding area as if looking for something, before retracting and looking up at the shaken Cloud.

"Ah, so you did then. Don't worry, it doesn't look too bad. Stay here, I'll go get some ice from the freezer."

Before Hibari could respond, he had been lifted off the bed with a little too much ease. The Chattering Herbivore turned him so that he was laying on the bed, a neck pillow placed under his injured ankle.

"Herbivore-" He started, preparing to stand, only to have the said boy to glance over his shoulder with eyes that made him pause.

"Stay, Hibari-san. I will be back momentarily." Then he slipped out of the room, his feet barely making a sound against the papers on his floor.

Maybe they weren't so messily tossed about, after all.

Hibari sat quietly, the sound of the herbivore's clock ticking and his dog's breath the only sounds in the room. He was sharply aware of the steady rise and fall of the little pup's body, ready to bolt the second he saw an advance against him.

The Cloud didn't know why he was waiting, why he was obeying the herbivore's orders to remain still despite there being an open window less than two paces from him. But he stayed put, and no less than a few seconds later, the Chattering Herbivore walked in, an ice pack in one hand and a role of bandages in the other.

"I apologise if I took a while, the location of the first aid kit was vague." He apologised, using over complicated language for a simple sentence.

"Hm."

"A great conversationalist, as always Hibari-san."

"Hm."

"I totally agree, a very insightful opinion."

The Chattering Herbivore continued to ramble as he wrapped Hibari's ankle with the bandage, applying the ice through the layer of fabric to avoid frostbite due to direct contact.

"Why do you talk so much?" The Cloud finally asked, cutting the boy off mid rant.

The Chattering Herbivore paused, before a small smile touched his face.

"I talk when I'm scared."

Hibari felt something sink when he heard that.

Chattering Herbivore, indeed.

* * *

He still found the boy the next morning, with a small cut on his cheek.

 **|H.K|**

* * *

"Well Miphy, it's been a week. Guess I'm going to have to confront the Cloud today, huh. Goodie."

Mephisto barely glanced at me as he chased a poor butterfly across the oval, before tripping over his own paws and going head over tail into a bush.

Well done. Slow, sarcastic clap.

I sighed when I heard a faint thump behind me, along with the tell-tale sound of metal, alerting me to exactly who it was.

"Good afternoon Hibari-san, how's that cut doing? I have to say, I didn't expect you to appear in my room at three in the morning." I greeted, watching Mephisto clumsily drag himself out of the shrubbery.

"As we decided, a week. Fight me now, Chattering Herbivore."

I began to fidget, anticipation and fear building.

Holy _shit._ I was about to fight _Hibari Kyoya_.

 _I am going to_ _ **die.**_

"Well, in reality Hibari-san, you decided that on your own. I really had no say, did I?"

I shifted sharply, the sound of the metal tonfa cutting the air my only warning of the incoming attack. Taking a couple steps back, I continued to move just out of reach, managing to escape damage by the skin of my teeth.

Wait a sec…

"Did you get _faster_?" I yelped, my eyes widening as I doubled over, barely dodging a foot to the face.

"Hm, you were right. I only needed a week to improve."

Oh. My. God.

I repeat: I am going to _**DIE**_!

"Lovely."

Hibari surged forwards, getting into my space and where I couldn't mauver around him easily. Taking a sharp breath, I took a stumbled jump back, narrowly missing a blow to my ribs.

"Why the ribs, Hibari-san? Why _always_ the ribs?"

"Chattering Herbivore."

I brought my arms up and blocked a strike to my head, before throwing my arms out and pushing the skylark away. Stepping out of range, I began to move further away from the swinging Cloud.

I really didn't want to fight Hibari, not even just because he was _Hibari Kyoya_ , but because I had no real reason to. I had no vendetta against him, I didn't want to 'test my strength'!

Well, hello there convenient tripping root.

"Son of a fuck!" I yelped as I descended fast, falling on my back with a thud.

" _Kamikorosu._ " Hibari declared, leaping forwards.

I stiffened and responded the only way I could in my position, I caught him in the stomach with my feet, stopping him from landing on me and keeping him in the air. Grunting when he attacked my legs, I bent my legs before kicking the Cloud into the air, quickly pushing myself onto my feet.

The sudden acceleration up seemed to surprise the skylark, giving me time to rise my hands and bury the heels of my hands into his solar plexus, winding him easily and throwing him back up again.

"Wait a second…" I muttered as he landed in a crouch a little was away, holding his stomach and breathing deeply.

Did I just… volley set Hibari?

"Jesus fucking Christ." I sighed, placing my palm on my face.

"Wao."

Holy shit! Too close!

I stumbled back when I noticed Hibari had closed the gap between us, his leg lashing out and catching me in the side. Giving a hiss, I grabbed his leg and pushed him back, hopefully not jarring his hip too much. He quickly regained his balance and came after me again, swiping his tonfa fast, but in a relatively rhythmic way.

I couldn't fault him for this, he was still young and not nearly as strong as he would be given a few years. His body was still relatively soft, still forming and changing, so he wasn't at full strength just yet. So I had a chance of surviving this encounter.

Yay.

"Your swings are becoming predictable Hibari-san, don't constantly do a right-left pattern." I said, knocking his tonfa away to prove my point.

Why am I helping him!?

As soon as those words left my mouth, his other tonfa came out of nowhere and struck me in the shoulder, barley missing my temple when I recoiled away and all but leapt to the side. Spinning around to face him again, I blocked a kick to my side with my arm, feeling a bruise begin to form under my sleeve.

His hits were getting harder, that was for _damn_ sure.

Help me.

 _How do I do this?_

I ducked under a kick, only to get a tonfa to the cheek and an elbow to the side.

 _How do I do this?_

I stumbled out of range of another strike, barely missing being grabbed.

 _How do I do this?_

I stepped around a punch, narrowly avoiding another barrage of attacks.

 _How the_ _ **fuck**_ _do I do this?!_

Hibari's tonfa shot out with terrifying speed, the end colliding with my jaw and making me taste blood.

A sharp sting of pain filled my senses as I rolled my tooth around in my mouth, sirens going off in my head as I pinched it from my mouth with my fingers, bringing it to the light.

Tucking my tooth in my pocket, I stared at the boy in front of me in shock.

"You knocked my tooth out." I breathed, pointing to the missing molar.

"Hm."

"You _dick_."

Taking a moment to stare at the mildly stunned expression on the skylark's face, I spat a mixture of blood and saliva on the ground, cringing at the taste.

"There we go, Hibari-san. You've drawn first blood, you wi- _fuck!_ " I leapt backwards as his axe kick filled the space I used to be.

"Stop _talking._ " The skylark growled out, his teeth visibly grinding.

"I'm sorry Hibari-san, but that's like requesting the sun to not shine."

Oh, maybe I should have just shut up.

Moving quickly, I did just about everything I could to avoid the unnervingly fast strikes, not liking the _'whoosh'_ that followed each metal pole in the least.

Awkwardly batting away another kick, I tried to move around the older boy. I ducked under a left swing and just managed to get behind him when he twisted, my arm shooting out and slipping under his arms to link together behind his head. Tightening my hold, I tried to think of what to do next, something that would leave the Cloud immobile, preferably.

The skylark thrashed in my hold, his heels coming to dig into various parts of my lower legs and feet. He tried to smash the back of his head into my face, making me twist out of the way and his head to hit my neck instead.

C'mon Daiki, think! What'll keep him sti- _Face!_

"Stop attacking my face! C'mon dude!" I yelled, moving out of the way just in time again.

" _Kamikorosu._ " He growled, the muscles in his arms flexing as he writhed.

I blinked, an idea suddenly sparking in my head.

A stupid idea, I will admit, but an effective one.

Tensing my muscles, I waited until Hibari flung his head back again, already finding his rhythm and ready for the attack. Moving my head out of the way, I spotted my target, before lunging forwards and sinking my teeth into the juncture of his neck and shoulder.

 _Kamikorosu_ that, mother effer.

I felt the Cloud go stiff and still, his feet no longer assaulting my shins and his head frozen at the end of its arc. Forcing my weight forwards, I made the two of us fall to the grass, tightening my teeth when I felt the skylark move against me.

Grabbing his arms, I pinned them to the ground, driving my knee into the small of his back to keep him on the floor. Giving one more jerk of my jaw for good measure, I slowly pulled them from their dents and scanned the damage done to the stunned Cloud.

I wasn't all that bad, barely bleeding and not very deep, my teeth marks would seem to bruise or irritate more than anything else, a scar was completely out of the question.

"It's not too bad, the bite mark. It should fade in…a while. My apologies, but you threatened to bite me first."

"…Hm."

"May I take this as my win?" I asked, pushing down when he shifted.

"Fine...You win."

* * *

" _Kaede-chan, I'm sure he's just a late bloomer! Little Daiki-san's always been healthy, I'm sure there's nothing wrong._ "

" _I know, but I can't help it._ "

I stood behind the door quietly, listening in on the conversation with apathy. My mother had actually been ignoring me as of late, and had been having more hysterical fits. It didn't take long for me to find out why, my puberty- or lack thereof.

The boys around me, Ryohei especially, had been experiencing voice breaks, growth pains and spurts. Whereas me… Kaede went out and bought me a binder. She didn't know, at least she pretended not to, but I had begun my menstrual cycle. I borrowed her tampons when she wasn't looking- yeah, she knew now that I think about it. The sudden rise in the number was obvious.

Now, I just had to find a way to keep up the charade. My voice was already quite low, but not enough. I wonder…

* * *

"Hey kaa-san, can I stay ho-o-ome toda-y? It's the last day, so-o I won't be missing anythi-ing…"

Kaede looked down at me from beside my bed, a flicker of a smile tipping the corners of her lips.

No, I wasn't sick, have no fear. I was merely playing the role of the embarrassed pubescent boy, whose voice was in the process of breaking, and he'd much rather _not_ go out. Something I had learned about this body, was that it was very good at mimicking voices, whether they be girl or boy. I had spent many-a lunch entertaining Ryohei with Doraemon voices, having watched episodes with him during the holidays while eating watermelon. Stereotyped, but fun.

"Sorry Daiki-kun, you have to go to school today, you're getting an award at the assembly!"

"But my voi-ice is embarras _sing_!"

Jesus Christ, I didn't know my voice could hit that pitch…

"All the boy's your age are dealing with the same thing, it'll be fine! You'll have Ryohei-kun with you as well."

Ah, Ryohei, dear little Ryohei. I won't deny, when I first heard his voice crack, I didn't even bother to try and hold in my laughter.

"Bu-ut, kaa-san…"

"Quickly Daiki-kun, you don't have much time until Ryohei-kun's going to be knocking." She laughed as she floated out the door, obviously on cloud-nine that her little boy was growing up, finally.

" _I rea-ally wonde-er someti-imes…"_ I muttered, keeping with my male voice.

The cracks and squeaks, while sounding natural, were not intentional. Like all impressions, you had to find the right place for the sound to come from. I had yet to find the place that gave me enough range for a 'normal' voice, so mistakes were to be expected.

I sighed before pulling myself out of the warmth of my bed, not at all enjoying the temperature. Grabbing my pre-ironed uniform, I slipped it on quickly before shuffling out of my room, stubbornly looking away from my bed.

"After this, you'll only have one more year until you'll be in middle school! Do you know which one you want to attend yet, Daiki-kun?"

I looked up from my bowl of rice with a thoughtful expression, yes actually, I had thought about it. There was a total off three middle schools in our area, Midori Girls, Yumei Private and Nami-chu, each with their own, personal prestige. Now, I am recognised as a boy, so Midori Girls had been ruled out, Yumei Private, while it sounds good, has been falling in rank since three years ago, so it's ability to help me achieve a higher ATAR or whatever the Japanese have is lacking.

So, that leaves our very own, nest of the skylark! Home of the hell bringers! Namimori Middle! Yay!

No.

"Well?" Mother prompted, clicking the lid of my bento box in place.

"I want to go to Nami-chu, it has the best overall ranking." Okay, getting there I think.

"Ah, Sasagawa-chan said Ryohei-kun was going to attend Nami-chu as well! You'll have a friend!"

I smiled and nodded, finishing my rice as a loud knocking rung from the door.

"Daiki-kun! We will race to school to the EXTRE- _ME_!"

Ah, there's the crack.

"Bye-bye kaa-san, I'll se-ee you after school!"

"Don't strain your voice too much, little man!"

Don't I know it.

I pulled my shoes on and walked out the door, adjusting the straps on my bag in _futile_ attempts of finding the perfect length.

"He-ey Ryohei-kun…" I greeted quietly, keeping my voice quiet as it cracked randomly.

"GO- _O-_ OD MORNING DAIKI-KUN! LET US GO TO SCHOOL TO THE EXTREME!"

I gave a mute nod and followed after him, used to his sheer enthusiasm for just about anything.

Shit, eleven years of Daiki. Damn, does time fly when you're constantly confused as all fuck.

Three year. Three years until that adult-baby comes to Namimori and all hell breaks loose.

Hopefully the bakery doesn't get damaged.

* * *

 **Personally, I feel like Yamamoto would be** **either a) very blunt, or b) very 'beat around the bush' with romantic advances. I went with blunt :). No hesitation on his part, just lined up the shot and fired at the poor kid, haha!**

 **Imagine witnessing Ryohei's voice breaking? Hm…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, guess what! You remember how I wrote Hibari with a sprained ankle, well two days after I posted the chapter, I went and sprained my ankle!**

 **Tis fate!**

 **But really, ow. It cracked and everything on the way down. I fell with the grace of a refined swan.**

 **LeNoRi, over and out!**

* * *

"And what's this about?" I asked, my grip on the strap of my backpack tightening as I stared down the trio of teens.

I watched them exchange cocky glances, vulgar comments and innuendos tossed between themselves.

The alley I had found myself pushed into was secluded and relatively narrow, dowsed in darkness despite the bright sun hanging in the sky. It was behind the liquor store, causing the sharp smell of alcohol to invade my senses and make me want to scrunch up my nose in distaste.

"If there is no reason, I will be taking my leave now. Goodbye." I said, turning to leave the boys.

"Hey, hey, hey." One cooed, walking briskly up to be and blocking my way out.

"C'mon, we just wanna talk to ya." He continued, giving me a crooked smile.

"Yeah, we're buddies with Shirosaki Jin. I think you know his little sis, Shirosaki Tsubaki? She's in your grade." Another, taller one chimed in, leaning forwards with his hands in his pockets.

Shirosaki Tsubaki, the name ringed a bell. Ah, I knew who she was. She was the girl who had approached me when I was less than agreeable, the day I had blown up at Ryohei, not the smartest choice.

"Yes, though I don't talk her much, I will admit." I breathed, watching them carefully.

"Eh, really? Because a little while ago, little Tsubaki-chan came running to Jin-kun crying!"

"Yeah, yeah! She said some _mean boy_ told her to 'piss off' when she was trying to be _nice_ to him!"

Ah. Ah, I can see where this is going.

"I will admit, I perhaps overstepped my boundaries. In my defence, however, I was already in a bad mood, and she was one of the origins."

"So you went and blew up at her because you were in a bad mood? How pathetic!" The last one who had yet to talk spoke up, stepping forwards to complete their little triangle around me.

"As I had said, she had been one of the origins. Therefore she was also at fault."

The boys looked at each other before matching grins slipped onto their faces, one moved to roll up his sleeves and the other cracked his knuckles.

"Well guess what, kid. We're in a bad mood ourselves, and since you're the origin, we're gonna blow up at you now."

Jesus Christ, this was almost a year ago dudes. Either do it when the event is recent or not at all!

But, the saying is 'better late than never', so…

I blinked back to reality when I noticed the tallest pull his fist back to swing at me, a small chuckle finding its way out of my body.

 _When you compare a snail to a skylark…_

* * *

 _Where is he? Where is he?_ _ **Where is he?!**_

' _Hey Daiki-kun!' I turned my head slowly to the girl who ran up to me, annoyance bubbling just below my skin._

" _What?" I growled out, trying to restrain my anger._

" _You wanna come sit with me and my friends?" She smiled, stepping forwards._

 _Her voice grated against my nerves, my jaw jumping as it clenched and unclenched against my will._

" _No. Thank you." I hissed out the last piece quickly, trying to keep at least some sort of polite guise._

" _Eh, why not?"_

" _I'm trying to find Ryohei-kun, so if you would please-" I tried to end the stilted conversation, only to have her cut me off._

" _Why are you trying to find_ him _?"_

 _Okay, she needed to go now._

" _Because I need to talk to him, so I'd like to leave no-"_

" _He's the reason you got sent to the hospital in the first place! I would never get my friends hurt like that! I'm really nice to my friends!"_

 _I opened my mouth to try and shut her down, only for her to keep talking._

" _Everyone kept saying you were doing bad things and got in trouble, but my daddy's a doctor at the hospital and told me what really happened. I told everyone that it was Sasagawa-san's fault!"_

 _What…?_

" _Now he's getting what he deserves! So, forget about him Daiki-kun! Come play with us!"_

 _ **WHAT!?**_

"' _What he_ deserves, _' you say. Well, you have to excuse me, Miss Doctor's-daughter, but you father has breached patient confidentiality, which can result in him being sued, punished or both. You have no right to mingle with my problems, nor do you have the_ right _to_ blame _Ryohei_ _when your little,_ underdeveloped _mind could_ never _even_ begin _to comprehend what happened. So, you wretched girl,_ _ **piss. Off.**_ _"_

* * *

I rolled my shoulder, sighing when I felt resistance and a flash of pain.

They were slow, unco-ordinated messes of limbs when they had attacked me, their attacks were sloppy and their forethought was heinous.

Or maybe Hibari just spoiled me.

"Yeah, that' probably it." I muttered as I dragged myself from the alley, keeping my right foot off the ground as the ankle swelled.

I stumbled as I left the three quiet bodies slumped against the wall, using the sides of buildings to keep me up straight. Giving a few clicks and hisses every now and again, I managed to reach the end of the area I was in, leading into my part of the shopping district.

"God damn, how does Hibari-san do it?"

I took in a sharp gasp of air when my injured foot dropped to the ground, pain shrieking up my leg and setting off something I had much rather I had left behind. A giggle leaked through my lips, before a deep, strained laugh crawled out of my grin and shook my body. My eyes widened as the sound reached my ears, hands coming up to slap over my toothy smile.

"Oh, shut up you spoilt limb, you have no right to complain. Cease! Cease!" I hissed at the bruising appendage, the damned habit coming back from beyond the grave.

"Chattering Herbivore."

Please, no. Not now.

"Hibari-san, good to see you, as always." I breathed, leaning against the closed flower shop.

The skylark watched me with a bland expression, a flash of an indistinguishable something coming into existence for less than a moment before being wiped away.

"You were attacked."

"Yes, by three upper-classmen. I have left them in the alley way a couple streets down, between the liquor store and the travel agents."

The Cloud remained silent, and I though he as actually going to go after them.

"You retaliated."

"No, not really. It was…friendly fire." I corrected, trying to reach for my bag.

"Hm."

Always so able worded, Hibari.

I sighed and began to move again, stumbling along as I tried to ignore the eyes drilling into me from behind.

"Hm, I no longer owe you."

I jumped when my arm was grabbed, Hibari throwing it over his neck and pulling me from the wall. My eyes were widened in surprise as he began to walk with me, moving at a faster than kind pace.

"What are your intentions, Hibari-san?" I asked, hopping beside him, trying to keep most of my weight off both him and my screwed ankle.

"Returning the favour."

I blinked in confusions before it clicked, a small laugh bubbling past my lips before I could hold it at bay. I felt the rumble of a growl under my arm as I did, the grip on my wrist tightening dangerously.

"My apologies, Hibari-san, but I did not repair you all those times with the intention of holding them over you." I let out another choked laugh when he kicked my ankle, obviously not trying to brush it off as accident.

"Ow, that hurt." I chuckled, my teeth grinding as laughter leaked out between them.

"Why are you laughing, chattering herbivore?" He asked, shifting under my arm as we turned the corner.

By this point, we were walking through the most populated part of the markets, students, parents and last minute shoppers stealing glances at the two, possibly crazy, children.

"Sorry, it's a nervous habit of sorts, I suppose." I shrugged, tightening my grip on my bag.

"Hm."

I fell into a fit of uncontrollable giggles when my foot tensed after another hop, my fist clenching in Hibari's grip.

"Daiki-kun!"

Oh my God, they're everywhere.

I looked up and sighed when I saw the little Yamamoto running up to Hibari and me, his father looking at us from the window of the bakery with my mother.

I winced as the look on his face tugged at my heart strings, not dissimilar to how it did when he was on the other side of a computer screen. It was obvious he was worried, perhaps a little scared. A flash of another emotion flickered before I could pinpoint it, but I brushed it off as he all but collided with me, small hands grabbing my mused shirt.

"Takeshi-kun, how are you?" I greeted, giving him a smile that was all teeth as I dropped my bag and wrapped the free arm around in an attempt to hug him.

"What happened!? Did you fall? Did you get into a fight? Who was it?" the little Rain shot off question after question, hands flying from my chest to my suspended leg.

"I'm fine Takeshi-kun, just had a little fall, that's al-"

"He was attacked."

" _Hibari-san."_ I hissed, tightening the arm wrapped behind his head slightly.

"What?!" Takeshi started, pushing away from me slightly to look at the skylark.

I blinked at him for a moment, the Cloud forgotten when I saw the sharp look in his eye. His hands were stretching the fabric of my shirt as they gathered more into their grasp, drawing me closer to him even as he moved away.

The words ' _natural-born hitman_ ' suddenly rung in my head again, the images of a teenaged and an adult Takeshi suddenly bombarding my mind's eye.

"It's fine, not yet." I mumbled quietly to myself, loosening my muscles which Hibari no doubt felt.

I yelped as the support on my right side suddenly gave, Hibari moving out from under my arm and stepping away from me. I tried to straighten, accepting Takeshi's hands in my own as help.

"I'm going now." The Cloud stated, giving me a passive stare as he shrugged his jacket on better.

"Uh, well, thank you Hibari-san, for taking me this far." I smiled, giving him a nod of gratitude.

"Hm." He grunted before walking away, his jacket fluttering after him dramatically.

"Bye, bye Hibari-san!" The Rain called, bending around me to wave at the slowly shrinking boy.

Aw, he's so adorable.

"Oh Daiki-kun, what happened?" I looked up quickly as the two adults jogged towards us quickly, my mother coming to kneel next to me as she took in the scratches on my face, knees and elbow.

"Sorry kaa-san, I got a bit…roughed up." I laughed, trying to state the matter lightly.

"Daiki-kun got attacked!"

Jesus _flippin'_ Christ!

"It wasn't that bad Takeshi-kun, they were only trying-" I tried to settle the little boy as he let go of me and ran to his father, tugging him closer to us faster.

"Quite banged up there, Daiki-kun. Your ankle okay?" Tsuyoshi asked, reaching down and grabbing my bag as Kaede ushered us inside the bakery.

I hopped beside the little Rain as he tried to mimic the way the Cloud had helped me, the fact that he was a little below shoulder height on me not aiding him in the task.

"Sorry I wasn't much help, I'm too short." He laughed, lowering me onto the couch in the living area behind the bakery, plopping down beside me.

"Don't worry, hey, I bet you'll get _a lot_ taller by the time you've hit puberty." I smiled remembering his height, 177cm, right?

"Eh, really?" He grinned, leaning towards me.

"Yep, I'm never wrong."

I reached down as I said this, untying my shoelace and pulling it the shoe off gently, trying not to jostle the tendons too much. Dropping the shoe, I began to pull off my sock, hissing slightly when I saw the bruising bulge on the side of my foot.

"Ouch." I muttered, moving to tap the sole of my foot.

"Wow, that looks like it hurt!" The Rain winced, eyeing the injury.

"Only for a little while, it became bearable after a bit. I just can't put too much pressure on it, so running's a no-no for a little while. Three of four days, I think." I hummed, taking off the other shoe and sock.

"Here, Daiki-kun, put some ice on it. Kaede-chan's gone to find the bandages, she'll be back in a bit." Tsuyoshi came into the room, holding an ice pack wrapped in a dish cloth.

"Thank you, Yamamoto-san." I thanked, taking it off his hands and placing it on the swelling.

"So, Takeshi-kun, how've you been. I haven't seen much of you lately." I asked, turning from the man's retreating form to look at the boy.

"Nothing much, school's the same." He shrugged, leaning on me as he yawned.

"You're tired, already?" I laughed, glancing at the clock.

"Hmph." He grunted, glancing up as my mother walked in with bandages.

"Thank you, kaa-san." I smiled, drawing in my bandaged ankle.

"No problem, sweetheart." She smiled, taking Takeshi and my shoes away moving them to the proper place.

I raised an eyebrow as another yawn left the young boy, human nature making a similar one crack my jaw in empathy.

"God damn, you've got me yawning now." I laughed, covering my mouth as another one tore through.

"Do you think they'll mind if we take a nap?" He asked, looking ready to curl up.

"I don't think so, rest is also good for healing." I replied, before laying on my back, keeping my foot on the arm rest of the couch.

"Move your arm, Daiki-kun."

I blinked at the order before catching on, letting my arm fall and the younger boy to nuzzle his head under my chin happily.

"Sleep well, Takeshi-kun." I hummed, drawing him closer as I coiled in on myself.

"You too, shujin-kun."

God damn it, Takeshi.

* * *

What the hell is that?

"Wait…" I glanced around, before nodding.

"Yep, it's a dream. We're good here people."

I recognised the place I was in easily, having 'created' this room under the recommendation of my friend in the past. It was meant to house my 'inner demons' as they put it, really it was just something I drew whenever I remembered I even though it up. The fact that I was dreaming that I was in it was nothing short of a miracle, maybe the injury reminded me of something?

Yeah, let's go with that.

The room was relatively small, maybe 6m by 3.5m, walls, floor and ceiling all covered by glossy, polished, black tiles that reflected light from an undefined source. In the centre, was a small, metallic and glass, outdoor table set, the metal of the chair's back twisted into a symmetrical, twisted design similar to the one supporting the glass of the circular tabletop. The legs of both table and chair were sharp, as if they were trying to scratch the polished tile. Beside the table, on the opposite end to the chair, stood a delicate, metal stand, that arched over at the end to hook onto an empty, metal bird cage.

"I don't remember that…maybe I made it and forgot?" I muttered, craning my head to look beyond the table set and look to a door which held the same design as the char and table as engravings on its metal surface.

I sighed as I glanced around one more before taking a step forwards, the pain that shot up my leg making me instant regret it.

"Wait, what? I don't…you aren't meant to feel pain in your dreams." I began to get a tad bit worried, but chalked it up to an exterior source, maybe Takeshi accidently kicked my foot?

Deciding to employ another strategy, I began hopping across the room on my good foot. Grabbing hold of the handle set, I pulled the door open, trying to remember what was on the other side.

"No thank you!" I yelped as I slammed the door shut again, pressing my body against the metal to keep it closed.

"Ha, haha. Funny, real funny past me. Skeletons in the closet, huh?"

Yeah, there was a skeleton behind it. The bones sunken into the tile on the other side of the door, sticking out with the space given to them by the door frame. But that wasn't what unsettled me the most, the ladies suit it was wearing. It was the same one I died in, even had the cufflinks my father had given to me on my birthday that year.

"Skeletons in the closet indeed." I muttered, before jumping when I suddenly felt a weight push against me.

" _L…let me out._ "

" _I…I have…to c-call Mum and…Dad..."_

" _I didn…t meet up with Mae…"_

" _I need…need to go to Kat's weddi…ng next week…"_

" _L..et me out…Dai-"_

"SHUT UP!" I snapped, slamming my fist against the door.

"Have some composure! Silence yourself!"

This…was wrong. This is bad. This is bad. This is bad.

I yelped as the weight grew, my eyes widening as the handle began to rattle and jolt.

" _Let m..me out."_

" _Lemme out. Lemme out. Leemeoutlemmeoutlemmeoutmetmeoutmeout!"_

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" I began ramming my shoulder into the door, slamming it shut every time it opened slightly.

Oh god no, this can't be happening.

" _I wan-t-t-t to feel the sun again._ "

" _Please?_ "

"No sympathy for the idiot!" I yelled, remembering the words I used in the past.

I gritted my teeth as my feet tried to find purchase on the floor, my ankle screaming along with us.

" _The sun, warmth, burns. Burns! Burns! Burns! Why does it burn!?_ _ **WHY DOES IT BURN!?**_ _"_

I withdrew from the door sharply as the metallic surface began to heat up, the edges slowly turning orange and red.

" _ **WHY DOES IT BURN!? WHY ARE YOU HURTING ME!?"**_

"The hell is going on here?" I whispered, my heart pumping faster than I remember it ever going.

I gasped as flames began to lick around the frame of the door, bright yellow tongues of fire dancing along the edges of the door. My eyes were trained on the fire as they slowly crept along the metal, a faint buzzing filling the room as I noticed the material of the door…shifting?

The thin gap between the door and the frame was slowly becoming smaller and smaller, until the material of both melded together. The flames danced around for a moment, the engravings glowing the same yellow as the fire dropped to the floor, and to my horror, began advancing on me.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." I chanted, backing away as I ignored my ankle to the best of my ability.

I gasped as I hit the table set, my hand coming and grasping it as my ankle failed me. I kept my eyes trained on the encroaching flames, very much aware of there being no other doors or windows in the room.

"Shit, why didn't I make an emergency exit?" I squeaked, pulling myself to sit on the table.

The fire suddenly split, arcing around the table set in two neat streams, before connecting on the other side, creating a ring of fire around me. The flames began to burn brighter, flaring up and spreading at a steady pace as it shrunk the circle.

Wait…I recognise these flames…

"Daiki, you pulled a dummy." I muttered as I looked at the flames, _really_ looked.

Sun.

"Sun flames." I whispered, trying to bring up as much as I remembered as possible.

Sun flames were activity based, Ryohei has them, as does Knuckles and Lussuria and a bunch of other probably. They were used as support and…

"Healing." I glanced at my swollen for a moment, an idea coming to mind as I stared the flames down.

Giving a nod to the tongues of fire, I slowly reached out my leg, sliding my ankle into the wall of flames. The relief was almost instantaneous.

The fire was warm, a pleasant burn, that held a sort of weight that wrapped my bruised and strained tendons.

"Amazing." I breathed, withdrawing my healed ankle as I twisted to look at it from a different angle.

"Dying Will Flames…are sure something else."

I looked at the flames and blinked when I saw them split off, half returning to repress the door, the other half coming to grow the ring of fire.

"Sun flames…I have sun flames."

* * *

" _Why'd you get hurt?! You can't die! You can't leave me! You can't! You can't! You can't! Don't leave!_ "

"Kaa-san, it's fine. I'm fine. I'm not going anywhere, I promise, so please calm down." I reassured slowly, watching her carefully as she bodily flung herself at the door to the living space and messily locked it.

" _You were gone! You're always gone! You left me!"_

I stared impassively at the hysterical woman, a familiar 'boom' echoing in the back of my mind.

Great, now I have _two_ women to worry about.

I watched my mother carefully, halving my attention to stoke the flames inside me to quiet the skeletal woman.

"Kaa-san, I'm a student, I need to go to school. I always come straight home after the bell and I never detour if I can help it. There is no need to worry, I am not going to leave you."

I began walking towards her slowly, holding my hands up as a peaceful signal. When I reached her, I gently touched her hand, carefully untangling her delicate fingers from her hair and held them in my own, rougher ones.

"See, I'm right here, kaa-san. I'm at home with you, in our living room, talking to you and holding your hand."

There was a tense quiet in the room, and for a moment I was worried that she would lash out from the contact. Instead, she let out a wail and threw her arms round me, kneeling in front of me as she cried into my shoulder, her hug borderline painful.

"Don't leave me…stay with me…my little boy…" My mother whimpered, her rattling body clinging to mine.

"Don't worry, I'm right here." I said again, slowly bringing my hands up to rub her back.

I stared out the window, watching as the sun set over the roof tops. People were still bustling around the streets, their chatter making mother's screaming another part of the white noise.

Just another day in Namimori.

* * *

I sighed and kicked off my desk, flying across the room on my chair as I spun and came to a halt. Grabbing a thick textbook off the shelf, I scanned it before putting it back and sailing to the left, snagging three other books of varying size before kicking off the wall and swinging around to stop back in my desk.

I stacked the books beside their prequels and began to scribble down more answers, rummaging through my drawer for a protractor with my free hand.

" _And I said_

 _Hey ay ay, hey ay_

 _If crazy equals genius_

 _Hey ay ay, hey ay_

 _If crazy equals genius_

 _Then I'm a fucking arsonist_

 _I'm a rocket scientist_

 _Hey ay ay_

 _If crazy equals genius_

 _You can set yourself on fire_

 _But you're never gonna burn, burn, burn_

 _You can set yourself on fire-_ Oh shit! _"_

I yelped as I came crashing to the floor, my wheelie chair stalling and flipping with me.

"Argh, maybe I should pick up those pencils…and clothes…and shit in general." I mumbled, rubbing the back of my head as I sat up.

"Daiki-kun! Can you come down please!?"

Looking over my shoulder, I gave a loud 'ya!' down the hall and followed after it.

It had been roughly a week since I had the run in with those boys in the alley, terribly cheesy if I do say so myself, and my mother had been on high alert since. Making me stay home from school for the reminder of the week as to keep an eye on me.

Don't get me wrong, it was probably exactly what I needed with my ankle and all, but after staying in such a confined space for so long, the idea of going out and about was more than tempting.

"Where are you?" I called, not finding her in the living room, kitchen or shop.

"In the study!"

I paused, my fists clenching involuntarily as the idea of my mother being in that room set off sparks, the familiar feeling of my sun flame licking the inside of my skin coming to life as its protective traits became aroused.

"Daiki-kun?"

"Coming!"

I began walking towards the study, the room that had been my father's niche of sorts when he had still been with us.

' _Let her go!'_

' _Fuck off kid!'_

' _Yamada-kun, please sto-!'_

' _Shut up!'_

' _You son of a bi-OPEN THE DOOR!'_

I gazed down at the door knob, remembering all those damn times I had tried to wrestle it open, only to have it be locked from the inside, trapping my mother with him in a confined space.

This door never opened for me, only for him. It refused me passage to help my mother, wood suddenly becoming equal to iron. Wallpaper suddenly becoming stone.

Shaking myself out of my daze, I pushed open the door with a little too much force, standing in the opening hesitantly. I glanced around the room, taking in the books I refused to touch, the maps I refused to label, pencils I refused to write with, paper I refused to write on.

"I hate this room." I mumbled, drawing my mother's attention.

"Eh, why? With the amount of books here, I'd think this was your heaven!" She laughed, taking a small box off the highest shelf, using a step to help her.

Kaede opened the small, black box and looked inside before a smile flitted across her face. Bringing the box to her chest, she descended the step and padded over to me, kneeling down to my height, she displayed the box to me.

"What is it?" I asked, eyeing the object with distrust.

"Something my father used to use, he gave it to me when he heard I had a son. He wanted you to have it."

"Ojii-san?" I breathed, becoming more and more suspicious of the item.

I had never seen nor heard of my grandparents, from either side of the family. I actually knew quite little about my parents, other than that they were both an only child, and they had a few screws loose.

"I had thought you wouldn't need them, you always so gentle. But, it seems I was wrong, you need them more than I thought."

I slowly opened the box, to find another, much more adorned one inside. Removing the smaller one, I noticed most of the weight from the first had come from this.

It was sleek and black and had an oriental design, grey engravings of dragons coiling around the lustrous surface as it stood on clawed feet that protruded from the base.

I raised an eyebrow, wondering what we were doing in possession of such an item, before tilting it to see underneath. The box rumbled as its contents shifted, taking most of the weight with it fast enough to make me almost drop it.

Glancing back at my mother, I received a nod before snapping the latches that held the lid and opening it.

"They're going to be a bit big, I'll ask around for a place that sells smaller sets. For now, however, I'll be asking Sasagawa-kun to teach you alongside Ryohei-kun. He used to be a boxer, I'm sure he can help you learn to use them. Just don't tell them you're using them just yet, okay little man?"

I gave a numb grunt, still training my eyes on the two, shiny objects in the box. Reaching in, I removed them before placing the engraved box down, weighing the pieces in my hands.

"Kaa-san, who exactly was ojii-san?" I asked, sliding them on. Yes, definitely too big.

"My father got in with a pretty shady crowd when he was younger, and I guess he liked it there. Daiki-kun, your grandfather was part of a low level yakuza. They've been disbanded for a while though."

"Hm." I hummed, moving my hands and blinking when the metal caught the light.

Brass knuckles.

"How quaint."

* * *

"Holy shit." I muttered, glancing at the clock as the seconds ticked by.

Ryohei glanced up from his half-finished maths sheet, basic formula written down the margins, a trick he copied off me after I assured him it was fine for class work.

"Is there something EXTREMELY wrong, Daiki-kun?" he asked, glancing at the spinning pacer in my hand.

God, I love that trick.

"We've finished the first term already, its July 20th today."

I stared wide eyed at the date on the board, wondering where the time had gone.

I jumped when the last bell of the term rung, shocking me back into the present and prompting me to pack up along with my other students. Grabbing my bag, I handed the student in front of me Ryohei's and my papers before walking out the door with the Sasagawa child leading me slightly.

"So what are you planning on doing this summer break?" He asked, rocking back on his heels as we waited for little Kyoko to separate from her friends and come join us.

"Hm, I just got this quantum physics book yesterday that I haven't really been able to sit down and read, so that's the first week gone." I thought out loud, finding Ryohei's over exaggerated sigh of despair amusing.

"Joking! I'll go to the pool, help out around the bakery and we can go to the park." I laughed, patting his shoulder.

"Oh, thank God." The Sun breathed, placing a hand over his heart.

"Yeah, like I'd take a _week_ to finish and write a summary about the book! Like, a day and a half, at most!"

"You need to EXTREMELY get out more often, Daiki-kun!"

* * *

I threw the large bag over my shoulder with a sigh, glancing at the door of the bakery as Kaede flipped the sign from 'Open' to 'Closed'.

It was a public holiday today, for whatever reason, and mother had decided it was perfect weather for the local pool.

I couldn't deny it, with it being roughly 28 degrees in Celsius, it was a good time to make the relatively short trip to the no doubt packed pool.

"Kaa-san, we ready to go!?" I called as she straightened her sundress that she wore over her swimmers.

"Uh huh, let's go to the pool!" She cheered, ushering me in the direction.

As I expected, the pool was crowded, but not overly so. Enough to feel populated, but not enough to make it hard to move around or get a spot on the ground.

Now, when it had come to swimmers and swimming in total, I had become a bit skittish. However, the solution was simple and I wonder why no gender bender manga used this, rashies. A shirt you wear over your swimmers to protect yourself from the sun's rays was enough to cover up the binder that wrapped my slowly, but surely, forming chest. This, paired with board shorts, made me into the little Daiki-kun that everyone knew me as.

"Daiki-kun, don't forget sunscreen!" Mother called, calling me from the edge of the pool with a small bottle of the white cream in hand.

"Coming kaa-san." Pulling my feet out of the water, I padded over to her, remembering the freckles I had in my past life.

I scrunched up my face as she smothered it over my tan skin, rubbing it behind my ears and down my arms.

"Can I go in now?" I asked, ready to get into the pool and pull the same stunt I always did as a child.

Get in the water, and wash the sunscreen off. Not the brightest decision when you lived in the land of sunburn and skin cancer, but something I did none the less.

"Yes, yes. Don't get into the deep end just yet, stay in the shallow for a bit, okay?" Kaede smiled, settling back on a chair and reaching for her latest book, _Kissed Beneath the Bonsai._

Basically, an Asian rip off of a more romance directed Thumbelina. Bleh.

"Bleh." I said out loud, scrunching my nose up at the book as I pandered to the idea that I was a child.

"Oh hush, go and have a swim." She waved me off, cracking the book open and leaning back.

I rolled my eyes before spinning and padding over to the pool, wadding through the water and past the doggy paddling toddlers.

I swam around for a bit, movements engraved into my Australian mind, weaving between swimmers as I freestyled into the deeper lanes and claimed one for my own. Grabbing hold of the wall, I turned and kicked off, paddling until I reached the end and took a moment to catch my breath, before kicking off and continuing.

Pulling myself out of the water, I sat on the edge of the pool and let out a sigh, my body thrumming with energy. I kicked the water for a few minutes before taking off my goggles and cleared them of mist and water, before clearing my ears with a grunt.

Deciding I'd had enough recovery time, I lowered myself back into the water and kicked off again, doing a rather sloppy breast stroke.

"Daiki-kun, come and get a drink!" My mother called, making me stick my head out of the water and distracting me from rescuing my goggles after a rather badly executed kick off.

"In a second, kaa-san!" I called back, diving back down again.

I braced myself before opening my eyes, ignoring the sting of chlorine and grabbed the blurry set of goggles on the base of the water. I turned and kicked off the ground, popping back up to the surface with little problem.

"Got ya." I breathed, I clutching the plastic equipment.

"Coming kaa-san!" I called as I pulled myself from the water and padded over to her, dripping a little trail behind me.

I took my juice box from Kaede happily, slurping down the sweet liquid greedily as I reached for my towel, before stalling. There was another bag beside ours, too close for someone to place down politely.

"Hey, whose bag is that?" I asked, pointing to the red and blue striped beach bag beside our own.

"Oh, that's a friend's. They came a little after you got in, don't worry." She smiled, placing down her own drink.

I hummed in acknowledgement before tottering off to chuck out my rubbish like a good little boy, before getting back into the pool, not even glancing at the shallows before dropping straight into the deep end.

* * *

Oh God.

Oh my _fucking_ God.

Why?

How?

Who did this benefit?

 _This_! This right here! This didn't _need_ to happen!

I glared at the tiny boy from over the edge of the pool, only my eyes appearing over the surface of the water as I paddled along, not unlike a crocodile. Letting out an involuntary hiss when he made eye contact, bubbles shaking the surface, the sound making the twig of a child jump and scamper after his mother.

Sawada Tsunayoshi.

 _Sawada Tsunayoshi._

 _ **Sawada Tsuna-FUCKING-yoshi!**_

"No thank you." I muttered, going back to my laps as I tore my gaze away from the child.

Deciding I had had enough of laps, I pulled myself from the water and padded over to my mother, rummaging through the bag to find my bento box and put something in my stomach. I sat at my mother's feet as she soaked up the sun, her book dropped beside her half empty drink.

"Kaa-san, are you getting into the water?" I asked, swallowing an octopus sausage.

"Hm, maybe later sweetheart." She smiled, reaching for one of my sausages which I readily relinquished.

" _Hiiiieeee!_ "

Ah, I recognise that call. The famous distress call of a domesticated tuna, marvellous.

Actually, that's really close to me.

I sat up from my slouch and turned my head, not unlike a meerkat.

Kaede was a smart women, knowing that we would be here for a while and that the sun would move as morning turned to afternoon and thus had chosen a place that had been pretty much vacant when we had arrived due to the lack of sun. Now, we had half sun, half shade, and more would come as the day went. Perfect, if you ask me.

It had come to my attention, that the children also though that it was perfect, the lack of families making it a prime spot to bully the Decimo. Only they happened to be, practically, right next to us.

"C'mon dame-Tsuna! Get in the pool like the rest of us!"

"Yeah, yeah! Be normal for once!"

I thought for a moment, a faint memory coming to the surface as I recalled the anime.

…

Tsuna couldn't swim until he was at middle school.

What the _fuck_ was he doing at the pool?

"Maybe he's scared!"

"Oh, is dame-Tsuna scared of a little water? Stupid!"

"Even my little sister isn't scared of the water! How dumb!"

Jesus Christ kids! Who're your parents!? Who the hell raised you?

"My hands are itchy." I muttered, glancing at the small party of children.

"C'mon, get him in the pool!"

"Wait, this is a bit…"

"Yeah, I don't think…"

"Get going Dame!"

" _Hiiieee!_ "

' _Splash!'_

Suddenly, I was on high alert, the sound of a rather painful belly flop bringing me to my senses.

Had I really let that go on as long as it did? Did I really just let that happen?

I don't want anything to do with Vongola.

He's just a kid!

He's the Vongola Decimo.

Not yet! A little help doesn't suddenly make me his bae, right-hand and barer of children!

"Hey…he's not coming back up."

Fuck it.

Go!

"Move!" I yelled, dropping my towel and bento before hurling myself into the pool.

As I penetrated the water, I immediately found the sinking boy. He had obviously not been ready for the fall, already looking like he was just about out of air.

His eyes widened when he saw me, his limbs flailed awkwardly as he either tried to swim towards me or away from me.

I gave a grunt before grabbing him by the arm, tugging him towards me, I wrapped my arm around his tiny waist and kicked off the bottom bursting from the water quickly. I let out my breath as I heard him gulp down air greedily, his hands clutching my rashie with surprising strength.

I swam both of us to the side of the pool, grabbing the edge and sitting him on my leg as I let myself come down from the rush.

"Hey kid, you okay?" I asked, my free hand coming to swipe his fringe out of his face.

He gave a yelp, teetering on my thigh before clutching my shoulders to stabilise himself.

"H-huh?" He gasped out, still reeling with shock.

I raised an eyebrow, before deciding he was as good as he was going to get.

"Okay then, can you get out of the water?" I asked, hoping he at least knew how to exit.

"N-no…" he whimpered, drawing into himself.

"Okay then, I want you to turn and hold onto the wall, that's it. Now, I'm gonna give you a boost, okay, put your foot into my hand and…alright, you're out."

I pushed him a little more before grabbing the side of the pool and swiftly pulled myself from the water, ringing out the end of my rashie.

"See, he's fine!"

Letting out a growl, I grabbed the little Decimo, with perhaps a little too much force, and dragged him over to the stupid children. I ignored how Tsuna 'eeped' as he stumbled behind me, my eyes trained on the suddenly quiet group.

"You absolute _idiots!_ "

The children flinched back together, some drawing their arms to their chests to protect themselves.

"You could have very well killed this boy! Did any of you even try to think that, maybe, he can't swim?! What would you have done if he had drowned?" I snapped, using my height to loom over them.

"Now." I growled, pulling Tsuna in front of me and placing my hands on his shoulder.

"Apologise. Immediately."

The children gave out mumbled apologies, glancing around as they flushed in shame.

"Go to your parents."

They scrammed faster than I expected them to, running across the pool to God knows where.

"Thank you…"

I glanced down Tsuna, suddenly realising something.

"Jesus Christ, you are short."

Wrong thing to say, my dear.

I watched as he flushed in shame, his huge eyes dropping to the ground as he shifted.

I mean, I wasn't wrong! He was just below chest height, and probably half my width and his arms and legs were thing and gangly.

"Sorry, that came out wrong." I breathed, bending so that I was able to look at him.

"Hey, you sure you're alright? I mean, that was quite the experience you just had." I asked, placing my hand on his shoulder to make him look up.

"Y-yeah, I should be fine. Thank you…" He trailed off, the sudden realisation that he didn't know my name hitting me.

"Ah, sorry, I'm Yamaguchi Daiki." I introduced, nodding my head with a small smile.

"I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi…" He blushed and looked down, one hand coming to fold in front of his mouth.

…Okay…he's kind of adorable. I can see where the fandom's coming from.

"Okay then, Sawada-san, let's get you to your mother, shall we." I smiled, standing and looking around for the famous Sawada Nana.

"Ah! There she…" I trailed off when I noticed just who she was with.

I lead the boy over to his mother, my hand on his back, and kept a fairly neutral face.

"Kaa-san!" Tsuna called, parting from me and running to the woman reclining beside my own mother.

"Ah, Tsuna-kun, you suddenly disappeared! Where'd you go?"

So you _didn't_ hear the screaming?

"I…I fell into the pool!"

I frowned slightly at the boy, noticing him glance at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Daiki-kun, this is Nana-chan, a friend of mine. Say hello." Kaede smiled, drawing me towards her.

"Hello Sawada-san, pleasure to meet you." I bowed, keeping my arms pinned to my sides.

"Oh, so polite!"

"Only to people he doesn't know!"

The two mothers laughed together, sending us off on our way with variants of 'be careful' and 'have fun'.

I glanced to the fidgeting boy beside me, and seeing as he was no longer in any danger, walked away. Padding over to the pool again, I dropped into the water and began to swim, diving under at random intervals to watch a pair of siblings swim between the legs of their parents.

"Oomph!"

I popped out of the water at the sound, snapping my head to see Tsuna flat on his face beside me. He had followed me.

"You have fallen." I stated, treading water in the centre of the lane.

I didn't know if the redness was a blush or impact.

"Y-yeah…uh...um."

"Is there something you wanted, Sawada-san?" I asked, trying to be as standoffish as possible.

"You can c-call me Tsun-"

"Sawada-san, is there a reason for this?"

He ducked his head, recoiling into himself. I tried not to feel guilty as he resembled a kicked puppy.

"I-I was… Can we…Will you…Can I play with you?" he eventually asked, hands coming together to fumble with each other's fingers.

"You can't swim." I stated, shooting him down.

"H-how did y-you know?"

"I know what a swimmer looks like in the water, Sawada-san. They usually have coordination to their strokes, you had little to none and simply fell to flailing."

Boo-yeah, all those PASS lessons finally paid off!

"Oh…"

Oh God, don't make me feel guilty.

"S-sorry then…"

Nooooo…Guiiiilt.

"I'll just…go then."

God fucking damn it! Fine! _Fine!_

"I could…try and teach-I could…try and teach you to swim. If you wanted." I muttered, glancing off to the side.

The Sky suddenly shrunk, his lip twitching for a second, but enough to make me wonder if it was really a good idea.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Sure. Go to the shallow end, I'll meet you there." I ordered, before turning and swimming away.

I hate being nice sometimes.

"Okay, firstly, do you have any experience whatsoever with swimming? Other than that little spill from before." I asked, moving to stand as I reached the steep incline at the front of the pool.

"N-no. I mean, I take baths but- _Hiiiee!_ "

I stiffened when the little boy tripped over, his once hesitant steps devolving into haphazard hops before he crashed face first into my stomach. I remained standing as he froze, possibly scared witless of the next movement.

"What did you trip over?" I mumbled, looking over him all too easily as I scanned the slant.

Nothing. He had tripped over nothing.

"…Moving on, then."

This is going to be harder than I thought.

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Why? Why? Why?

Why are we at the _pool?!_

Sawada Tsunayoshi shifted unsurely behind his mum as she spotted a friend, the nice lady from the bakery. He followed after her, making a wide arc around the edge of the pool, almost tripping over a noodle as he did.

Tsunayoshi didn't have many friends. Scratch that, he had none. He was ostracised in school and in the playground, his 'dame-ness' apparently being labelled as infectious.

He didn't mind though, it gave him more time to spend with his mum. She was kind and soft, always so sweet to him doesn't get mad at him. She made him snacks and sweets, kept his belly full and always gave the best hugs.

Tsuna really did love his mum.

"Ah, Kaede-chan! How are you, I haven't seen you in so long!" His mum squealed, walking swiftly over to her peer with enthusiasm.

"Nana-chan! Come sit with me, there's plenty of space!" The baker, Kaede, called, sitting up and waving them over.

That's because there's no sun here, Tsuna though, glancing to where the warmth radiated.

"Ah, this must be little Tsuna-kun! Oh, he's so adorable!"

Tsuna snapped his head around, before quickly curling into himself, a flush working across his cheeks.

"H-hello…" He whispered, glancing to his mother for support.

"Tsuna-kun, let's go get an ice-cream at the canteen." His mother smiled, dropping their stuff.

"Yeah!" He grinned, trotting after his mother like a duckling.

The Sky shifted for a moment, a shiver creeping up his spine and making him turn to the pool. He took a sharp breath when he saw it, a boy, much larger than himself, peeking out of the surface of the water.

Tsuna flushed under attention, glancing to the boy's dark eyes with worry.

The boy narrowed his eyes suddenly, bubbles disturbing the surface of the water, before mumbling something and kicked off the wall with ease.

Tsuna watched as he cut through the water, the liquid parting for him submissively as he powered from one end to the other.

"Tsuna-kun!"

"Coming kaa-san!"

* * *

How did he get into this mess?

"C'mon Dame-Tsuna! Get in the pool like the rest of us!"

"Yeah, yeah! Be normal for once!"

Tsuna flinched back at the jab, not liking how close the boy was when he had yelled that.

"Maybe he's scared!"

"Oh, is Dame-Tsuna scared of a little water? Stupid!"

A pang of shame flickered in his chest, he knew how dumb it was to be afraid of water, but he couldn't help it.

"Get going, Dame!"

He barely had enough time to shut his eyes before he impacted the water, his skin stinging as a short 'slap' reached his ears before he sunk like a rock.

The faint clicking and bubbling of water filled his ears, screams, laughs and chatter muffled by heavy liquid leaving Tsuna in a muted world as he fell. His limbs were heavy and his mind raced, he had no idea what to do and he could feel his lungs begin to burn.

Tsuna looked to the surface of the water, noticing how far away it was. There was no way he could reach that in time. He was going to drown. He couldn't swim, to literally, save his life.

For a second, his mind flashed back to the boy who swam effortlessly though the water as if it was his second home. He wouldn't have had this problem, Tsuna bet he would have just turned the fall into a dive and pierced the water at the perfect angle.

Or maybe he would have panicked, the sudden push confounding him for a moment and giving him enough time to sink.

No, Tsuna finally decided, he wouldn't have even been in this situation.

There was an explosion of sound above the water, the figures of his peers parting faster than he had ever seen them, before a shadow was cast over the water, and the far away surface parted above him.

Tsuna's eyes widened when he saw the other, his eyes narrowed around the chorine and his arms working swiftly to send him flying through the water. The Sky flailed his limbs, trying to evade the boy as he powered towards him, scared that they would collide, only for him to snag Tsuna around the waist and haul both of them through the water.

As they broke the surface, Tsuna let out the breath that had been rotting in his lungs, renewing it just as fast. He grasped onto the boy's shirt, his little fists trying to ground himself.

The Decimo's eyes were shut tight as they moved, only mildly bothered by the feeling of water moving around him, but finding comfort in the arm wrapped around him. Tsuna felt himself get lifted for a moment, before the boy placed his thigh between the Sky's legs and held him to the wall with it.

They we quiet for a few seconds, the sounds of their steadying breaths the only sounds traded between them.

Tsuna slowly opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the board short clad thigh that was slid between his legs, before his eyes trailed up a shirt that clung to a broad frame then landed on his saviour's face.

The boy from before.

His eyes were shut as they stung, his tanned face scrunched up in annoyance as he cleared his nose and spat out a spray of pool water. The boy must not have had enough time to pull his goggles down as they pinned back black hair that had hints of blue, cut short and manageable that dripped with water.

He had rushed to help him.

Tsuna felt a small flush touch his cheeks as embarrassment and joy mixed in his chest.

The boy gave a grunt before opening his eyes, turning them to look at Tsuna.

Tsuna decided then that he liked the boy's eyes, despite how scary they looked, blood shot and sharp. They were pools of earth that blended with amber at random intervals, making him remember a pretty stone pendent his father had sent his mother from overseas.

"Hey kid, you alright?"

His voice was nice, it was smooth and deep, almost as if it was stylised to be perfect. Tsuna felt mildly cheated by how idealised this boy was, compared to him.

The boy reached up, his hand coming to sweep Tsuna's fringe away gently to make him look at his saviour.

The sudden contact rocked the Sky, another embarrassing sound finding its way out of his mouth when he felt himself shift on the other's thigh, the friction setting off unwanted responses.

Oh God, please don't let him feel that!

"H-huh?" He managed to ask, somehow keeping any other noises from leaving him.

The black haired boy raised an eyebrow before, thankfully, brushing his yelp off, instead asking him if he could exit the pool with his own strength.

At his negative, the boy began to mauver him up and out of the pool, supporting him onto the wall. Tsuna watched as the boy placed his palms down on the edge of the pool, before pulling his body out of the liquid fluidly.

His eyes widened as more and more of the boy came out, showing Tsuna that he was bigger than he had first thought. Tsuna watched as the muscles in his arms ripples as they worked to support his weight, lifting him up and out of the water with ease.

The tanned boy gave a sigh before standing to his full height, looking over his shoulder as his hands wiped the majority of the water off his arms and rung out the base of his shirt, liquid splashing in the ground by his feet where Tsuna sat, looking up at the looming figure which obscured the sun.

"See, he's fine!" The Sky heard his peer yell, making his eye widen slightly.

He was fine. Someone had come. The boy had come to help him.

Tsuna suddenly tensed, a faint ringing of alarms going off in the back of his head as the boy let out a feral growl.

The black haired boy suddenly lashed out, rough hands circling his small forearm and hoisting the Sky to his feet with ease.

The Decimo gave a squeak as he was dragged across the distance between the two parties, his eyes pinned to the broad back of the boy.

As they came to a stop, Tsuna made to hide behind the wet boy, his hands grasping the moist shirt as he hid from his assailants.

"You absolute _idiots_!" His saviour roared, Tsuna feeling the vibrations in his fingers.

The Decimo listened to his lecture, realising that, yes, he could have very well just have died if not for the taller boy coming to his aid. He felt the muscles under his fingers elongate as the boy straightened, looming over the group further and dwarfing the little Sky behind him.

"Now." He growled again, the hand that still clutched Tsuna tightening before yanking him around front.

Tsuna felt his hands slam down on his shoulders, either to stop him from running away or to show him that he was right behind.

"Apologise. Immediately."

He watched in amazement as the proud group crumbled under the older boy's glare, making them hang their heads and mutter apologies to him. They flied upon the boy's order, scampering off in a similar manner to how he usually did after being told off by a teacher for 'disturbing the class'.

"Thank you…" Tsuna whispered, successfully keeping awe out of his voice.

The older boy looked down on him, the angle he was at making his shoulders broader and his face more sinister. He seemed to be contemplating something as he stared, Tsuna breaking out into a cold sweat as the silence went on for longer.

"Jesus Christ, you are short."

Ouch, he thought, recoiling into himself as his face flushed from the jab at his height.

"Sorry, that came out wrong." The boy quickly amended, bending to be at his level, further embarrassing the Sky.

"Hey, you sure you're alright? I mean, that was quite the experience you just had." He asked, placing a rough hand on Tsuna's shoulder.

The Decimo glanced up at him, tensing when he noticed how close their faces were, before stuttering out a positive, trailing off when he realised he didn't know his saviour's name.

"Ah, sorry, I'm Yamaguchi Daiki." He introduced, nodding his head with a barely existent smile. More of a twitch of the cheek.

"I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi."

They remained silent for a moment, neither really having anything to say, before Yamaguchi stood up and suggested locating his mother. Tsuna let himself be led to his mother, the boy's large hand spreading across his back to guide him forwards.

"Kaa-san!" He called, running to his mother when he was a reasonable distance away.

Tsuna conjured up a half-truth for his mother, not wanting her to be worried and happily let her hug him, enjoying her warmth.

Please don't say anything, he thought glancing over to Yamaguchi to find him frowning slightly.

"Daiki-kun, this is Nana-chan, a friend of mine. Say hello."

Tsuna turned from his mother to look at the other two around, surprise clear on his face when he saw the baker lady wrap her arm around Yamaguchi and draw him close.

"Hello Sawada-san, pleasure to meet you." He bowed, posture perfect for the level of politeness expected for such a greeting.

Tsuna jumped as he was suddenly waved off, his mother dismissing him to the pool as she and her friend continued to discuss cooking tips and book recommendations. He fidgeted next to the older boy, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with him now that the confusion of the situation had been drained.

Yamaguchi spared him a glance before turning and walking away, dropping straight into the pool and kicking off.

Tsuna let out a relieved breath as the seamless boy left, the prickling feeling disappearing with him. He didn't know why, but the boy scared him-but then again, everything scared him. Somehow, though, the instinctual prickling felt almost nice, a pleasant burn almost. Just barely painful, but bearable enough to be enjoyable. It was like a constant pressure, always reminding you he was around. Tsuna didn't mind it all that much, he wouldn't mind feeling the faint sting again really. But the boy had left, so he doubt he would get to-

"Oomph!"

He had been walking? Apparently so.

Tsuna groaned as he pushed himself from the concrete, thankfully not getting any scratches or scrapes.

"You have fallen."

Tsuna turned sharply to the water, his red face going a darker shade when he made eye contact with Yamaguchi.

"Y-yeah…uh..um."

C'mon Tsuna, you can do better than that! Talk!

"Is there something you wanted, Sawada-san?" He asked, his tone become more clipped as he went, eyes narrowing slightly.

The Sky tried to get the older boy to call him by his nickname, the formality of the title feeling foreign and weird. Yamaguchi, however, seemed to be having none of it and merely cut him off and restated his previous question.

"I-I was…Can we..."

Get it out Tsuna!

"Will you…" The boy before him raised an eyebrow, his lip pulling into a mild scowl.

He's scary!

"Can I play with you?" The Decimo finally managed, shifting his attention to his hands when he felt the boy's sharp eyes burn into his forehead.

"You can't swim."

Tsuna flinched back, the familiar burn of a blush growing on his face.

Yamaguchi was smart, much smarter than Tsuna, being able to rebut and explain his arguments easily with information the Sky had no idea how he could come by. With his attempts successfully cowed, the little boy began his retreat, backing away from the older slowly as if not to startle a wild animal.

"I could…try and teach you. If you wanted."

For a moment, a flash of fear stabbed his mind. Getting into the water was dangerous. He could die, drown in the pool and only be found much later.

But…Yamaguchi-san will be there with me…so…

"Really?" The Sky asked hesitantly, leaning forwards.

"Yeah. Sure. Go to the shallow end, I'll meet you there." He grunted, his eyes falling to the side before he spun and swam off.

Tsuna jumped up, quickly walking around the perimeter of the pool, only stumbling once. The sky reached the ramp at the front of the pool, adamantly ignoring the sideways glances sent to him by his peers, and watched as Yamaguchi broke the surface and began to walk to him through the water.

"Okay, firstly, do you have any experience whatsoever with swimming? Other than that little spill from before."

Tsuna glanced to the group off the left for a split second before giving a negative, moving forwards hesitantly when he saw Yamaguchi gesture for an approach.

He didn't know what it was, he didn't know why it happened, but there was a sudden pull. A sharp tug that originated below his sternum that yanked him forwards and made him lose his footing in the ever moving liquid. His sentence was cut short as he stumbled, no longer caring about the airborne foot and instead relying on his only grounded one as the downward slope kept him moving forwards. The Sky's mind suddenly came to a screeching halt along with the rest of his body as his face met a solid resistance.

Oh God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.

Tsuna stared at the black of the boy's wet shirt as his body became as stiff as a rod, fear growing as the boy's shoulders slowly rose.

Yamaguchi let out a loud sigh, making Tsuna's eyes shoot up alone. The sky saw the baker's son scanning the water, looking for something, only to not find it.

"…Moving on, then." He breathed, stepping away from the Decimo.

Tsuna felt cold for a moment, the boy's warmth preferred over his own chilled temperature. He glanced up when a loud cough sounded, Yamaguchi calling his attention.

The older boy held his hand out quietly, his face still guarded, and waited patiently for the Sky to take hold. Tsuna looked at the offered appendage for a few seconds, before slowly slipping his small hand and allowed it to be all but swallowed by Yamaguchi's as his closed around the Sky's.

Tsuna walked further into the water, focussing on the boy's hands rather than the slowly rising level as it slipped over the waistband of his light blue trunks. The Decimo gulped loudly as the water lapped at his naval, the two boys moving further before stopping at a depth upon the elder's short order.

"Now, we'll stay here, where you can stand." Yamaguchi stated, the water at his waist and at Tsuna's elbows.

"O-okay."

"So, Sawada-san, you know how to hold your breath, right?"

"Yeah." He nodded, eyes turning from the surface to the elder.

"Okay, here, take these for a while." Yamaguchi reached up and removed his goggles, moving and slipping them over the smaller boy's head, adjusting the straps to fit the smaller head.

"That feel comfortable?"

"Yeah."

"Good, we're going to get you used to the water real quick, okay?" The black, wet shirt clad boy prompted, recollecting Tsuna's hands and moving them through the water.

"Uh, how?" Tsuna asked, his voice reaching a pitch in suspicion.

"You're going to duck under the water while holding your breath, that'll be your first exercise." He answered, not mentioning the change of expression.

Tsuna suddenly found himself regretting deciding to do this, before an idea came to mind.

"C-can you do it with me?" He asked, tucking his chin into his chest instinctively.

The older boy's face remained still, a flicker of emotion flashing across his eyes for less than a second, before he nodded.

"Sure, together then. On the count of three, Sawada-san." The baker's son decided, looking straight at the younger of the duo.

"Three."

Tsuna copied the boy in bending his knees slightly, keeping his eyes on the slowly encroaching water line.

"Two." The Decimo tightened his grip on Yamaguchi's hands slightly.

"One." Both boys took a breath of air and dropped under the water, neither dragging the other down but falling together.

Tsuna clenched his eyes shut, fearing the sting and blur of chlorine, before the tug of the straps reminded him of the goggles Yamaguchi had given him. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes, brown pools taking in the underwater space safely.

The Sky glanced around, a pair of friends racing in the far lanes, children playing tip a little ways away, siblings swimming around their parents.

Looking to the front, Tsuna's eyes came to a halt, taking in the sight before him. Yamaguchi was crouched in front of him, the boy's larger size making him have to go lower to remain submerged. His loose hair shifted with the current, and his eyes were opened slightly. Unlike Tsuna, the baker's son's cheeks weren't puffed out, leaving his face relaxed and loose.

He looked so at ease in the water, happy to drift with the tide and go with the flow. Tsuna though he looked much less scary when he was like this, calm and pleasant.

The Decimo looked down at their hands, still connected through the water. They were still as cold as when they had first grabbed him, but were more of a signal now, like a beacon. They were a soothing cold against the now room temperature water, telling the young Vongola that the older boy had not let go of him and had kept his word to support him.

Tsuna wanted to remain under the surface for longer, but as soon as the burn in his lungs became known he tightened his grip on the other boy, alerting him of the Sky's limit and they ascended quickly.

The Sky watched as the other boy's face scrunched up, his brow frowning as he cleared his orifice of water. He pinched his nose before taking his hand away, turning to face Tsuna as he ran his hand through his hair to pin back his fringe.

"You good there, kid?" Yamaguchi asked, one hand still linked with the Decimo's.

"Yeah." He nodded, not taking his eyes off the older.

"Not too bad, was it?"

"No."

The older boy's cheek twitched again, a sign that showed he was trying to smile, before nodding.

"Okay, now you're used to the water and know what do when you go under, we're gonna get you used to kicking." He said, linking both hands again.

"Uh huh." Tsuna nodded, readily squeezing the reconnected hand.

"Now, lean forwards. The human body is especially buoyant when surface area is maximised through –ah..." He trailed off, obviously seeing the Decimo's panicked expression as the lecture began to over his 10 year old head.

"Sorry, got carried away." Yamaguchi grunted, glancing off to the side before returning his gaze to the still standing Sky.

"What I mean is: you won't sink as long as you move. When you lean forwards, you give the water more space to 'grab onto', for a lack of better terms." He tried again, this time getting the message across a bit more clearly.

Tsuna nodded slowly when prompted again, tightening his grip on the boy's hands as he let his body fall forwards, arching his back to keep his head above the water.

"Good, good. Now, I want you to kick your legs. See, your body is starting to straighten out."

The Decimo glanced over his shoulder in awe as he began to see the small ripples begin to become splashes as his feet broke the surface.

He had done it! The Dame had done something!

"Okay, we're going to start moving." Yamaguchi stated, taking a step backwards, pausing when Tsuna's rhythm shuddered and he let out a squeak.

"Don't worry, I won't let go. We're just going to go in a little circle, okay?"

The Sky nodded, his brow smoothing out as he actively tried to calm himself.

The baker's son nodded back to him, taking another step back, this time not met with resistance. Slowly, Yamaguchi began to walk at a steady pace, helping Tsuna through the water as he kicked, pointing his toes after being corrected.

"O-okay, I think I've got it." The young Vongola breathed, giving a few more kicks before stopping at the elder's order.

"Okay, now you're going to use your arms. I can't hold your hands when you put this into effect, but I will hold into your waist." He said, making the little tuna feel a wave of dread hit him.

"Do not fear, we'll get you used to the motion first."

Tsuna gave a small, hesitant nod, subconsciously tightening his grip on his instructor's hands as Yamaguchi made him raise his right and arc it over the water in a circular motion before having the left follow.

"Okay, so you're going to keep this movement going steady. Right, left, right, left." He said, letting the younger boy do most of the work.

"Well done, Sawada-san. Ready to put it all together?" He asked, loosening his hold on Tsuna's hands.

No! Tsuna thought, his moment of panic making his hands clench around the other boy's before they completely parted.

The Decimo's eyes widened when he realised what he did, his gaze slowly trailing up to meet the elder's own wide eyes.

Yamaguchi's face had shifted ever so slightly, the slight elevation of the eyelids and eyebrows enough to show the surprise in response to the sudden surge of action from the young Vongola. It was enough to show Yamaguchi's surprise, and definitely enough to cause Tsuna to release his hands as if burned, bringing his arms to his chest as he lowered his head and watched the older boy carefully.

To Tsuna's great relief, the baker's son seemed to decide to dismiss the action, instead moving to reassure the young Vongola that he was not going to let him drown.

"I'll keep my hands near you, don' worry, I'm righ-"

Tsuna looked up from his bend, wondering why the boy had stopped.

Yamaguchi was looking off to the side, his once guarded face twisted into a scowl, his teeth bared and his eyes narrowed. He seemed to be having an internal debate, his eyes glancing back and forth across the shifting surface, before he relaxed, but didn't feel the same to the young Vongola.

"Is something wrong, Yamaguchi-san?" Tsuna asked, straightening slightly.

"No, nothing worth mentioning. Continue." His tone was clipped again, and as his arms moved to encircle the tuna's waist, they moved roughly.

"Remember, arms and legs at once."

Tsuna nodded before leaning forwards, he started unsurely at first, his brain trying to coordinate four different limbs at once in foreign actions.

"Breath, Sawada-san. Come up for breath after every third stroke or so." Yamaguchi reminded, tapping the Sky's hip when he estimated his breath expiration.

This continued for a few minutes, Tsuna becoming more and more used to the action of swimming, he feeling of the older boy's hands reminding him that he was safe.

"Okay, well done, you can do free style swimming. Let's take a break." Yamaguchi ordered, planting his hands on Tsuna's waist to stop the boy from continuing as his arms began to tire.

"O-okay, Yamaguchi-san." He breathed, clearing his nose.

"Just real quick, I'm going to teach you how to starfish float. It is really simple and uses minimal effort on your part." The older boy said, drawing the boy towards him.

"Now, just like before, you're going to fall. But this time, onto your back. Bring your legs up and lay out like a star." He instructed, bending to scoop up Tsuna's legs when he did as ordered.

"Great. So free style and star float, you can do those now. Better than this morning, that's for sure."

A warmth spread in Tsuna's chest as a smile began to pull at his lips, enjoying the praise he was receiving from his instructor.

"Thanks, Yamaguchi-san." He said, turning to the now also floating boy.

For a split second, Tsuna swore he saw a smile flicker across the baker's son's face, but as soon as it was there, it was gone.

"Don't mention it, little fish."

 **|S.T|**

* * *

Really.

Don't.

* * *

 _ **11,980 words!**_ **Holy shit! I'm so proud of myself!**

 **And now, ladies and gentlemen, we have Tsuna the Flaming Fish! It was hard to write Tsuna, I will admit. Like,** _ **really**_ **hard. But I got through it! I somehow managed to write the Little Fish! Now, how** _ **well**_ **I wrote him, now that's up for debate, but none the less, it is done. So yay!**

 **So, who guessed that Daiki was a Sun? Anyone? No one? Everyone? Was I too vague? Should it have been a different attribute?**


	6. Chapter 6

**The best way to start the day is with a piece of bread, so here. Take my little bun called Daiki.**

* * *

I let out a long sigh as I dropped onto my bed, leaning my elbows on my knees as I leant over them, my towel around my neck to catch the droplets from my newly washed hair. Pinching my nightshirt to air out the wet patches, I grabbed my binder from under my sheets and tucked it in a small box, closing it and kicking the cardboard secret under my bed.

Mephisto stuck his head from beneath the sheets, having apparently taken a nap on my bed while mother and I were gone. Something he wasn't meant to do.

I hate having animal hair in my bed. It's horrendous.

"You aren't allowed to do that, Miphy." I muttered, reaching out and letting the little dog gently knar at my hand.

He gave a gruff snort before dragging my hand under the sheets with him, making me smile slightly at the little black nose that peaked out of the covers.

"Daiki-kun, dinner's ready!"

I looked up from the pup and called back an affirmative, standing from my bed and walking out of my room, Mephisto hanging off my arm, refusing to release my hand.

Padding down the stairs, I joined my mother in the kitchen, curry and rice ready on the table.

"Looks great, thanks kaa-san." I smiled, wrestling my hand out of the pup's teeth, sterilising the limb in the sink immediately afterwards.

"So, Daiki-kun."

I looked up from my half eaten plate when Kaede called for my attention, spoon hanging from my mouth.

"How do you like Tsuna-kun? He's nice, isn't he?" She asked, sipping on her water with a pleasant smile.

"Sure." I muttered, not wanting to talk about the flaming fish.

"You and him seem to get along quite well, Nana-chan and I were watching you teach him to swim today!"

I coiled further into myself, my expression darkening as she continued.

"I guess it looked that way, didn't it?" Poking a chunk of meat with my spoon, I gave short, murmured responses to her cooing.

"What's wrong Daiki-kun, do you not like Tsuna-kun all that much?"

Ah, she finally caught on.

"Not really, he's a bit…yeah." I trailed off, not really finding a way to explain what I meant other than 'no sympathy for the idiot'.

"Oh, that's a shame. Nana-chan got really excited about Tsuna's first friend."

Oh God, please no.

"Maybe she's exaggerating, kids don't not have friends, kaa-san. She could have meant something along the lines of, first older friend." I lied, BS-ing all the way.

"True, she could have meant that! Oh Daiki-kun, always so smart!"

Kaede and I traded smiles before I went back to eating, she herself raising from the table to place her dishes in the sink.

I watched her out of the corner of my eye as she began to wander around, opening and closing drawers and rummaging through her bag, becoming more and more erratic as she did.

"Where is it? Where is it? _Where is it?!_ " Her shrill voice cut through the once content atmosphere, sending me on high alert.

"Where's what, kaa-san?" I asked, placing my spoon down and standing to go to her side.

"Your father's picture! I had it with me this morning! No, I can't lose it! I can't lose it! I can't lose him! No!"

I gently raised my hand, letting my fingers brush her arm as a sign of comfort. When that didn't work, I began to move around the house, checking under furniture and other things in case it had fallen.

Mother kept two pictures on her at all times, in her pocket, bag or bra, depending on the storage given to her. The first picture was of me, seven years old, soccer ball tucked under my arm and my knees stained with chlorophyll and dirt. The second picture was of my father, Yamada, standing in front of the bakery along with a 'grand opening' sticker on the window.

I don't know why she keeps the photo of the man who only gave her heart break, and I guess I never will. Sometimes, she'll refer to him as 'my husband' still, making the person she's talking to pause and the atmosphere shift to either confused or awkward.

"Daiki-kun, Daiki-kun! I think I know where I left it! Oh dear I left it at the pool! Oh no! Oh no! _Oh no!"_ She wailed, drawing in on herself, slowly falling onto the couch.

I stood quietly in front of her as her breathing became stuttered and shallow, her shoulders shaking along with her hands.

My steps were swift and measured as they carried me up the stairs and into my room, all the way to my bedside table.

I looked down at the little black box sitting on the wooden surface, thinking over the pros and cons of taking the weapons with me into the night, before unclasping the claws that held the box shut, taking out the two mirroring pieces of metal.

I weighed them in my hand, the other rummaging through my drawer, until I found another piece of cool metal amongst my socks, chucked in there during a clean-up due to sheer laziness.

Withdrawing my hand, I watched as each link of a moderately thick, silver chain rose from the mess, a belt hook on one end and a clip on the other. It was relatively short, enough so that it was at least three inches above midthigh when I clipped it to my pants, looping it through a finger hole of each brass knuckle, letting them clink together when they met on the chain, before tucking them into my pocket.

Closing the box, I turned and padded back down the stairs, my face still set into a firm mask of blankness.

"Mephistopheles, come."

Striding past his resting place, I reached up and grabbed my coat, a little 5 embroiled in red on the chest above a neat little 'no.' Running my hand through a drawer, I wrapped my hands around a flashlight, clicking it experimentally.

Yep. It works.

My poor retinas.

Moving towards the door, I grabbed my shoes and pulled them on, Mephisto sitting quietly by the door as he waited for the next order.

"I'll be back in a bit, kaa-san. Don't worry." I called, walking out of the house and into the dark.

"Mephistopheles, aquatic centre." I muttered to my companion, letting him take the lead.

As we approached the gates, I glanced down at the lock fixing them shut.

Letting the beam of light glance across the interlocking pattern of the fence, I tested the strength before nodding.

I could scale this.

"Remain here." I breathed, tapping my foot to indicate the spot.

The tapping of nails and a soft gruff told me he had followed the instruction, allowing for me to scale the fence without worry.

I gave barely a grunt as I landed heavily on the other side, crouching slightly to lessen the impact. Standing from my kneel, I began to scan the ground near the spot we had sat, the little beam of light not really helping me as it dimmed further as time passed.

"It's not here, did she walk about or something?" I muttered, tapping my foot as I stared at the clear floor.

Perking up as the idea of searching the female bathroom came to mind, I turned pushed the door open, surprised but thankful that it was left unlocked.

Trailing the faint light over the surfaces, I checked around the stalls, finding a numerous hair-ties, but no photo.

Giving a sigh, I began to approach the door, placing my hand on it, before pausing.

I leaned closer to the wooden structure as faint mummers wisped through the door, the sound of shoes feet clapping against the concrete of the ground.

It was a lone man, his voice deep and stern. From the sounds of it, he had something with him, heavy and metallic, something with moving parts that were loose.

A small frown found its way to my face as he spoke to seemingly no one in a language I couldn't understand.

" _Non sono riuscito._ " Came his rough voice, a fair distance away, perhaps nearer to the pool than I.

It took a moment for the language to click, almost making me kick myself when I recognised it.

Italian! KHR, you dimwit!

What's an Italian doing here?

I held my breath as he began to speak faster, an almost pleading tone replacing his once solemn one.

" _I'm sorry, Boss. But don't worry, I'll find a way to deal with the kid, I promise! Just give me a couple more hours, the brat will be gone by sunrise! I swear it!"_

The sudden jump to English was jarring, taking me a moment for my brain to click with the words. I leaned more forwards at this new information, so a Mafioso was in Namimori and he was after a kid. I personally put my money on the Vongola.

" _Yes boss, I swear. By morning, the Vongola will be short another heir."_

Bingo.

Wait.

Fuck.

There's a Mafioso in front of me. Shit.

If I'm found, I'm dead.

Tsuna's gonna be dead in a sec too - well at least by sunrise.

" _Yeah, I got a backup plan. While watching him, I saw his mother talking to a lady. Apparently they're close, I could use her as leverage if it turns ugly."_

I paused.

Excuse me?

" _Yeah, yeah! Yamaguchi or something!"_

…

Oh.

Oh dear.

I jolted when Mephisto's familiar bark rung through the air, the family name catching his attention faster than any ball would.

A stream of Italian curses left the man, followed the by Mephisto's sudden silence.

No.

A small smile of nervousness flickered across my face as I let my fingers glance over the cool metal of the brass hanging on my hip.

Had to use these sooner than I thought I would.

Carefully, I unclipped the chain, removing the two pieces of brass from it soundlessly as possible. Taking a deep breath, I settled the torch on the tiled floor and slid my fingers through the holes, the smaller design fitting my childish fingers well.

Slowly, I exited the bathroom, fists clenched and footsteps light. Gently closing the door behind me, I crept along the shadowed part of the building, keeping my eyes trained on the tall, lithe man glaring at his phone as he typed away furiously on the keypad.

Taking his lack of response as reassurance that I hadn't been detected, I began to slowly step up behind him, keeping my body low and eyes high.

He gave a few more curses before stuffing his phone away, sniffing loudly when he looked back up. He took a step forwards having done what he had come here for and was ready to leave.

" _Aw, leaving without even saying 'hey'? No manners, really."_

What the hell?! Daiki, what the fuck are you doing!?

I lunged forwards when he lurched to a stop, my English call taking him off guard and giving me a slight advantage.

Packing as much strength as I could into my arm, I landed my fist into the tall man's jaw, the metal on my fists biting into his skin and tearing it away from the bone. Gritting my teeth at the feeling of bone grinding against my brass reverberated through my arm, making me want to cringe away.

" _What the fu-_ "

I gave a grunt as I swung my brass into his mouth, eyes widening as teeth gave and blood began to coat my hands. Taking a step back, I repositioned myself into a sloppy, basic stance, breathing hard and keeping my eyes on the bending man, looking away from my itching fists.

The man's once white collar was now blooming red as his blood dripped down his face, his cheek bone, jaw and mouth ripped open by force.

Despite the sheer amount of blood, a small part of me supplied a piece of information that set me back on guard.

Careful, the head tends to bleed a lot, so the injury itself may actually be quite minor. Remember that time you split your brow on the chair in year 6? You didn't feel a thing, you walked home, dripping blood on the pathway, only feeling a little dizzy. It could be the same.

Make sure it isn't.

"Yeah, I can do that." I muttered to myself, watching as the man began to stumble to his feet.

Keep going for the sensitive spots, nose, throat, temples, teeth - if there are any left.

Moving forwards, I sent my fist forwards in a sharp jab, missing his face, but scrapping his cheek-bones and tearing up his ear. With wide eyes, I did the only thing I could next be capable of pulling off in close proximity. I brought my back leg up, the one I had pushed off, and slammed my knee into his gut, before packing as much power into my quads to bring my heel down into his foot, memories of rape seminars and self-protection classes coming back in a time of need.

I guess being a girl in modern society comes with its advantages.

I gritted my teeth as I felt his metatarsals and phalanges give out under the force, the man giving out a shriek of justified pain.

I let out a gasp when the arm I hand swung was grabbed in a bruising grip, his fingers digging into my skin. He yanked me off his foot, roaring as I was swung before another hand lashed out and a low crunch and snap filled my ears.

Ow.

" _Oooh, that_ _really_ _hurt."_ I chuckled, my eyes wide with pain, tears pricking the corners.

Don't laugh Daiki, your laugh is obnoxious.

Shut up, my laugh is adorable.

You're trying to ignore the pain by talking to yourself aren't you?

"Yes, yes I am." I cooed, a grin stretching across my face as another wave of pain racked me.

"This hurts a lot more than a sprained ankle." I muttered, taking a deep breath, before yanking my arm out of his loosened grip.

" _What kind of_ _fucked_ _up_ _kid are you?_ "

A fabulous one.

Stay focused, Daiki.

I bit the inside of my cheek and used the momentum of my spin to bury my foot into his stomach, making his double over again, before letting my good arm fly and my brass biting into his crown with as much force as my adrenalin pumped body could manage.

The hitman grabbed me again, this time his nails cutting into my shoulders as he tried to throw me, only for my leg to snap out and my foot to slam into his good leg's patella, forcing the knee to bend backwards as another snap and crunch rung through the air. He let go of me instantly, his body crumbling to the floor with both legs out of commission, giving me the advantage of both mobility and height.

I gave a yelp as my leg were pulled from under me, the hitman pulling me down to his level and scrambling on top of me, his hands coming to grip my throat painfully.

He let out a stream of slurred, Italian swears, blood falling from his mouth and onto my scrunched up face, just as disgusting as his vocabulary. One hand left my throat to rear back and collide with my face, dazing me for a moment, before another came and rattled me back to my senses.

For a split second, either time slowed down, or my mind sped up, and I suddenly became aware of how narrow my vision was, the world around the hitman almost muted to me as the main threat was on top of me. In an instant, I tilted my head back, and opened my eyes further.

I was at a pool, in Namimori.

This is Namimori, my home.

My domain.

This man was an outsider, attacking a local.

" _Now, that's a no-no._ " I muttered, my voice strained.

I was at a pool, let's start with that.

Giving a grunt, I latched into his wrists with a bruising grip, years of lifting and moving finally paying off as his hands slowly parted from my throat and I threw him from me, air rushing back into my body to fill the void.

I scrambled to my feet and harshly kicked the man off the land and into the shallows of the pool, cold water making the man freeze up, giving me enough time to sit on top of him, forcing his face into the water and his leg to double over the wrong way.

I locked my left arm's elbow, the other hanging at my side, pinning the man's arms to his sides with my legs. Tightening my grip as he writhed, I gave a hiss when he managed to wrestle an arm free, my arm abandoning his head to grab his wrist.

I mentally ordered myself to act fast as I shifted my weight, allowing my open leg to catch his elbow and my arm to pull, rendering his left arm broken as his elbow crunched and tendons tore.

When I heard him gasp, I brought his arm back, pinning it while doubled over wrong, and slammed his head back into the water, squeezing my thighs to further bend his am when he thrashed too much.

I don't know how long I held him there, or how much longer I sat in the shallows on a cooling body, scared he would jump up if I so much as gave any sign of relinquishing my hold. By the time I felt remotely safe, I was shivering and tips of my fingers were going blue and stiff.

"Gotta make sure." I whispered shakily, rearing his head back, before ramming it down on the tiled floor of the pool.

"He could get back up."

There was blood now.

"He could come after kaa-san."

My hand were starting to get more read.

"He could come after me."

My hand sat in the mass of bone and flesh, the water doing nothing to clean my skin in the red that soaked my small hands.

"Heh, I'd shame to wear a heart so white." I muttered, quoting the Shakespearian play half-heartedly.

Slowly, I shuffled off his headless body, my legs stiff and shaky as adrenalin slowly ebbed away from my blood stream.

I dropped down beside the fence, leaning against the chains as I let my breathing slow, taking long, deep inhalation as the pain from my arm became known.

A sudden bark to my right made me glance over to it, too drained to jump anymore.

Mephisto paced back and forth on the other side of the fence, small whimpers and whines sounding from his muzzle as he brushed against me through the diamond links.

Slowly, I raised my bloody hand, staining his white muzzle red with gore as I let him lick my hands of my act.

"Good boy, thank you for not abandoning me." I breathed, slumping further into his warmth.

Taking a deep breath, I painstakingly squared my shoulders and straightened my back, making my eyes harsh and my voice strong, knowing he wouldn't obey someone weaker than him.

"Mephistopheles, bring the Cloud to me. Immediately." I ordered, drawing my hand back from his rough tongue.

The white pup gave an affirmative bark before bounding away into the night, off to collect the newly instated disciplinary committee head.

With no-one around, canine or otherwise, I turned my attention to the throbbing in my right arm.

"What is that, a 250 degree angle?" I muttered, a moment of dumbness surfacing as I bothered to try and calculate the angle of my break, slumping against the links.

"Oh God, how am I gonna explain this to Kaa-san, let alone the hospital. Maybe I'll get Sora-chan again, I haven't seen her since I split my head." I laughed awkwardly, remembering the young, volunteer nurse who talked to me whenever she came to my room.

A sudden warmth made me jump, my eyes snapping down to my arm in alarm.

Taking a deep breath, I forced my flames to stop their auto repair of my arm, sirens going off as information came crashing into my head with disconcerting speed.

Sun flames can speed up the mitosis process, repairing the damaged cells faster than humanly possible, however, repaired cells does not equal straight bones. They must be set manually before mitosis can be begun in order to achieve complete restoration.

Thanks brain.

No prob, me.

And I'm talking to myself again.

I let out a loud sigh as I mentally prepared myself, reaching over with my left to clasp the break in my humerus. Wrapping my hand around the break, I took in a deep breath, before clenching my hand, giving a short shout as the bone snapped back into position, the two breaks slipping against each other.

I slammed the back of my head against the links behind me and I scrunched up my face, baring my teeth to the inky sky as the pain ebbed away, gentle wisps of flames licking the walls of my mind, asking permission this time if they could exit their home in the black room.

Deepening my breath, I let them trickle out at a controlled pace, exercising my concentration as I tried to lead the flames through their purpose. Recreate the marrow and the bone, nit the muscle back together, keep the scar tissue to the absolute minimum, clot the blood, restore the skin, the melanin doesn't need to be perfect.

The process took me a while, leaving me barely enough fuel in my tank to check the remains of the damage. Wasn't too bad for my first time, the skin surrounding the area was slightly red, and the pigment was off, leaving what could be passed off as a growth spurt mark.

I let out a sigh and wrestled my brass knuckles off my sticky fingers, dropping them beside me with two distinct 'clank's. I blew into my gory palms and began rubbing them together to help them gain feeling, my flames coming to stoke in my belly, warming my body from the inside.

"Chattering Herbivore."

"Goodnight, Hibari-san. Congratulations on becoming the committee head, you suit the role." I breathed, glancing up at the standing Cloud, Mephisto trotting out from behind him.

"You fought."

"I killed."

We stayed in a stale silence, neither really knowing what to say. We were both used to my useless rambling filling the gaps between mutual conversation, but with me being so drained, that was out of the question.

"My apologies, Hibari-san, but I had hear through the bitter part of the grapevine that you dealt with this sort of business, or at the very least, knew how and who did." I said, gesturing to the floating body with a half-hearted wave.

The skylark glanced at the bloody and bruised corpse with a look of apathy, his lip turning down slightly.

"You are right, I do." He hummed, crossing his arms, free from his new uniform jacket.

"Can you possibly handle the situation, I am less versed in the way of disposing of a body, I must admit." I sighed, finding the constant need to reiterate my desire a tad bit on the awkward side.

"You owe me a favour, Chattering Herbivore." He grunted, pulling a phone out of his pocket and dialing a number.

"I'll be going to Nami-chu next year, so you'll have plenty of time to collect." I smiled, letting Mephisto nudge me to my feet.

"Hm, good." Was all he said, before turning and talking into his phone quietly.

* * *

I never did find that photo.

* * *

"Hey, Hibari-san." I called, looking up at the tree branch where the Skylark lazed.

His eyes snapped open and shot down to me, the unspoken threat conveyed easily

"I'm going to be walking around with a weapon from now on, I thought it was best to alert you first." I said, flashing my brass on my hip.

"Hm."

"I promise to not engage conflict without a valid reason, and will only to use them as a last resort."

We looked at each other for a few more seconds, before he turned over and closed his eyes, letting my walk away without resistance.

* * *

Oh God, remind me why I'm doing this again?

I clutched the strap of my duffle bag tighter, watching the door in front of me wearily as I tried to think about what I knew about the people who lived behind it.

Barely anything. The adults were never mentioned. God damn.

"Okay, cool it, Daiki. It ain't that hard, just knock." I breathed, raising a fist.

I rapped my knuckles against the wood of the door,

"DAIKI-KUN IS EXTREMELY HERE!"

Oh God.

"TO THE EXTREME?! BRING HIM HERE EXTREMELY FAST, SON!"

Oh my frickin' God.

Save me.

Please. Someone.

I watched in silent fear as the door was flung open with a fearful force, the pale haired Ryohei standing with his legs bent slightly as if ready to jump at me.

He was wearing what I had come to know as his workout clothes, like my own no.5 singlet and black shorts. His plain white singlet already had three significant patches of sweat showing from under his arms and below his chin, red shorts baring scruff marks near the knees.

"Hey Ryohei-kun, how're you today?" I greeted carefully, eyeing him warily as his muscles twitched randomly, adrenaline rushing through his veins.

"I FEEL GREAT TO THE EXTREME!"

Yep, he's got his blood pumping already.

I let out a squeak as he all but flung me into the entry hall, slamming the door behind us. The Sun grabbed me by my wrist and took off running, swinging my around corners and through doors, barely missing me by the skin of my teeth.

As we passed the living room, I gave a half-hearted wave and shout to the little Kyoko sitting on the floor with another girl her age, the speed we were travelling at not giving me enough time to reply to her call.

Ryohei continued to tow me down the halls, pulling past his mother in the kitchen who was talking loudly to a friend over the phone. She waved after us as I was thrown out of the back door, just barely saving myself from a snapped neck by rolling gracefully.

Okay, I looked like a bundle of limbs, but I rolled none the less.

"SO THIS IS THE EXTREME DAIKI-KUN!"

I shifted from my position of laying face first on the ground, trailing my eyes up an impossibly muscled man whom loomed over me, obscuring the sun with his blocky head.

"Hello, Sasagawa-san. How are you on this fine day, this day as fine as a felt tip pen?"

No, Daiki! You can't say that!

I turned to Ryohei quietly, pointedly ignoring eye contact with his father whom stared down at me quietly.

"So, Ryohei-kun, what am I meant to be doing exactly?"

The boy brightened up, looking ready to order me on a 10k run, before a heavy hand slammed down on my shoulder, almost knocking me back.

Spinning around, I ducked under a meaty fist, leaping to the side as another filled the space I once occupied.

"What the-" I started, bringing my arms up to block another punch, me heels digging into the ground.

"Good, you don't know much, but your body has a natural sense." Ryohei's father stated, withdrawing his fist back to his side.

"See! I told you he was good!" The young boy chirped, running up beside me.

"EXTREMELY!" His father roared, rearing back.

"EXTREMELY EXTREME!" Ryohei copied, following the stance.

I stood awkwardly amongst the two extreme males, glancing at each of them as they exchanges screams like a tennis match.

Ryohei was the spitting image of his father, pale hair and bulky build past down from man to man. In this instant, he wore a pair of green shorts, with a plain white shirt clinging to his broad chest.

"U-um, Sasagawa-san-"

"PLEASE, CALL ME RYUU-SENSEI!"

Oh my Lord.

"Okay then, Ryuu-sensei, what am I meant to be doing, exactly." I asked, trying to get the screaming match to end.

"Well! First, you can EXTREMELY bring those weights over here! One at a time!" He roared, my ears beginning to ring.

"Sure…" I muttered, walking over the far wall, adorned with weights of different sizes.

There were about five different levels of weight, each going up by size, but what I noticed, were that their labels were missing, making me unsure of their actual weight.

I frowned as I tried to figure them out, they looked like they were made of the traditional material, but looks can be deceiving.

Giving a shrug, I decided to go with the safe route, and grab the smallest first. Clutching the cool circles, I lifted them off the wall with ease, leaving them by Ryohei's feet after making the walk.

"Now the next one!" Ryuu ordered, pointing to the larger wheel.

This one was a bit more heavy, but not by a great amount, allowing me to take it over as I flipped them in their respective hand, trying to find a label.

"Next to the EXTREME!"

I continued this, every time the weight would rise, but nothing I couldn't handle but the numbers still evaded me.

"Last one, Daiki-kun!" Ryohei hollered from beside his father, sitting on the stack of weights.

For some reason, whenever I came back with another weight, the little man seemed to get more and jittery, his grin spreading further.

These last weights were a shock to my system, the sudden skyrocket of mass almost making me lose my grip on their shiny surface.

Tightening my fingers and shifting my weight, I began to walk back to the two Sasagawa men, dropping the black circles at their feet with a loud 'oomph'.

"Uh, Ryuu-sensei, I couldn't find a label on them, what are their weights?" I asked, straightening as I flexed my fingers.

"The ones you just dropped was 200kg in total."

Excuse me?

"EXTREME DAIKI-KUN!" Ryohei roared, jumping on me, sending both of us sprawling onto the dirt.

"That can't be right, I only lift 100 kilograms a day, 150 at most!" I exclaimed, sitting up.

"Don't doubt yourself, boy! You just lifted 200 EXTREME kilograms!"

The two males in front of me struck matching poses and let out hearty laughs, before both of them slammed their palms on my back, sending me back into the dirt.

"NOW, LET US GO FOR A 10 KILOMETER RUN!"

"TO THE EXTREME!"

Save me.

* * *

I had done it.

I had completed my new year's resolution with days to spare.

"I. Am. Awesome."

I grinned at the mirror as I held the front of my shirt up enough to show my stomach, pride and mild narcissism bubbling in my mind.

"Kaa-san! Hey, kaa-san! Look! Look!" I yelled, running down the stairs and into the bakery.

I jumped through the open door and planted my feet on the wood, flipping the base of my no.5 singlet up when I landed.

"I have abs!" My declaration of success reverberated through the shop, before two different giggles made me freeze.

"Ah, so strong and manly, sweetheart."

"Oh, Daiki-kun, well done!"

Slowly, I lowered the material and looked at the cash register for the first time, something I probably should have done in the beginning.

"Ah-hah…haha…Good morning, Sawada-san." I laughed awkwardly, curling in on myself slightly and wringing the black and red stripped trim.

"Good morning, Daiki-kun. Tsuna-kun, say hello."

My eyes snapped to the tuft of brown that stuck out from behind her skirt, having gone under my radar until that moment. In an instant, all my muscles tensed up, wary chocolate eyes sticking to mine.

"G-good morning, Yamaguchi-san."

"Sawada-san." I nodded tersely, turning my attention to my mother swiftly.

"Kaa-san, has the new order come in? I can sort it for you."

I needed out of that room. Now.

Kaede suddenly perked up, glancing over her shoulder before nodding to me, a small smile on her face.

"Yes, actually I was about to call you down for that. The boys put them by the side door, could you put them with the others? Thank you, honey."

I nodded quickly before all but dashing out of the room, disappearing behind the counter and into the dark storeroom. I slammed the door behind me, dowsing me in blackness, a sliver of light crawling from under the door. Letting out a long sigh, I leaned back against the wood of the door, trying to calm my nerves.

"Okay, Daiki, cool it. You'll be fine, helping the kid swim doesn't make you his go-to-guy." I scrubbed my face, before roughly raking my hands through my hands, glaring at the concrete floor.

"Get back to work, you'll be fine. Just get back to work. He's not important. Back to work. Yeah, back to work. Lift and place. Lift and place." A long whoosh of breath left me as I stood, pushing off the wall and flicking the light on.

The light buzzed unsurely before flickering to life, taking more time than yesterday. In the far corner, near the exterior door, was a fairly large pile of crates, all having a relatively uniform size to them.

"Lift and place. Lift and place." I muttered, striding forwards and checking the weight.

72kg each, not too bad.

Wrapping my fingers around an edge, I lifted two boxes off the pile, moving to place them in the area we had reserved for this order. I kept to the same rhythm, chanting my self-imposed orders quietly as I did, keeping my mind off the boy no doubt still on the other side of the door if the sound of chatting was anything to go by.

"Go ahead, Tsuna-kun. He won't mind."

The door behind me creaked open slowly, the shadows in the room shifting with the new source invading the room.

I remained still, staring down at the last four crates as I calculated their weight, the sound of little feet growing closer behind me.

"A-ah, Yamaguchi-san?"

In that moment, I decided that 288kg wasn't all that heavy and bent my knees. Reaching under the crates, I felt my body strain against the large weight as I lifted, focusing on keeping my breathing regular as I managed to straighten.

Turning carefully, I began to move towards the rest, switching between paced steps to a relatively fast scuttling as the weight began to take its final tole. I let out a relieved groan as I dropped the stack beside its brothers, bending back and cracking my vertebrae before shaking out my arms.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the little fish standing awkwardly where I had left him, glancing around and flinching when the light flickered.

I should fix that.

I walked to the small shelf beside the door, making a wide arc around the Vongola Decimo as I did, before pulling out a hollowed out tissue box and rummaging through. Giving a grunt, I grasped hold of an unused light bulb holding it up to the unsteady light to check the wire.

"Yama-"

"Is there something you wanted, Sawada-san?" I cut him off, placing the box back before going after the ladder tucked behind another shelf.

"N-no! Nevermind!"

Good. Let's keep it that way, shall we Little Fish?

I dragged the ladder over to the light, opening it before stabilising it on the floor and clicking the lock in place. Going back to the shelf, I fished around for a torch, finding it faster than the other two items.

I reached for the switch and cut the lights, my ears opening further when a soft 'hiiiiee' drifted through the darkness. Letting out a sigh, I clicked the torch on, dowsing Tsuna with the light and making him flinch.

"Calm down, Sawada-san." I ordered, moving past him and placing the torch between my teeth before ascending the ladder.

As I unscrewed the dodgy light, I listened to the Vongola behind me. He had come closer to me, finding salvation in the dim light offered by the upturned torch in my mouth.

Why was he here? He didn't need to show up as many times as he had.

I had been roughly a month since the encounter in the pool, and I had spotted the boy around town, in passing on the way to school, and in the bakery more times than I'd like to admit. These were all obviously chance encounters, but they were rather uncanny.

Not even seeing a trace of him, then suddenly 'boom! A wild Tsuna appeared!' every time I turn the corner?

A likely story.

"There we go." I muttered, tossing the old bulb towards the bin, knowing it had got it in by the sound of the thud that followed.

"U-uh, Yamaguchi-san?"

Turning my head, I let the flash light in my mouth illuminate Tsuna below me, raising an eyebrow that I knew he couldn't see.

"Uh huh?" I huffed, watching as he rubbed his eyes.

"C-can we turn on the lights now? Please?"

I restrained a flinch when the strain in his voice reached my ears, a flash of shame hitting me in the gut.

Tsuna was scared of the dark, I knew that, and yet I had forced it upon him.

I tightened my grip on the ladder, my teeth clenching around the handle of the flashlight as I glared off into the shadowed corner.

I'm really dumb sometimes.

"Heya, Sawada-san." I called, removing the light from my mouth and descending the ladder.

"Y-yes!? Yes?"

Damn it, he's too jumpy.

Setting my feet on the ground, I slowly reached out towards his dark silhouette, letting the tips of my fingers glance over his hair.

" _Hiiee_!"

"Calm, Little Fish. I am going to hold your hand now." I grumbled, letting my hand fall down his arm before finding his tiny hand and wrapping my fingers around it slowly.

He was shaking.

God damn it, Daiki.

I let a frown touch my face before wiping it off quickly, grasping his other hand and sliding the torch into his grasp.

There, now he had control of the light.

"Let's go turn the light on now, see if the bulb is working." I breathed, tugging the small boy along as I reached the switch.

"Ah, uh-huh." He murmured, following without complaint.

I let my hand trail along the wall, feeling for the switch, before flicking it and bathing the room in light.

"Good."

Letting go of Tsuna's hand, I began to pack away the ladder, folding it and sliding the metallic steps behind the shelf.

"Don't you need to go home now?" I asked, throwing the bulb's packaging in the bin.

"A-actually, that's what I needed to tell you. Ah, ya see, your mum actually invited kaa-san and I to stay for dinner! A-and, Yamaguchi-san t-told me to go and play with you! So…yeah…" He stuttered, eyes snapping around the room, looking anywhere but me.

"Really." I sighed, rubbing my eyes as I did.

"Well, y-ye-AH!"

' _CRASH!'_

Oh my God. No. No! I refuse to open my eyes.

I remained still as I heard the little Decimo scramble around, more things falling and something shattering.

"U-uh, Yamaguchi-s-san?" He squeaked after a moment of painful silence.

"How much is broken?" I asked, eyes still closed.

"A-a bit."

"How much is on the floor?"

"A f-few things."

"What even caused this?"

"I-I tripped."

"On what?"

"…My shoelaces."

Why…

My hand lashed out, fingers pressing bluntly into the little Decimo's skull.

" _Heeiii!_ "

"Sawada-san, can you please explain to me why you are as clumsy as a baby dear?" I asked, looking at the frozen Vongola through my lashes.

"I'm s-sorry!" He squeaked, his hands on my wrist.

"Little Fish, you are going to help me clean up his room until it looks like it did under my charge. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good, go find the broom." I ordered, relinquishing my hold on his skull.

I watched as he scampered off, almost tripping over a pile of boxes, before turning back to the mess on the floor.

"Thank God we don't have carpet." I muttered, putting my hands on my hips as I surveyed the damage.

Most of the boxes had fallen, sacks and bags had burst, and three jars of taffy had shattered, glass splayed across the floor.

"I can't let him near that, he might hurt himself." I noted, kicking away a particularly sinister looking shard of glass near my foot.

My sister in my old life had gotten a piece of glass I her foot when we were kids, our feet bare are we wondered around a monastery with our relatives while abroad to our Asian roots. She had screamed up a storm when she saw it, I not really getting what all the fuss was about just sat next to her saying, 'suck it up, sister'.

I was a terrible child.

In my defence, I was like, seven when that happened.

Shrugging my shoulders, I went out the exterior door and into the shed out back, rummaging through the garden tools and hose extensions until I found a pair of sturdy gardening gloves.

Walking back to the store room, I came upon a rather undesired scene.

"Sawada-san, please stop crying." I sighed, moving towards the squatting boy.

A small frown came across my face when I saw that he was clutching his hand, cradling the limb to his chest as I fit was injured…

Wait.

I glanced over to the shards, a few of them had been shifted to the centre of the mess as if someone had moved them by hand.

Jesus Christ.

"Sawada-san, show me your hand."

When he didn't move, I clicked my tongue.

"Now, Sawada-san." I ordered, waiting for him to place his limb in my offered hand.

Slowly, the small boy uncoiled and draped his hand into mine.

I gave him a nod, before opening his palm and sighing at the sight. There wasn't much damage, only a little cut going along the pad of his pointer and thumb. There was a little blood, but nothing a band aid couldn't handle.

"Okay, let's go and get you patched up." I breathed, hoisting him up and out of the store room.

Leading him into the kitchen, I let go of the Decimo's hand to grab a chair and place it under the medicine cabinet. Stepping up, I stood on my toes and opened the cabinet before rummaging through its contents and fringing the brightly coloured band aids.

Dropping from the chair, I kicked it back to where it came from, giving a small smirk when it slid almost perfectly back under the table. I opened the packet, flipping through the colours until I found an orange band aid, the reference amusing my simple mind greatly.

"Sawada-san, go wash the cut, make sure to dry your hands afterwards." I ordered, taking out the foreshadowing piece.

"Okay, Yamaguchi-san." He nodded, before standing on his toes to try and reach the sink.

I watched as his fingers brushed the taps fruitlessly for another couple seconds, before letting out a sigh and putting the things in my hands down.

Walking towards the small boy, I grabbed him from under his arms and picked him up with a little too much ease. Letting one hand fall, I wrapped it around his waist and pinned him to my chest, before letting the other join its match.

"Now try, Sawada-san." I sighed, boosting him a bit further up.

"O-okay!" He squeaked, managing to complete his task this time through.

"Ah, I'm done." Came his whimper, before I lowered dropped him from my grasp and took three large steps back.

"Hold out the cut, please." I requested as I grasped the band aid from the table.

He did as he was told and I stuck the plaster on, throwing the papers away as he looked at the orange plastic with a little too much intensity.

"Come, we have much to do." I said, as I snagged him by his wrist and dragged he young Vongola back into the storage.

"Don't touch the glass, okay. What you did was pretty dumb." I stated, slipping on my gloves.

"O-oh." He whimpered, shuffling awkwardly.

"Go over there and sweep up the flour that got on the ground, leave the rest."

Shooing the little lad away, I collected the shards of glass, disposing of the in the waste bin, before collecting the smaller pieces with a dust pan. Removing my gloves, I began to replace the boxes, lifting them off the floor and stacking them back up with more ease than before.

"Damn, Ryuu-sensei sure knows his stuff." I muttered, patting my growing muscles appreciatively.

"Ah, Yamaguchi-san? I've finished sweeping, I just need to put it in the dust pan." Came the flaming fish's call, leading me to hand over the bright yellow equipment.

I walked past the small child and began to organise the bags, shelving the ones that sustained no damage and keeping the rest ready for repackaging. Peeking out the door, I checked for any of our parents, before ninja-ing my way into the kitchen, grabbing a handful of spare bags, and sprinting back into the store room.

Once the room was back in order, Tsuna and I dropped to the ground with a sigh.

"Oi, Sawada-san. Let's not tell our mum's about this." I breathed, putting my hand on his head, feeling him nod.

Heh, imagine if he knew about where these hands had been.

* * *

"Hibari-san, can we please talk about this? No? Okay then."

I turned and ran from the skylark, my class staring after us in muted horror as Ryohei let out a pumped 'EXTREME!'

Ah, what a way to sped my last day as an elementary schools student.

Again.

Sorta. Australia doesn't have 'elementary' schools, they have 'primary'.

But I digress, today Ryohei and I are graduating from Namimori Elementary, both to go onto Namimori Middle. Which is why the Cloud had decided to kick in my classroom door and attack me, his reasoning being I can't get a detention on the last day.

Dick.

Lately, Hibari had been more and more aggressive. The event a few months ago sparking something that had caused him to attack and tempt me more often. He obviously wanted a reaction, one I wasn't willing to give him.

I wasn't proud of what I did, no matter how the skylark 'praised' the way I kept the peace by eliminating a possible threat. It had been cold, callous and vulgar what I had done. Basic and instinctual, no thought process required.

I shook my head, ducking under another swipe. Dancing around his leg, I poked him in the side, letting out a small smile when a barely auditable grunt escaped him.

The metal on my hip clanked against each other as I fell into a crouch, my hands coming to grab the skylark by his supporting leg and yank it out from under him.

With Hibari on the dirt, I pounced from my crouch and pinned the boy to the ground, digging my knee into his stomach with merciful force.

"I think I win, Hibari-san." I smiled, deciding to relish while I could.

"Not until the bite." He hissed, throwing his head forwards and snapping his teeth at my neck, only for me to arc out of the way in time.

Ah yes, the bite.

Since I had bit him to force him into submission all those months ago, the bite had become a sign of victory between us.

I had been bitten a total of 87 times, Hibari had been bitten 72 times and we had tied 31 times.

Yes, many, many bite-marks. 190 to be exact.

…

That's kind'a kinky now that I think about it…

Shit.

Giving a toothy grin, I lunged forwards and sank my teeth into his neck, no longer caring about not breaking the skin.

The skylark beneath me stiffened, before flopping, his grip on his tonfa loosening until they slipped from his grasp and he placed his hands on either side of his head to show he had nothing to use against me.

Carefully, I let go of his shoulder, wiping the saliva that had gathered with my hanky, leaving raw skin behind.

"73 bites, Hibari-san." I smiled, getting off the older boy before offering my hand.

He gave a grunt, before brushing past me, leaving my hand alone.

Well, ain't he the rude one.

* * *

"Yes, we're done to the EXTREME!" Ryohei roared, jumping up and down beside me as we held out certificates in our hands.

The rest of our year were huddled together in random groups, tears and hugs exchanged as those who didn't feel the need to cry watched awkwardly.

"Elementary, anyway. We've got Nami-chu waiting for us next year." I smiled, throwing my thumb over my shoulder in the school's basic direction.

"EXTREME!"

"Daiki-kun!"

Ryohei and I turned to the call, seeing the familiar face of Takeshi running up to us, breaking off from his class.

"Hey Takeshi-kun, here to see us off are you?" I greeted, accepting the younger boys hug.

"Uh huh, congrats Daiki-kun, Sasagawa-senpai."

I gave the boy a squeeze, not liking the slight sharpness that flashed across his eyes when he addressed my other friend.

"Thanks, Yamamoto-san!"

Good, Ryohei hadn't picked up on it.

"Hey, have you chosen a middle school yet? You only have a year to go." I asked, making the boy turn back to me.

"I'm going to Nami-chu, of course!" He laughed, drawing me closer.

"Cool, just like us!" The pale haired Sasagawa child chirped, leaning forwards.

"Yeah!"

I gave a small laugh and ran my hand through the young boy's hair, making him whine and try to bat me away with one hand.

"Guess you and I aren't gonna be able to walk home together anymore, eh, Takeshi-kun. Not for another year, at least."

There was a moment of silence that passed over the youngest of our trio, before a smile spread across his face.

"Hey, hey, Daiki-kun, lean down for a sec!" He urged, reaching his hands up.

I raised a brow at the sudden request, exchanging a glance with Ryohei, before doing as asked, bending at the waist.

"Okay, now wh-MMPH!"

It took a while, but eventually the whole of the attending party had fallen quiet as more and more people turned their attention to what was happening.

The young Yamamoto pulled away from the lip lock with a loud smack, a grin splitting his face as his arms linked behind my neck.

I remained in a stunned silence as he nuzzled his face into my neck, his breaths brushing against Hibari's seals of victory.

"Now all the others can't get to you!" Takeshi smiled, leaning back to look at me.

"Hey, Sasagawa-senpai!" He called to our frozen companion.

"Y-yeah?"

"Daiki-kun's mine, he's going to be my husband!"

Ryohei and I exchanged looks of matching confusion, before Ryohei did the last thing I wanted him to do.

"WHAT AN EXTREMELY BEAUTIFUL DECLARATION OF LOVE!"

God damn it.

* * *

 **Hey, sorry it's been a while. But now that the holidays have started for me, I'll be trying to get more done and out.**

 **Hi, ThePlotbunnyBreeder, thanks for the quote!**

 **Yamamoto and Daiki have kissed! No there wasn't any tongue, thank God. Just sort of pressing their faces together. Like a smoosh. Or a slap to the face with another face. Or a gentle punch.**

 **Really, they're just lucky they got on target.**

 **Ooh, Daiki's killed now. Lovely.**

 **At first I was going to make it that he would have a thing about touching people with 'dirty' hands, but then I was like, would Daiki really do that? Really?**

 **Anyway, there you go. Start the holidays with a little bit of bread.**

 **See ya!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, this chapter's really just a bunch of shorts that take up a year in the life of Daiki. But we all know what happens when they're in second grade!**

 **So, my computer's being a bit of a shit and my internet connection is about as fast as a snail. As a result, I will be spending most of my days just writing. And writing. And writing.**

* * *

"And that should be it." I muttered to myself, crossing my arms.

I stood in front of my mirror, scanning my uniform clad body, content with what I saw.

I wore the first year boys uniform, black dress pants, white button up shirt, blue tie and dark grey sweater like thing. I had pushed the sleeves of both my sweater and shirt up to my elbows, and had loosened my tie to give it five or so centimetres to hang freely as well as leaving the top button undone on my shirt.

Not too shabby, I thought giving my reflection a smile.

I had actually thought about perusing the female uniform, but the idea of this body wearing feminine cloth was a bit alien. I could imagine my old body wearing female clothes, but it was still strange. Like a certain pair of shoes, you wouldn't wear high heels to a sporting event, you'd wear joggers.

Daiki is joggers, and my past body is high heels.

…

Great, I'm referring to myself as shoes.

"Daiki-kun, don't forget to take your pills!" Kaede called, making me respond with a hollered affirmative.

I padded down the hall into the bathroom, opening the mirror cabinet and pulled a rattling bottle off the shelf.

Unscrewing the cap, I pinched two of the white capsules from the bottle. Tilting my head back, I swallowed them dry, before chasing a handful of water after them.

I gave a loud sigh, replacing the top and placing the bottle away, catching a glance of the label.

 _Testosterone Supplements._

"Breakfast is ready!"

"Coming, kaa-san!"

* * *

Ah, Namimori Middle.

A place of top notch education, respectful peers, and spacious grounds. It's the perfect place to send your growing teenager to spend their middle school life, they'll meet new people, and get to know the friendly staff, such as the disciplinary committee!

Ha! Ha!

No.

"Run Daiki-kun! RUN TO THE EXTREME!" Ryohei called, holding my bag in his hands as I sprinted away from the pursuing Cloud.

Not even three seconds as a middle school student and I already had the disciplinary committee on my ass. Such as rebel, Daiki.

"Oh, fuck! Hibari-san! Hibari-san! Don't attack innocent bystanders!" I yelled, trying to reach for the skylark as he knocked students out of his way.

 _ **BBBRRIIINNNGG**_ **!**

I stared wide eyed at the bar of metal just barely touching my cheek, neither of us daring to move as the students surrounding us watched in anticipation.

"The bell has gone, get to class Herbivores." Hibari hissed, stepping away from me.

I called Ryohei over and collected my bag, breathing a sigh of relief as I plonked down in my seat alone, the Sasagawa child being in a different class.

Homeroom, as they call it, was pretty run of the mill. We stood and introduced ourselves in a snaking system from front to back, no one really sparking my interest.

"Hey, I'm Kensuke Mochida. I like kendo, and am kind'a hoping to join the club later. Nice to meet you." The vaguely familiar boy stated, shrugging his shoulders as he sat back down.

Mochida…he was the guy who got the ball rolling when it came to Tsuna collecting his family, wasn't it? By spreading a rumour, Tsuna's naked confession, right?

"Yamaguchi-san, your turn." The teacher called, snapping me from my thoughts.

Giving a bashful smile, I stood from my desk and addressed the class.

"Hello, I am Yamaguchi Daiki. I enjoy baking and physical activity, I'm unsure of what club to join, but hope to figure it out soon. Please take care of me."

"Good to meet you too, Yamaguchi-san. Higurashi-san, next."

And it went from there.

There was no one else of note in my class, everyone being pretty non-descript and passable in their own way.

"Okay everyone, it was a pleasure meeting you. Your next class is Science with Nezu-sensei, be nice to him, he's just as new as you are to the school." She smiled, before walking gracefully out of the room, the boys blatantly ogling her.

Dudes, you're like 13. Stop.

As the bell rung, I pulled my book from my bag, preparing my pacer and ruler, a faint niggling in the back of my mind.

Nezu. Nezu. That's familiar. Why is that familiar?

"Good morning, everyone."

I looked up from my paper and instantly recognised the man, short black hair and small black eyes, hidden behind large glasses. Pale skin and a small frame, with a stern face.

"Good morning, Nezu-sensei!" We chorused, standing and bowing.

 _Yes,_ I thought as I sat back down, smiling up at the man, _hello liar._

* * *

This is wrong. That's only the first part. This is wrong. This doesn't explain it well enough.

I scanned the hand out, circling pieces of information with a red pen and adding information in places that lacked.

Giving a silent sigh, I let my eyes close, listening to the teacher drawl on about a topic he knew the basics of.

"Yamaguchi-kun, I see you're having a bit of a nap there. Please, tell me the three parts of an atom."

…

Oh yeah, I'm doing year 7 science.

"Protons, neutrons and electrons, sensei. Sorry, I didn't mean to appear rude." I apologised, quickly scribbling the diagram down in my book.

"Good. Now, the electrons and protons attract due to having opposite charges, if you've ever put two magnets near each other, you will understand what I mean. We will be having a test on this later this week, so you'd best write this down."

The sound of pencils hitting paper filled the room in an instant as students prepared for their first middle school test.

Hah, newbs.

* * *

"Hey, Daiki-kun! What EXTREME club are you gonna join!?" Ryohei roared as we walked through the stalls, passing the swimming club as they flaunted guys and girls in uniforms.

"Hm, you're doing the boxing club, yes?" I asked, already knowing the next line that would be screamed into my ears.

"YEAH! DAIKI-KUN, JOIN THE EXTREME BOXING CLUB WITH ME!"

I covered my ears and laughed, warmth blooming in me as the famous words were exclaimed for the first time.

"Sure, why not. I'll join the boxing club with you."

* * *

"Chattering Herbivore."

The entire boxing club grinded to a halt as the call rung out, the once exuberant room freezing in place.

I looked over my shoulder with a smile, sweat making my skin shine under the light as I dropped from the ring, a towel thrown around my neck.

"Hey Hibari-san, good of you to visit. Is there something I can help you with?"

I shifted as he looking me up and down apathetically, my smile straining when he gave a dismissive grunt.

"No, it seems the herbivores got to you first."

I blinked before looking around, realisation smacking me in the face and letting smirk flicker to life. Drifting lightly over to the glaring skylark, I poked his cheek carefully with hot fingers.

"Aw, did you want me to join your disciplinary committee? Sorry Hibari-san, but I'm not going to wear a pompadour."

"Hm." He grunted batting my hand away with his tonfa.

"Tomorrow, six thirty in the morning. Usual place."

And with that, he strode out of the room, his coat billowing behind him dramatically.

"What is going on to the EXTREME!?" Ryohei asked, stepping out of the change room.

"Hibari-san visited me, isn't he nice?" I smiled, joining the boy at the punching bag.

"Really? How EXTREMELY thoughtful."

"I know, right?"

I held the bag as he began to beat it with his fists, the two of us being instructed to work together.

"Hey Ryohei-kun, are you going to try and be the next captain?" I asked, pulling on the gloves as he and I swapped positions.

"TO THE EXTREME!" He roared, locking his body and handling my punches like a champ.

"Okay you two, you're warm enough. Start sparring!"

"Okay!" I called, stepping away from the bag.

"EXTREME!"

I gave a puff as I pinched my singlet, airing out my body as I pulled myself up into the ring, envious of the boys walking around without their tops.

"Hey Yamaguchi-san, why don't you take your shirt off?" One of the upper classmen called, wiping the sweat away.

"Nah, I'll deal." I waved him off, falling into a stance as Ryohei mirrored me.

"Ready…Go!"

* * *

"Yamaguchi-san, 98%, well done." Nezu congratulated, slipping my paper onto my desk.

I lurched forwards and began flipping through the test, trying to find where I had missed out, cringing when I saw the mistake.

Ya fucking idiot, that was a simple mistake.

I groaned and grabbed my red pen, quickly redoing the question beside the incorrect answer as Nezu told off a few slackers.

"Tests are everything, they are what rank you amongst your peers, they put your knowledge into numbers and separate the smart from the dumb!"

Sure, sensei. Whatever you say.

* * *

I yawned as I plonked done at the table, Kaede placing a bowl of rice and fish before me, taking her own place.

"So, Daiki-kun, how's your new school? Are you finding it hard?" She asked, picking up her wooden utensils.

"It's pretty good, my class mates are a bit on the rowdy side and Ryohei-kun isn't in my class. The workload isn't anything to worry about, I can handle it." I smiled, stuffing a piece of fish in my mouth, internally fist pumping when I didn't feel any bones.

"How are you holding up? I know the club activities keep me out longer."

My mother smiled and waved off my worry, telling me that sales were normal, but the holiday rush had worn off. Our sales leaned more towards people needing a pick-me-up or hungry students who flited in and out of the shopping district after school.

"There was a robbery in Kikiyo-obaa-san's shop, all her flowers were trampled and her money was swiped. Be careful, okay kaa-san?" I warned, placing our dishes into the sink.

"I'll be fine, I have you after all!" Mother laughed, hugging me from behind as I ran water over my bowl.

Will I always be there?

* * *

"Jesus Ryohei-kun, take your time." I muttered, shifting in the shade of the tree as students filed out of school.

"Chattering Herbivore."

I looked up from my shoes and sighed when I saw the skylark perched in the branches above me, wondering when he got there.

"Good afternoon, Hibari-san." Was my greeting.

"Hold out your arm."

I blinked, wondering what it was for, before raising my arm, holding it out to the side.

My eyes went wide as feet planted themselves into my bicep, a hand coming to rest on my shoulder as weight suddenly was dropped onto my arm.

I pumped strength into the arm, shifting to balance myself as the skylark got comfortable on my outstretched limb.

"What the hell, Hibari-san?!" I yelped, stiffening the arm further.

"You can't just suddenly use my arm as a perch!"

"Quiet, Chattering Herbivore."

"Don't tell me to be qui-HEY DON'T JUMP OFF ME!"

* * *

"Okay students, before you leave, you need to fill out this form. It's just a few basic questions that will help the school push you in the right direction. Take your time, and answer truthfully." The homeroom teacher, Watanuki-sensei, called, walking around the room and placing sheets of paper on our desks.

She was right, they were pretty basic questions. They asked things like: How old are you? What's your favourite subject? What's your least favourite subject?

Things like that, slowly rising in intensity, until it came to the last question, that had me stumped for a moment.

 _What do you want to be when you grown up?_

This question gave us a total of five lines to answer in, making me think that they expected a well thought out answer.

I shifted, about to write the obvious answer of _Yamaguchi Bakery._ Only to pause.

Why the bakery? Because Kaede was there? Is that why I'd restrict myself?

How far am I willing to go to keep my mother happy?

Giving a sigh, I scribbled down my answer and handed the paper back to the teacher.

Just how far, Daiki?

* * *

"I'm off!" I yelled into the shop, my mother waving to me from behind the counter.

"Be safe!"

Walking through the streets, I waved to the butcher's son, watching as he and his mother walked to the preschool.

"Have fun, Renji!"

He gave a loud shriek of affirmative before dragging his mother the rest of the way, eager to see his friends.

I continued on until I abandoned the shopping district, cutting through the first part of the residential area that led to the school.

Subconsciously, I sped up as I passed a familiar house, one I couldn't avoid crossing on the way to Nami-chu.

I had tried.

Sawada, the plate read, and that was enough to make me power walk down the path, joining with the flow of children.

"Made it." I sighed, resting my forehead against my locker door.

"Daiki-kun!" The familiar roar of the Sun came, making me glance at him out of the corner of my eye.

"Yo, Ryohei-kun." I breather, pulling from my locker.

"It is almost the final days of this EXTREME semester!"

"Yes, it is." Was my reply, taking off my shoes and opening the door.

"TO THE EXTREME!?"

I looked at the small envelope sitting beside my shoes, neat little kanji addressing the letter to me.

This wasn't the first a letter had come to me, but it was the first time it Ryohei had been there to witness.

Taking my indoor shoes out, I placed my black shoes in and slipped on the white. I closed my locker and continued on my way inside, Ryohei trailing behind me.

"Why didn't you EXTREMELY read it?!" He asked, coming up next to me.

"I can do that later, where there are less prying eyes. We go back there before we leave, after all." I answered simply.

Also, it gives the person a chance to take it back.

* * *

I hadn't gone to Takeshi's house since the start of the new semester, school and the bakery pilling work up to my eyeballs giving me little to no free time. This, however, resulted in the little Rain to physically hunt me down, and drag me to his home after school, our parents laughing from the gate.

I gave a groan as I laid on my front, Takeshi flopping on my back and reaching around me to play with the unopened pink envelope in my hands.

"Man, I want a confession letter!" He whined, dropping his chin on my shoulder.

"You're only 12, Takeshi-kun. I'm sure you'll get some in the coming years." I said, reaching up and patting his cheek loudly.

"12, and already got myself a husband." He sang, clumsily lacing his fingers through mine.

"Fiancé, is the correct term, dear."

"Uh…"

"It's French, sorry." I muttered, unravelling our fingers and handing the little boy the perfumed letter.

"You open it, I don't wanna." Came my airy order, my head falling into the mattress.

The sound of paper ripping and crunching filled my ears as the Yamamoto child shifted on my back, opening the letter as if it had been addressed to him instead. There was silence as he read the note, the sudden tension that ran through his body causing me to glance over my shoulder at him.

"Takeshi-kun, what's wr-" I cut myself off when I saw he dark look on his face, his lips set into a straight line and his eyes sharp.

I frowned before sliding my body around until I was on my back, then sat up to lean against the headboard. With the new position making the young Rain sit in my lap, I was able to see the letter in his hand, six pictures in the other.

The first picture was of me standing behind the counter in the bakery, talking to one of our elderly regulars, handing her her weekly loaf of bread. I had my usual business smile, wide and cheery, one that gave off an open-door sort of feeling towards customers.

I remembered that day, it had been busy with people bustling in and out of shops, but I don't recall anyone with a camera.

The next photo was of me and Mephisto, on a walk as I would seem. We were nearing the park and I was watching the white pup chase after a much larger dog, an amused expression on my face. The angle of the shot was from the back, and the objects in the way of the scene suggested that the photographer had been hidden when it had been taken.

The third photo had Ryohei in it as well as me, both of us sweaty and laughing as we lifted weights well over twice our mass. Our clothes clung to our broad frames and our skin shone with perspiration as our muscles bulged against the resistance.

The fourth image held both me and Hibari, capturing us as we traded blows behind the school, our faces giving off an almost lazy vibe. The skylark's tonfa was lashed out, and my body had curved out of the way in time to allow it to pass, making for a pretty good shot.

The fifth image was of the little fish and I, the displeasure of the situation obvious on my face as the young Vongola fidgeted beside me, our mothers half cut out of frame. We were in the bakery, as expected, and it looked to be late afternoon when the shot was taken.

The last image was of Takeshi and me, the image holding us in place as we played catch in the park with one of his baseballs. The young Rain seemed to be talking animatedly about something, and I was merely smiling along with him as I prepared to catch the flying ball.

"Well, at the very least this person knows how to handle a camera." I muttered, piling up the photos.

"Daiki-kun, shouldn't you at least be a little worried about his?! You have stalker!" He exclaimed, thrusting the letter in front of my face.

"You mean, I have another one. I know full well you used to keep tabs on me during elementary, Takeshi-kun, don't deny it." Was my response, poking him in the chest.

I looked at the note and read the words _'we', 'eternal', 'blood', 'love'_ and _'you'_ , before taking the letter out of his hands and folding it up.

"What- Daiki-kun!?" The young Yamamoto called as I walked out of the room, going on a search for his father.

"Oh, Daiki-kun, what's that you've got there?" Tsuyoshi asked, looking away from the slab of fish in front of him.

"Yamamoto-san, I'm going to go to the local police station for a bit. I will be back before dinner, or will call you if need be. Is that alright with you?"

His eyes sharpened in an instant, training hard orbs at my smiling face. We stared at each other for a moment, before he nodded, telling me not to be gone for too long.

"Will do, Yamamoto-san. I left Takeshi-kun in a state of distress, I must apologise." I said, before giving a quick bow and jogging out of the shop.

* * *

As I walked from the police station, I felt around my pocket for my phone, flipping it open when I found it.

I quickly scrolled through my growing list of contacts, before landing on _Cloud._

" _-Chattering herbivore."_

" _Hey Hibari-san, I seem to have a problem."_

" _Oh?"_

" _Stalker. Female, in our year. She's keeping tabs on my routine, this of course translates over to you and other residents in Namimori. Moreover, she is skipping class and taking pictures in photography restricted areas, as well as loitering in busy streets."_

" _Very well."_

I smiled as the line cut, the lights on the streets catching my teeth and brass as I passed.

 _Click._

Ah, never mind Hibari.

I found 'em.

* * *

" _Hey, have you heard? Tama-chan's been admitted to hospital!"_

" _Yeah, but apparently the police are putting her under a restraining order."_

" _Eh?! Tama-chan's a stalker!"_

I glanced up at Hibari from his perch on my bicep, our conversation cut short by the group of girls next to us as their whispers intensified.

The crouching skylark glared at me, and I smiled back at him.

"Oh, what a coincidence. Well, less trouble for me then."

* * *

I let out a groan as I healed the last, self-inflicted cut on my fingers, finishing the day's flame training.

"That only took – 63 seconds. Pretty good. I guess adrenaline and a literal 'dying will' would probably speed it up by quite a bit. The lack of determination is probably slowing it down." I muttered flipping my hand to check for any leftover slices.

"Daiki-kun! Can you come and help me put these away?!"

"Coming, kaa-san!"

I flipped my knife back shut before throwing it into my drawer, slamming that closed and exited the room, making a mental note to clean up the bloody newspaper before Kaede went upstairs.

* * *

"Ow!" I yelped, gritting my teeth as my face was pushed into the dirt.

" _Kamikorosu._ "

"You just did, Hibari-san."

I grunted as the familiar teeth sank further, forcing me to relinquish my hold on his wrist.

"Your win." I muttered, letting a pout slip past me.

The teen let go of my neck cautiously at the submission, his tonfa still driving bluntly into my vertebrae warningly.

I cracked my back as I sat up, Hibari dusting himself off a little ways away.

"Okay, Hibari-san, what's got you so miffed?" I asked, noticing the irritation that had translated through the blows traded.

The skylark remained quiet, glaring at me out of the corner of his eye before turning back to the school.

"Something is about to happen."

I sat in silence for a moment, before a sharp smile slid across my face, suddenly happy the boy wasn't facing me.

"Ah, is that so?"

I never would have guessed.

* * *

"EXTREME! WE'RE GOING TO BE EXTREME SECOND YEARS!" Ryohei roared, fist pumping as we walked out of the school for the last time that year.

"Yeah, more work, here we come!" I cheered sarcastically, giving a half-hearted 'woohoo.'

"OUR EXTREME IMOUTO WILL BE JOINING US AT OUR EXTREME SCHOOL NEXT YEAR!"

"To the extreme?" I asked, a small smile tipping the corners of my lips.

"TO THE _EXTREME_ EXTREME!"

We both let out hearty laughs as we parted, leaving me to continue into the shopping district alone.

Almost time.

It's almost time.

I looked to the sky and let a sharp smile spread across my face, daring to look directly at the sun.

"I _do_ hope they put on a good show."


	8. Chapter 8

**There are so many points of view changes in this chapter! I don't know how well I pulled them off, but I managed to write something!**

* * *

I stared sleepily at my calendar, slouched over, pants falling and tooth brush hanging from my mouth. Blinking slowly, I let my dreary mind roll over what the little black _EP1_ in today's slot meant.

I had woken up early, 3:20 am, for some reason, I'm sure. Now what that reason was, I can't seem to remember. It was important, I knew that.

As soon as it clicked, I was upright and wise eyed, my toothbrush clenched between my teeth.

 _EP1._ Episode 1. Target 1.

"Namimori's about to be reborn." I grinned, jogging into the bathroom and spitting out the toothpaste.

"Kaa-san, I'm up!" I called, running into the bakery and grabbing my apron.

"My, you're up early today." She laughed, kneading dough with the heels of her hands.

I smiled at her before moving to the store room and grabbing a bag of flour, throwing it over my shoulder and hauling it back with little effort. We worked around each other, years of practiced movements being recreated quickly as lights began to flicker on throughout the street.

When the last batch of buns were in the oven, Kaede dropped onto her stool will a sigh, setting another timer on her phone.

"We finished at 4:16 today, you must be in a good mood Daiki-kun."

I shrugged at her before clapping my hands to rid them of excess flour, untying my apron easily.

"I'm gonna workout for a bit, call me when they're ready, okay kaa-san?"

Hearing her hum of affirmative, I ascended the stairs and padded back into my room. Reaching behind my door, I pulled out a yoga mat and splayed it across the floor, papers crunching beneath the plastic material.

I got on my hands and knees before rocking onto my toes, slowly lowering my arms into a right angle and pushing back.

"1...2...3...4..." I breathed, excitement for the days to come forcing a smile on my face.

"134...135...136..."

I wonder how long a gap there was between events?

"152...153...154..."

Will it follow the manga or the anime?

"209...210...211...212..."

I wonder if Mukuro will attack me?

"241...242...243..."

Will I even know when most of the events go down? The mafia is good at covering things up.

"247...248...249...250."

I have a sigh before rolling onto my back, bringing my knees up and pushing my body into an upright position.

It can't be long until Gokudera comes. I'm sure I'll know by the explosions.

"300." I sighed, moving into a stand.

I gave my body a quick shake, before reaching forward, placing my hands on the ground and feet in the air.

I hope they don't get too hurt. I know they won't die, but the last thing I need is guilt making my flames act up again.

Slowly, I bent my elbows, the tips of my hair brushing the mat, before forcing myself back up.

No more jumping into battles. You know the outcome, and it's usually in the Tenth's favour. They'll be fine.

"Daiki-kun, almost ready! Take a shower!"

My arms shook for a second, before I regained my balance and planted my feet back into the mat.

"Okay, kaa-san!" I called, rolling up the blue material.

I gave myself a quick scrub down before exiting, running a hand through my slightly damp hair to keep it down.

Quickly tugging on my uniform and brass, I grabbed my bag and chucked it on the couch, making Mephisto jump, before descending into the warm bakery.

"Okay, we ready?" I asked, pulling on my mitts as I opened the large oven door.

"Just about, take the top out first." She instructed, clearing the work bench and setting up the cooling racks.

I gave an affirmative before pulling out the first dozen, working to keep the rack balanced despite the uneven distribution.

After packing away the last of the bread, moving them onto display shelves, ready to be chosen and bought, a familiar bell chimed through the shop, alerting me that today's first customer had arrived.

Glancing at the clock, I noticed it was 5:20, pretty early for people to be awake.

"Welcome, how can I help you today?" Was my recited call as I turned, rerolling my sleeves.

I blinked for a moment when I saw no one, before a sliver of dread wormed its way into my mind. Stepping forwards, I moved until I could see over the counter, leaning on my forearms as the black material of a familiar fedora became known.

…

Oh…

"Ciaossu."

Oh fuck.

* * *

 **|REBORN|**

Ah, Yamaguchi Daiki, the baker's son.

According to the files, the boy had a history of violence despite his civil attitude. An abusive father and brawls with the other boys in the neighbourhood, lead him to carry around a pair of brass knuckles.

From the lack of activity they had, it seemed to be used purely as warning, a scare tactic to keep the testosterone at bay.

His mother and the maternal Sawada were close, enough so that the two sons were expected to spend time around one another. It seemed, however, that they were strained at best. The elder of the two wanting nothing to do with the little Dame, and the Vongola heir being both scared witless of him and almost trying to force a friendship upon him.

Reborn watched as the 179cm tall boy faltered for less than a second, before returning to his display of well-versed customer service.

"I've never been here before, what do you suggest?" The Arcobaleno asked, tilting his head back to allow the boy full view of his childish face.

"I thought so, I've never seen you around before." The 15 year old smiled before scanning the display case.

"Hm, how about a cherry pecan bread?" He suggested, moving to show the cake like loaf.

Oh, now that's interesting. This can either go very well, or very badly for the boy.

A flash went through Reborn's eyes as he looked at the product, wondering what the boy's next step was.

"Pecan bread? Could you explain why?" He pressed, feeling Leon scuttle from the back of his rim to the side.

"Pecan bread, especially cherry, is apparently very good with coffee." The baker's boy said, before stalling and turning to the Arcobaleno.

"That is, most people awake at this time of morning usually partake in the caffeinated drink. I was under the impression you are the same."

A small smirk slid onto the hitman's chubby face, his hand coming to tip the front of his fedora down to shadow his face.

"You are right, I do find myself indulging in coffee often." He answered, withdrawing the required amount from his wallet and handing it over to the tall boy.

"Well, I hope you enjoy. Come again soon!"

Reborn nodded as he walked to the door, before stopping and looking over his shoulder, making the Yamaguchi child pause in his stacking.

"The name's Reborn, just Reborn."

As the world-class hitman walked down the awakening street, he swore he heard laughter erupt from the shop.

 **|REBORN|**

* * *

Good Lord! I almost pissed myself!

I let out another chocked laugh as my nervous smile slowly retreated, my cashier persona no longer there to protect me from dangerous baby hitmen.

"Let's never do that again…" I sighed, running a hand through my hair before pausing when a flash of green caught my eye.

Freezing in place, I stared at the unblinking chameleon sitting on the warm display case, looking completely content to drill its wide eyes into me.

We remained completely still as the clock ticked loudly in the corner, the occasional twitch of its tail and blink of my eyes the only movement in the room.

"Daiki-kun! You better get ready, you and Ryohei-kun have to set up the- _WHAT IS THAT?!_ "

I jumped awaked and grabbed the little lizard off the case just before Kaede could throw her shoe at it, running up the stairs as I undid my apron and grabbed my bag.

"Later Miphy, try to calm kaa-san down!" I yelped, dropping the lizard onto my shoulder before running out of the shop, a hysteric mother searching for any of Leon's 'babies' _._

"Jesus." I breathed, hands on my knees as I regained my breath from sprinting up and down stairs and beyond the shop.

The lizard on my shoulder scuttled around a bit, before slipping into my collar and settling between the material and my neck.

"You. You belong to that baby from this morning, don't you?" I asked, feeling the need to pretend around the shapeshifting reptile.

Better safe than sorry.

"I better find a way to get you back."

Straightening, I quickly remembered that he would be atta- meeting Tsuna today.

It was too early, however, for that to be taking place. So school it is then.

"DAIKI-KUN! RACE TO THE EXTREME!"

"You better hold on, little lizard." I warned, clutching my bag tighter.

The lizard stared up at me before making me jump, its body glowing and shifting around my neck, before a clasp clicked in place.

"Oh…well then." I muttered, touching the cool strap of scales that wrapped around my neck with caution.

"Ah, do most of your species do tha-AH FACK!"

"TO THE EXTREME!"

"Slow down! Slow down!"

* * *

Boxing, for me, was hard in its own way. The stiffness and blocky feel of the style made me tight and almost claustrophobic as I tried to conform to the positions. The desire to let my leg strike out when I saw an opening below the waist, or let my heel crash against a patella to bring my opponent to the ground, was great enough that my leg would always twitch when I saw it.

They all seemed like perfectly good ways to end the fight, but, as always, the smarter past of me reminded me that boxing was a _sport._ Sports have rules and regulations, and boxing says 'no kicking'.

Leave the bone crushing for the mobsters, I thought as I sent my fist flying at the upperclassmen put into the ring with me.

" _1! 2! 3!"_

" _Yamaguchi-san is winner!"_

Now, if only the damn senior would stop calling in English.

I gave a sigh as I helped the third year off the floor, giving him a clap on the back as we walked past each other to our respective corners.

"Another EXTREME win, Daiki-kun!" Ryohei cheered, pegging my water bottle at my face.

"Thanks, Furuichi-senpai is hard to take down." Came my airy response, my body dropping from the ropes.

I glanced at the trinket hanging from my duffle bag, the shiny green sphere with an unblinking face watching the interaction.

Damn it Leon, why'd you stay in the bakery. Aren't you and Reborn inseparable, or something?

"Sasagawa-kun! You're up!"

I gave Ryohei a loud smack on the back, the red mark staying for less than a second before my sun flames lashed out and healed the broken capillaries apologetically.

Glaring at my hand, I dropped onto a bench and closed my eyes, leaning my head against the wall. Ignoring the slight rattling that hinted Leon's form shifting to face me, I let out a loud sigh.

To anyone watching, it would seem like I was taking a break, calming myself down after a tough fight in the ring, but in reality, I was reaching for my flames.

Against the black of my eyelids, a large, sunshine flame faded into view, a simplified projection of the masses in the black room.

I watched the flames dance around hesitantly, the almost sentient fire knowing it had gone against my desire to stay hidden. Gently reaching out, I coaxed the flame to die down, the once broad bonfire, now at the size of a candle's.

This did not come without a price however, as I noticed a sliver of apathy touch the back of my persona, before the little flame that refused to die ate away at the cold feeling.

A small flicker of a smile came across my face as I opened my eyes, the familiar warmth of sun flame grazing the palms of my cupped fingers.

"I forgive you." I chuckled quietly, dipping my thumb into the barely visible glow.

I jumped as Leon broke from his transformation, scuttling over my arms and curling up in the fire, closing his eyes for, probably, the first time since I met the thing.

"Yamaguchi-kun! You're up!"

The shapeshifting chameleon sprung from my hands and ran off, probably to find Reborn now that he was closer, finally.

"Coming!"

* * *

" _CONFESS TO KYOKO-CHAN WITH MY DYING WILL!_ "

Ryohei and I paused on the staircase, looking at each other with equally confused expressions. As the younger boy jogged up the remaining steps to get a view from the nearest window, a realisation dawned on me.

It's begun.

…

But wasn't Ryohei meant to be out jogging?

Manga, maybe?

"Hey, Sasagawa-san, isn't that your little sister?"

I jumped out of my thoughts and run up the flight, sticking my head out the open classroom window, cringing when I saw the far away visage of a boxer-clad DWM Tsuna.

" _Who's that?"_

" _A first year?"_

" _What a way to start the year!"_

" _Damn, the kid's got guts to confess like that!"_

" _No way he's gonna get the girl like that!"_

" _Honestly, boys are so insensitive! Look! She's running!"_

" _Run girl! Run!"_

"Okay students, get to your seats, class has begun!"

A chorus of affirmatives rung out as we all pulled ourselves away from the spectacle, shaking our heads in disbelief.

"Oh, Ryohei-kun, you're in the same class as me. Cool." I perked up, realising just who had thrown their bag on the desk next to me.

"You just realised to the EXTREME!?"

"Sasagawa-kun, please stop screaming when I'm trying to mark the roll." Our new teacher said, looking over his glasses to stare at the blushing boy.

"Sorry, sensei."

I smirked as the Sasagawa child elbowed me in the side, the rest of the class used to our antics by their second year of observation.

So, the story's started, finally.

I turned my gaze to Ryohei, watching as he stared up at the blank board absentmindedly, a small frown finding its way to my face as I remembered the many times he'd be hurt, hospitalised and worse.

Mukuro, Lussuria, Byakuran, Arcobaleno, the list goes on.

The Sun blinked before his eyes trailed over to me, the rest of his head following after. He gave me a confused expression, a faint inkling of worry showing behind his eyes.

I forced a smile onto my face, feeling relief when Ryohei mirrored it.

He's be fine.

I know he will.

I hope he will.

* * *

PE had been a bit of a problem for me, having to change in the same room as guys for three years, and more to come. I had fallen back on a habit I had in my past life, something that I used for my thinner clothes.

Under shirts.

Undershirts had saved me more times than I could count. Getting a bucket of water dumped on me, running in the rain, getting a tear in my shirt, sweat. Undershirts had become my life.

However, even with the miracle cloth hiding my feminine traits from the outside world, there were instances when I thought I would get caught.

This moment, being one of them.

"Got ya!" Yelled a classmate, his fingers sliding under the hem of my layers and flipping the up.

"Hiroshi-san, what the fuck!?" I yelped, my uniform shirt falling from my fingers as I tried to pry the younger boy's hand off my PE uniform.

Thankfully, the boy had only drawn it up to just below the binder's line, leaving my chest hidden from prying eyes.

"Holy shit, Sasagawa-kun was right! You do have a six pact!"

"Dude! Those are more solid than my plans for the future!"

"That ain't saying much."

"Piss off, asshole!"

"This is great and all, but can I have my shirt back? Thanks." I said, tossing the boy's pants into the far corner, making him run after them in his briefs.

"Well, this is a great way to introduce the first years to the change room."

The occupants of the BO smelling room turned our heads to the dry statement, raising eyebrows at the teacher standing in front of the small groups of boys.

"Hey, if you came in here expecting a marching band, it's your own fault." A classmate shrugged, arms the only thing in his shirt.

"Yeah, there are no barriers here. Just bromance!" Two boys sang, wrapping their mostly naked bodies around each other, getting a couple of wolf whistles before someone pegged a stick of deodorant at the, telling the two to knock it off.

"But honestly, have you seen the abs on this guy!?" Hiroshi shouted, running back up to me, grabbing my shirt from behind and flipping it up again, displaying my stomach to the new students.

"Oh for the love of God!" I sighed, flipping the hysterically laughing Ryohei off.

"Daiki-kun! Be EXTREMELY proud of your EXTREME abs!" He roared, slapping his hand into the muscle, the loud smack ringing through the loud change room.

I gave a yelp and wrapped a hand around the abused skin, punching the pale haired boy in the shoulder.

"Okay, you've had your fun. Get off me."

I grabbed the boy by the collar of his PE shirt and all but drop kicked him back to his little group, the scream he let out reminiscent of the first year girls.

"Daiki-kun!"

Ryohei and I glanced at each other as the familiar voice rung out from within the small group, the tanned teen ripping from the team of 15 or so.

"Oh, hey Takeshi-kun." I greeted, absent-mindedly noticing how he wrapped his arms around the part of me that held no cloth.

"Are you here to do some EXTREME sport!?" Ryohei asked, his pants off, leaving him in boxers.

"Yeah, we're gonna play baseball!" The young Yamamoto cheered, a bright smile on his face as he anticipated his favourite sport.

"Ah, so this must be your class." I breathed, looking at the awkwardly shifting group of teens.

"Welcome to Nami-chu." Was my next statement, customer-service smile sliding onto my face.

Variants of 'glad to be here' tumbled out of their mouths, blushing boys avoiding eye contact with their underdressed seniors.

"Okay you lot, you're gonna be sharing the changing rooms with these first years from now on, you finish when they start. Make them feel comfortable, or at least try." The gym teacher sighed, before turning to his class.

"Don't take too long."

Then he walked out, leaving the first years to whimper under the devilish stare of their senpais.

"Okay Takeshi-kun, I need to finish changing, so you need to let go now." I said, unravelling his arms and crouching to grab my fallen shirt.

The young Rain walked off to grab his bag, leaving Ryohei and I to pull our stuff out, separating our clothes so they wouldn't get mixed up like the numerous times they have before.

"So, you know our lovely Yamaguchi-kun, do ya?"

"How'd you say it again? _Daiki-kun!_ "

I tilted my head in the voice's direction, both Ryohei and my eyes flickering to the noises, trading glances and nods.

We pushed away from our corner, making the small trek to the side Takeshi had taken. We noticed the amount of senior crowding him, making for an almost comical scene, but the strain in the boy's smile was obvious as he moved from an alien hand.

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

"Okay students, I hope you all have your PE uniforms, you'll be having your first lesson today." The gym teacher announced, making a small boy let out a strange ' _hiiee_ ' noise.

Takeshi only pouted, miffed that he couldn't find his fiancé anywhere in the school. He had tried to look for him, but morning practice ate up most of his time, and little time plus an unfamiliar layout didn't work in his favour.

"Now, I'm pretty sure another class is in here right now, but they should be civil."

The little 'I hope' barely auditable above the whispers that were traded in the halved class, the girls going off to do a cooking class of sorts.

The teacher seemed to take a second to calm himself, before pressing his hands against the door and pushing it open, harsh light peeking out of the door.

The first thing the class was presented with, was a pair of flying pants.

"Well, if you came in here expecting a marching band, it's your own fault." A tall, lanky boy shrugged.

Fair enough, the Rain thought, scrunching his nose at the smell of body odour mixed with cheap deodorant that hung in the room.

He blinked in surprise as two barely clothed boys wrapped their arms around each other, the words of 'bromance' standing out from the hollers and whistles.

This whole situation had almost lost its novelty, while it was still entertaining to witness, Takeshi would much rather play baseball and see if anyone in his class could even try to match his Daiki's balls.

"But honestly, have you seen the abs on this guy!?"

The yell made the boy turn his head, vaguely interested in the physical accomplishments of his senpais, before stalling.

Takeshi's eyes gratefully drank in the sight of toned muscles, tanned skin and sharp hip boned that were forcefully put on display for him, the person wearing them making the sight even more alluring as his groan of irritation rumbled in the young boy's ears.

His ogling was cut short when a hand came in loud contact with the fine piece of flesh, a familiar voice making the floor shake from the vibrations. His Daiki gave a short yelp, before he gave the Sasagawa child a solid thump with his fist.

The young Rain watched as his fiancé showed a feet of strength by sending his peer flying with a kick, dark brown eyes drawn to the way muscles shifted to accommodate the movement.

Out of the corner of his eye, Takeshi noticed the smallest boy in their class shift, a red hue beginning to coat his cheeks as he glanced from the floor to the elder boy's body periodically. It was then that he decided to make himself known to his pitcher.

"Daiki-kun!" He called, stepping from the cloud and wrapping his arms around the older boy, his smile growing as bare arms came in contact with Daiki's warm core.

Takeshi made an effort to be nice to Ryohei, knowing that Daiki could feel his dislike of the elder boy and didn't appreciate it. He didn't have to act very hard, the prospect of baseball being enough to blind him of anything disagreeable at the moment.

The gym teacher gave them instructions and a vague time limit, leaving them to their own devices amongst their seniors.

Much to his chagrin, his Daiki requested release from him, resulting in the young Yamamoto begin forced to separate from his body of warmth, and the white material of his undershirt to fall back and cover his skin.

A small part of him was miffed that Daiki wore an undershirt, the amount of bare chests in the room hinting that such a measure of modesty was unneeded, but at the same time, he was pleased that the display was hidden from unworthy eyes.

Grabbing his bag, Takeshi settled in a corner, unzipping his bag whilst unbuttoning his shirt. He gave a tug and pulled the white material from his shoulders leaving his top half bare.

It was then, did he notice the leering looks of the upperclassmen around him, and at that moment, they approached blatantly.

"So, you know our lovely Yamaguchi-kun, do ya?"

 _Your?_

"How'd you say it again? _Daiki-kun!_ "

The young Rain tried to pass the comments off as teasing, but the growing itch in the back of his mind kept throwing the charade off, making the smile on his face almost slip multiple times.

He didn't like the way they were looking at him, nor did he appreciate the way their fingers twitched occasionally as if to reach for him. The Rain stepped away when a hand strayed too close, moving again when he noticed the others in close proximity.

Dark eyes darted from faces to hands, body tense and smile tenser as he tried to be civil with his senpais.

Suddenly, there was a weight on his neck, an arm slung over his shoulders and a body pressing him against their side.

" _Sorry, this one belongs to me."_

Takeshi's head snapped to the side, the familiar base sounding off right beside his ear and rumbling through his side.

His eyes landed on the smirking face of one Yamaguchi Daiki, muscled arm wrapped around his neck and pants hanging loosely from his hips, leaving a sharp V visible as he stared down his handsy peers.

" _We're sure you EXTREMELY understand._ " Came from his other side.

He turned his head again and stared wide eyed at the visage of Sasagawa Ryohei standing a little behind them, his strong arms crossed over a bare broad chest as he grinned toothily at his classmates, pants too hanging off his hips.

"Damn, sorry Yamaguchi-kun, Sasagawa-kun. No need to go alpha on us." One laughed, taking a step back.

"Yeah, didn't know you already staked claim. Sorry."

"No worries, TO THE EXTREME." Ryohei grinned, waving them off before turning his attention to his friend.

"Come, Takeshi-kun." Daiki said, grabbing the Rain's bag and leading the trio over to his and Ryohei's side.

Takeshi remained quiet as he watched the two boys work around him, sliding their belts through their pant loops as they talked.

"Oi, Takeshi-kun, you're meant to be changing now. Strip." Daiki ordered, glancing at him over his shoulder, half his face hidden by his popped collar.

Strip? For Daiki, he'd willingly strip.

"Hey there, got your mind out of the gutter. Damn, your hormones must be racing like no other for you to be looking like that." The elder boy sighed, tapping the first year on the forehead.

Takeshi blinked before unbuckling his belt, coiling it up and leaving it by his bag. He rummaged through the clothes stuffed in, pulling out the shirt and track pants supplied by the school. The young Rain dropped his pants before quickly pulling on the PE ones, feeling the hesitant glances sent his way by both first and second years.

"Two years Ryohei-kun. Two years and you still can't do your own tie."

"Hey, I'm getting EXTREMELY used to it."

"Yes, that must be why it looks like a double knot, rather than a Winsor."

The first year glanced up from his strings to look at his elder's interaction, his Daiki reaching over to redo Ryohei's tie as the youngest of the pair pouted, loudly claiming that it was fine the way it was.

Takeshi decided to wear the school tie from then on.

"Okay second years, you need to get moving!" The teacher yelled into the room, making the group of boys throw their stuff into their bags messily.

"Got it, sensei!" a senpai yelled as tribute, the rest busying themselves.

"Done." Daiki sighed, finishing flattening out his pile.

"We'll see you later Yamamoto-san, TO THE EXTREME!" Ryohei roared, tugging his bag into his shoulder.

Takeshi's attention snapped from the yell to the fast approaching Daiki, all bodily functions grinding to a halt as soft flesh was pressed against the corner of his lips for a moment.

"Later, _kohai_." The elder boy smirked, the words having too much base to have anything other than vulgar intention behind them.

Daiki laughed as he and Ryohei walked out, the rest of their class flowing after them, hiding the boys from his line of view.

The young Rain stared, slack jawed and red faced at the closed door for another few seconds, his classmates glancing awkwardly at him before jumping at their teacher's call.

He turned back to his bag, reaching for his shoes completely on auto pilot as his mind slowly shifted back into gear.

A small smile flickered onto his face as his phone beeped, the screen lighting up to show a picture of him and Daiki pretty much falling asleep in their breakfast. Takeshi opened the new message, his smile shifting into a sinful grin.

 _From: Shujin-kun_

 _Revenge._

Oh _honey_ , don't you know not to play ball without a mitt?

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

"Hey Ryohei, you heard about the match later today?" I asked, moving my bento so that it sat flush against Ryohei's, letting him take a piece of sausage.

"Yeah."

Oh, he's quiet.

"Do you want me to go check it out, or do you want to come?"

I snatched a stack of rice from him, enjoying Kyoko's seasoning happily.

"I'll come."

"Fair enough, also, Kyoko-chan's gotten better. Today's lunch is perfectly seasoned."

"EXTREMELY RIGHT!"

"Ryohei-kun, you just gleeked all over me."

"…"

"You'd best run."

* * *

Ryohei and I chewed on the sticks left over from our lollypops as we watched Tsuna stumble into the gymnasium, our position, alone at the top of the seats, giving us the advantage of height to view the whole situation.

"THE PRIZE SHALL BE KYOKO-CHAN!"

Both our jaws jumped at the declaration, the brass on my hip suddenly seeming very tempting at the moment. Ryohei seemed to sympathise, hands coming to compulsively tighten the bandages wrapping his hands.

Our bodies shifted to lean against each other as the scene continued, both of us working to keep the other calm by trying to relax our muscles.

A chuckle broke from me as Tsuna went Dying Will, all out attacking our fellow second year with little mercy, rendering the kendo captain prematurely balding. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the smirk of satisfaction on Ryohei's face as he relaxed into me, flexing his hands to loosen the wrappings.

A flash of black made me look up, my eyes landing on the small figure of the baby hitman standing on the rafters, a self-satisfied expression on his chubby face.

Leon seemed to notice me first, its beady eyes shifting to me before it bobbed its head rapidly as greeting. I sent it a flash of the eyes, before turning back to the scene of a boxer clad Tsuna, seconds before Reborn's gaze landed on me.

" _Herbivores._ "

"That's our que, Ryohei-kun." I said, the two of us exiting just as all hell broke loose.

* * *

I blinked as the surrounding students froze and locked eyes onto a single entity, the usual warning given to me, making me hold out my arm and receive the skylark easily.

"Chattering Herbivore."

"Hibari-san, how have you been today?" I greeted, closing my notebook and stuffing it into my pocket.

Taking off my glasses, I folded them and let them hang from my shirt, turning my attention to the perched Cloud.

"There is a baby here, he's strong."

"A baby? Now that's interesting." I smiled, tilting my head to glance past him, the silhouette of one Sawada Tsunayoshi appearing by the window.

"Hm. Boost." Hibari ordered, shifting his weight.

I let out a loud sigh before spreading my feet and crouching, drawing his perch back. Giving a grunt, I milked my ATP system of all it's worth and threw the skylark into the air, sending him flying through an open window.

"Lazy bastard." I muttered, rubbing my arm.

* * *

Yawning, I settled on the couch at 6am, Mephisto resting his head on my lap as the television let out murmurs of the early morning news. Running my hand along the pup's back, I let my eyes close for a moment, seeking out the little flame inside me.

It took a moment, but the bright yellow flame flickered to life against the black of my eyelids, greeting me with a wave of warmth. Letting the flame dance around, I coaxed it to die down, before adding mental fuel to the fire, the tongues of Will flaring up and making the corners of my mind snap into activity, ideas and plans formulating out of nowhere to try and burn off the new energy. Shaking my head, I blew out a long breath, soothing the flame back to its original size.

As I let the flame flicker of its own accord, a flash in the far inky distance caught my attention.

Another flame.

Another Sun Flame.

My eyes snapped open in surprise, Mephisto raising his head in question to my sudden tension.

Was it my own? No, it felt different, more controlled.

I settled again, resting my hand on his head and closed my eyes, summoning back my flames.

I fixed my attention on the fast approaching flame, willing my own to move so I could get a proper view of it.

It was huge.

Massive compared to my small bonfire.

Somehow, the flame was familiar, like I had come in contact with it before, but before I could get my finger on it, the bell below me went off, alerting me to the customer in the bakery.

Letting out an irritated groan, I stood from the couch, grabbing my apron and descended the steps, walking into the shop. I paused when I saw no-one, before sirens went off in the back of my mind.

The huge Sun Flame was close.

Really close.

Practically on top of me.

"Ciaossu."

My muscles tensed at once, the accented voice ringing out from the other side of the counter setting me on guard.

Wait, Sun Flame…

Reborn's flame?

"Welcome back Reborn-san, how can I help you today?"

Was I seeing Reborn's flame?

"The cherry pecan bread, please. You were right, it does go well with coffee."

I gave a nod and collected his request before accepting the cost handing the baby hitman his bagged bread.

"Thank you, come again." I smiled, giving the surfaces a quick scan for any stowaway chameleons.

"See you tomorrow, Yamaguchi-san."

I gave a small bow as he exited, my hands clenched under the register.

Seems like we've got _quite_ the dangerous regular.

* * *

Another fifteen minutes and I can get going to school, thank God I don't have morning practice.

Rolling my sleeves to my elbows again, I did a quick count of the register, summing up the total and storing away the information in the back of my head.

The morning rush had started to taper off, the early morning workers mostly at their jobs now and the rest usually having enough time to have their own breakfast at home, so I was left standing at the counter in the empty shop, daydreaming away the hour.

" _I'm sorry! I'll get it real quick! I'll be right back!_ "

I blinked at the figure of a girl screaming apologies into her phone, a brow raising as she ran into the bakery, her face red and her breath heavy.

"Uh, are you okay there?" I asked, watching her catch her breath.

"Y-yeah! I'm fine! How much for a loaf of bread?!" She yelped, standing straight.

"115 yen." I answered, making the quick conversion to roughly $1.50, Australian.

I watched the girl as she rummaged through her strange little ninja rabbit wallet for the amount, tilting my head as her face reminded me of someone. I recognised her uniform, the Midori Girls school insignia sown into the breast pocket of her jacket, but who was she?

"Oh no! Only 90 yen!" she cried, her face dropping in defeat as she let out a loud sigh.

I thought back to the amount I counted in the register, before deciding that it wouldn't pain us much to let her off, seeing as she was obviously already not having the best of days.

"Hey, I'll give you a loaf, just pay next time you come by. Deal?" I smiled, pulling a loaf from the rack.

Her face lit up in a second, brown eyes practically sparking as she clasped her hands in front of her.

"Really?!"

"Yeah, you seem to be in a bit of a rush."

I waved off her gratitude and bagged the loaf, introducing myself as the owner's son.

"Ah, my name's Haru Miura! Thank you, Yamaguchi-kun!" She yelped again, bowing as she took the paper bag.

"Come again, Miura-san." I said, by some miracle stopping myself from freezing.

Haru Miura, that girl, the mildly creepy one who declares herself Tsuna's wife after he saves her.

She thanked me again before bolting, yelling promises of return with the correct amount within the next few days.

I waved at her retreating form, a tight smile on my face.

Another one.

God damn it.

* * *

Absentmindedly, I cracked my knuckles as I walked through the residential area, passing by the mostly empty houses as I thought about the Sun Flame I _saw_ this morning. A Flame, other than my own, and I had _seen_ it.

" _Hiiee!_ "

I glanced up, my face falling when I saw the fallen form of the future Decimo a little ways away from me. Raising an eyebrow, I watched as a familiar chihuahua slowly approached the frail child, its tail high and animated as it moved forwards.

The girl probably wanted to play, having been stuck inside the small garden for days on end by an inactive owner.

Letting out a sigh, I made a mental note to offer the lady who own the tiny dog to take it for a walk with Mephisto, God knows he needs friends his age.

"Here girl, c'mon! Come here, little lady!" I cooed, drawing the pale furred pup from the sweating Vongola.

Kneeling, I let the dog put its paws on my leg, pushing itself up to come closer to my hand as I pet its head and back.

"Y-Yamaguchi-san!" Tsuna squeaked, rolled onto his stomach.

"Hello Sawada-san, not much of a dog person, huh?" I greeted, scratching the pup under her chin.

"It's vicious!"

"It's bored, and wants to play. If you keep screaming and running, she'll think you're offering a game." I corrected, gently picking it up.

The young Vongola squeaked as I walked past, taking a step back when the little dog let out a high pitched bark. I bent and lowered her back into her garden, shooing her back into the house when she tried to slip back between the bars.

When I straightened, I saw the little boy still laying on the road, making me raise an eyebrow at him.

"Having fun there?" I asked rhetorically, making him jump up with a red face.

"Ah! N-no! I was just…yeah."

I gave a hum before turning, a glance at my watch telling me I had a limited amount of time to get to school before another brawl would take place. As I walked, I noticed the slightly faster steps of the younger boy trailing behind me, a sigh of annoyance building in my nose.

He's going to the same school as me. He's not following me. Cool it Daiki, no need for paranoia. I bet he won't even talk to-

"Ah, Yamaguchi-san?"

Fuck.

"Yes, Sawada-san?" I breathed, somehow keeping irritation out of my voice.

"A-are you in a r-r- _relationship_?" He finally squeaked out, saying the last word as if it was intimate.

"What do you mean?"

"W-well, yesterday in the change room-ah- you k-k-kissed Yamamoto-san, and uh…"

I glanced over my shoulder, finding humour in just how red the young Vongola's face was at the prospect of kissing.

"Hm, I suppose I am." I answered, a small smirk finding its way to my face when the little boy's eyes widened and his blush darkened.

"So, have you been practicing your strokes?" Came my question, deciding a small conversation with the tiny teen wouldn't harm anyone.

Tsuna's face suddenly lit up, his pace speeding up to match mine as a shy smile came to his face.

"Y-yeah! An instructor saw me a few weeks ago and asked if I wanted proper lessons. I'm not sure if I should take them though, I'd be put with the children since I'm still pretty new to swimming." He laughed shyly, a hand coming to rub the back of his head.

"I'm sure you'll do fine, even if you need to work with the little ones, swimming is a good skill to have."

The conversation continued smoothly, Tsuna coming more and more out of his shell as we spoke, my own desire to keep my distance waning as a self-depreciating joke made a quick laugh burst forth. The little Vongola wasn't that bad a conversation partner, despite his lack of public voice, he had his own opinions and ideas, adding insight to my own thoughts that widened my perspective. The school had come into view, and I had wondered for a moment if avoiding the little fish was really all that worth it if I was cutting out such a welcoming person.

My boy tensed when I felt something brush against my non-physical self, my flames flickering in its own curiosity as something scantly tapped at their tongues. I tilted my head as if trying to hear it, before snapping my head up and grabbing hold of my flames in a suffocating grip. I slapped away the probing force, resulting in my physical body to stumble away from its source.

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Sawada Tsunayoshi flinched as if stuck, his hand coming to cradle a phantom pain in his chest that bloomed forth unexpectedly. He felt hurt, a cold stabbing sensation forming in his lungs and heart as confusion washed over him. It took him a moment, the sudden bombardment of emotions and unreal pain rocking him, but he eventually recognised the familiar emotion that underlined it all.

 _Rejection_.

He had been rejected, but why what? By whom?

An unsteady breath left him before he looked up, his eyes landing on a further away Daiki, the boy's own hand drawn close to his chest in an almost _defensive_ manner.

Why was he hiding from him?

He was so _warm_ a second ago…

"Sorry, Sawada-san, I need to – to talk to Ryohei-kun. We planned to meet up before class and talk something over. Bye." He said, his eyes shifting around before he walked away at an almost jogging pace.

Why is he leaving?

Tsuna glanced down at his hand, opening the curled fist.

He felt cold again.

 **|S.T|**

* * *

I let out a loud groan as I slumped against the cool wall at the back of the school, the smell of cigarette smoke making the air stale as the delinquents and problem children fled.

Closing my eyes, I summoned forth the image of my flames, a panicked breath leaving me when I saw the tiny embers barely holding onto life. My grip had been brutal and harsh, forcing the lively flames to shut down instantaneously had hurt them badly.

Reaching out, I gently coaxed them back to life, memories of gentle times acting as tinder, the sunshine flames returning back to their original glory, albeit hesitantly, tongues recoiling from anything possibly foreign. I sent careful waves of apology to the fire, a small smile coming as the golden glow moved with them acceptingly.

Opening my eyes, I reached up and slapped myself across the face, my teeth gritting as the obvious reasons for my actions rammed into my mind.

Sky Flames. Sky Flames, Daiki! Tsuna has Sky Flames!

I had fallen for such a stupid trap, Sky Flames draw people in! No wonder my desire for distance waned! It had been okay before because his flames were locked away, now they're free and looking for guardians!

"I'm so dumb."

* * *

"Hey, Daiki-kun, you 'kay there?"

I looked up from my book, turning my gaze to Ryohei with a slightly miffed expression.

"Hm, not really." I answered truthfully, fingering the edge of the page I was on.

"Wanna share?" He asked, turning in his seat to face me fully, abandoning his bento.

"Nah, it's petty. I'll be better the sooner I forget about it."

* * *

I wiped a few droplets of blood and saliva from my lips, smirking at the pinned skylark as his two tonfa lay strewn on the other side of the roof.

"Another win to me, Hibari-san." I said, rising from his fallen form.

He gave a grunt as her stood, stubbornly ignoring the bleeding bite mark on the back of his neck, probably causing his a bit of discomfort.

"Apparently, there's a volleyball tournament going on at lunch. Were you aware of it?" I asked, throwing his two bars of metal at him before checking that my own brass was still attached.

I had yet to use them on anyone since the Mafioso, and I took that as a personal win.

"Of course."

I let out a hum, before looking over my shoulder at the gym, a memory sparking in my head.

"Just be aware, I think some of the players are gonna play possum."

The skylark narrowed his eyes at me, not understanding what I had said.

"All I can say is, it's not my fault." I shrugged, before letting out a laugh and dodging a strike to the face.

"Round 2, then."

We bared our teeth at each other and went in for the kill.

* * *

I let out a sigh as I leaned out of my class window, Ryohei chatting animatedly with a classmate, leaving me to my own devices. I rested my head on my arm and let the other limb hang, watching a bunch of bird have a go at each other.

" _Hey, hey, hey! What'cha thing ya doing 'ere newbie!?_ "

" _Sorry ta break it ta ya dude, but this place is for us senpais only!"_

" _Yeah! Yeah! So get lost, first year!"_

Oh God, they're at it again.

Letting out a long breath through my nose, I turned my attention to the noises, the group of boys at a slight angle to me, making the fact that my head was tilted be very helpful in watching them.

I blinked when I noticed just which first year my peers were targeting, a faint smile touching my lips when light caught on silver strands, unlit cigarette and pale skin.

My eyes latched onto the subtle movement of the transfer student's hand, when it disappeared into his pocket, a dangerous looking cylinder peeking out.

" _What? Ya wanna fight?"_

Now, as amusing as this was to watch, I could tell that those boys were biting off more than they could chew without even knowing it.

Withdrawing from the window, I opened my workbook and ripped out a page, old instructions flowing through my head as I folded the paper neatly. Tilting my creation, I smiled.

Foreshadowing, like a boss.

* * *

 **|G.H|**

Hurricane Bomb Hayato couldn't be less interested in getting the title of Vongola Decimo, he knew the second news of the heir's death reached the God Father, he was as good as deleted from the world, any trace of the Gokudera bastard would disappear from the system in less than a night.

Really, he just wanted a look, a sneak peek at what the future would hold for the underworld and its lowest occupants, such as himself.

Hopefully, this new heir won't drag the Vongola name through the mud.

Apparently, the kid hadn't had any exposure to Mafia life, born and raised in Japan, breed to live as a civilian, and only made aware of his precious blood recently. He was lanky and thin, showed almost no potential and was easy to give up.

He showed no qualities of a Boss.

The young Storm raked a hand through his hair in frustration before blatantly walking out of his class, ignoring the teacher's indignant call.

He needed a smoke, and he needed one now.

There would be a game on volleyball at lunch today, that would be the kid's last chance to prove himself, otherwise, Gokudera would have to force his abilities out of him in a rather, _explosive_ , way.

Pale hands pried open a cigarette box, ignoring the grotesque imagery on the case, and slid a single thin cancer stick between his teeth. He walked around the corner and sighed at the amount of upperclassmen already populating the place he has chosen to be his smoking area. Once they noticed him, they began to flock like pigeons, swarming the irritable Italian as they spewed threats with poorly constructed words.

His hands itched to set something alight, whether it be the cigarette in his mouth or the bomb in his hands, he had yet to decide.

As they continued to yap, he could feel his patients waning and his craving, growing with each passing second. The sound of explosions and falling rubble sounding more and more clear with every slanged word.

Gokudera swiped his thumb across the wick of the dynamite, feeling for any dampness or imperfection. Just as he was the light them up, a flash of white brought all the noise to a halt.

The second years and Gokudera looked to the thing that had swiped past the most forwards of the bunch, a papercut irritating the bridge of his nose.

Green eyes hardened when they landed on a paper aeroplane as it landed on the ground a little ways away from the group, resting innocently amongst the grass as if it hadn't just set off an annoying memory he'd rather not deal with right now.

" _Hey, c'mon now, leave the boy alone."_

All of the attending males snapped their heads to the amused voice, eye latching onto a figure on the second storey.

Gokudera frowned as he took in the older boy, his upper body draped lazily over the sill of the window, his head resting on a tanned arm as the other hung out, another aeroplane pinched between his fingers. His face was set into one of content amusement, eyes half-mast and smirk half-assed.

Everything about his body language screamed that he was of no danger, but the Hurricane couldn't help but tense up under the elder boy's gaze, somehow feeling evaluated and known at a single glance.

That guy isn't normal, he decided, watching as the second years turned to their peer.

"You guys better scatter, Hibari-san's about to loop around here, and I don't think he'll appreciating crowding, not to mention skipping class." He drawled, his smirk stretching as a wave of unease washed over the boys before all of them left, gathering their stuff and returning to their designated classes, their fear of the famed Skylark greater than their desire for delinquent life.

Gokudera turned his glare to the boy in the window, watching him flip the paper plane in his fingers as he ignored the stare.

"Who're you?" He finally asked, caving to the silence faster than the elder.

The tanned boy glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before raising an eyebrow, pausing his flipping.

"Me? Oh, I'm Yamaguchi Daiki, the baker's son." Yamaguchi introduced, tipping his head in greeting.

"Care to tell me your name, little one?"

Gokudera pulled his face into a snarl, not appreciating the demeaning address.

"Little one? You're only a year older than me!"

"179cms." He chuckled, his eyes trailing over the younger boy's body.

The Storm stopped when he thought back to his own height, 168cms, damn, 11cms difference.

"Name, little one." Yamaguchi urged, tipping his plane in the green eyed boy's direction.

"Gokudera Hayato." He growled out.

"Welcome to Namimori, Gokudera-san." The taller boy greeted lazily, sending the plane flying the Hurricane's way.

The pale boy caught the paper in his grasp and locked eyes with him, amber-earth meeting mint leaves.

"I hope you enjoy your time here."

Gokudera glanced down at the aeroplane in his hands, the strange situation having distracted him from his previous agitation, calming his nerves arguably faster than any smoke would have.

"It would have flown better if you had angled the wings more." The green eyed boy commented offhandedly, throwing the plane with experienced hands.

Yamaguchi's smirk froze for a moment, before stretching into a Cheshire smile.

"Oh, you'd know _all_ about that, wouldn't you, Gokudera-san?"

Said boy's head snapped to the tanned boy, only to see him gone from the sill, window closed and room empty. In the back of his mind, he vaguely remembered hearing the bell go off, signalling the end of class, and the beginning of lunch.

He shook his head and replaced his cigarette, focusing his mind on the task at hand, namely the Vongola.

Yamaguchi was probably just sassing him.

 **|G.H|**

* * *

Ryohei and I leaned against the railing of the gym's second level, matching bored expressions on our faces a we watched the little Vongola try and sneak in, only to be received by his screaming schoolmates.

I let out a small laugh at his expense, before turning my attention to his team, instantly spotting the young Rain, and the angry Italian transfer.

"Ah! Daiki-kun!"

My attention turned from the transfer student to the ecstatically waving sportsman beside him, giving a smile and my own, more subdued, wave back.

"Do your best boys!" I yelled, getting a round of thumbs up.

"TO THE EXTREME!" Ryohei roared out, making the people below us flinch.

I'm pretty sure that after this, Gokudera's going to drag Tsuna out back and have a showdown after a long introduction. Reborn's going to shoot Tsuna in the face, and Tsuna saves Gokudera from an underdeveloped move. Yeah, something along those lines, I'm sure.

" _Oooh!"_

" _Ouch!"_

"He used his organ to block!" Ryohei exclaimed, leaning over the railing to see closer.

I grabbed him by the back of his shirt, stopping him from going head over heels into the crowd below us, and settled him back on his feet.

"I can't believe he would sacrifice a man's most important part, just to block a ball." He breathed, his eyes widening.

"EXTREME! Proof of his strength!"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed him again, pulling him off the railing with a loud sigh.

"Ryohei-kun, please stop jumping on the railing. You're too fat, you'll break it."

Well, at least it did its job. The team's all pumped now.

I scanned the members, sending Takeshi a thumbs up and a smile when we made eye contact, before meeting Gokudera's.

What to do to him, I thought, before settling on the lazy smirk I had earlier and mouthed 'little one'.

From the sudden dark look on his face, he probably figured it out.

I rested my face on my knuckles as the match continued, A team working with new vigour thanks to Tsuna's sacrifice to the volleyball gods.

Hinata would be pleased.

" _Game set!_ Class A wins! _"_

As the team flocked to congratulate their middle blocker, Ryohei roaring congratulations, and the crowd below us creating white noise, I glanced over to the other side of the gymnasium, spotting the little hitman easily.

He obviously had no intention of hiding, then.

I tipped my head in greeting when our eyes locked, he himself tipping his fedora at me, Leon doing a weird, hello-hi bob he did to greet me.

As the team walked into the change rooms, and the people chattered amongst themselves, I was the first to leave, letting Ryohei join the masses freely.

Walking out, I left the hum of the gym behind and walked back to the school, stopping when I stood below my window. Crouching down and picking up one of my paper planes, I examined it, before a small smirk came to my face.

Gokudera was right, the angle was off.

By 3 degrees.

"Heh, smart kid."

* * *

I sat in the empty classroom, my class had been given a free period- I know, miracle, right – and most of us had migrated to wither the library or sports oval, the rest splintering off around the school. I had chosen to pursue another source of entertainment instead, waiting for the inevitable, one-sided showdown between the Hurricane and the Fish.

The chair I sat in was set backwards, allowing me to lean against something without having to open the window and subject myself to the dust that would no doubt arise from the bombs about to go off.

 _ **BOOM!**_

I leaned forwards, a faint smile on my face as the first bomb went off, wondering how no-one else was hearing this.

I mean, didn't Nana hear it all the way back at their house, but none of the students, literally next door, can hear it?

I call bullshit.

Or mist flames. Maybe mist flames.

" _Hey Tsuna-san."_

Oh.

" _Yamamoto-san!?"_

Oh dear.

My hands gripped my biceps tightly as my legs twitched to stand, before I forcibly sat myself back down.

" _What sort of game is this? It looks fun, let me in!"_

"Jesus Christ, sweet heart." I muttered, bringing a hand to my face.

I sat up when a gun shot went off, the loud resounding bang making me wonder why I hadn't heard it the first few times. My hand latched onto my mouth to stop a snort from breaking past as Tsuna's star spangled boxers became known to the world, a familiar orange flame flaring to life erratically on his forehead.

" _Extinguish! Extinguish! Extinguish!_ " The young Vongola screamed, after images following in his wake as he did just that.

"Good Little Fish." I murmured when I saw DWM Tsuna put out the flame on Takeshi's bomb, my body relaxing slightly.

Gokudera doubled the bombs, before tripling the amount, and that's about when it started to go downhill. He dropped one, and with the sudden shift of mass, the rest came tumbling down, surrounding the teen with explosives, a look of dread on his face.

" _Extinguish! Extinguish! Extinguish!"_

Tsuna, hyped up on Dying Will, continued to put out every and all things lit, effectively saving the young Storm's life.

A small smile found its way onto my face when Gokudera kneeled to Tsuna, declaring his loyalty.

" _Can't we just be regular classmates?"_

" _I can't let that happen."_

Well then, guess we've all got guy problems then.

" _Hey, let me into the group! You're the boss, right!?"_

Yes, Takeshi, Tsuna is the boss. Your boss now, have fun with that.

" _Huh, what's up with him?!"_

" _That underwear guy is such a loser!"_

I stood from my chair and stretched, kicking the chair back under my desk. Letting out a sigh, I looked through the window once more, before freezing.

All three of the boys were looking at me with varying expressions, each attuned to their own character.

" _Oh no, someone saw all of that!?_ "

" _I'm sorry Tenth! I'll find out who it is and deal with them!_ "

" _Scavenger hunt!_ "

"Sorry, not gonna happen." I muttered, exiting the room and melding with the mass of students.

I let a smile touch my face as Gokudera and Tsuna ran past me at full speed, turning into the classroom and letting out screams.

"Daiki-kun!"

A set of arms wrapped around my neck and a body hung from me, making me stop in my tracks and use my free arm to support it.

"Hey Takeshi-kun." I greeted, ruffling his hair.

"Hey, hey, did you see anyone come out of that room?" He asked, pointing to the room I was in.

"No, not that I can remember." I lied, raising a brow in question.

"Why? What are you up to?"

"Tsuna-san, Gokudera-san and I are playing a game, and we're trying to find someone!"

"Sounds fun." I smiled, before unravelling his arms.

"Good luck, I need to go to boxing club."

"Bye Daiki-kun, I bet we'll catch 'em!"

I bet you won't.

* * *

 **Hehe, little Takeshi's hit puberty!**

 **He's only 13 so nothing nasty's gonna happen between them, no worries.**

 **Haru has arrived! Thank you ThePlotbunnyBreeder for bringing variouse points to my attention, I hope the ninja rabbit caught your attention!**

 **A lot of Ryohei in this chapter, I'd been meaning to give him some screen time, but other things sort of stole the spotlight. Here he is though! In all his EXTREME glory!**

 **Gokudera has entered the building! Welcome to the madness sonny, take a seat and relax as your world collapses around you.**

 **Did I do a good job with their first meeting? I hope so, I was a bit iffy about the whole scene, but went with it in the end.**

 **So yeah, did you like how Daiki reacted to Tsuna's flames trying to bond with his? Yes? No? Was it too soon?**

 **LeNoRi, over and out!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey! I have a beta now! ThePlotbunnyBreeder! My writing won't look like I'm sleep deprived anymore! Yay!**

 **Word Count:** **11305**

* * *

Letting out a yawn, I leaned my forearms on the counter, my mind wandering as the quiet of the bakery lolled me into boredom. All the bread was ready, and mother had gone to her bed, retiring due to a headache that had struck unexpectedly.

I had warned her that, no, another episode of the Japanese subbed ' _Neighbours'_ wouldn't be fine.

I glanced at the clock in the corner, 5:18am. A small smirk found its way to my face and I closed my eyes, calling for the sunshine flame to appear behind my eyelids. It took less time than it used to for the flame to flicker to life and send me greeting waves of warmth, energy thrumming through my body as the flames awoke slightly.

Looking past my flame, I searched for the familiar one that came by every day, now making its approach. The bright beacon of golden fire moved towards me leisurely, taking its time to reach the bakery, the sound of the bell alerting me of its entry.

"Ciaossu."

"Good morning, Reborn-san." I greeted, opening my eyes as the flames faded, replaced by their origin.

"The usual, or are you after something different today?"

The home tutor tilted his cap before asking before asking for a coffee cake, instead of the usual cherry pecan bread, having eyed the treat the last time he had come.

I had become accustomed to the hitman's presence in the shop early in the morning, him being my first customer of the day for a while now. He always came at 5:20am on the dot, and most of the time he bought a cherry pecan bread, before giving me an update on his 'student', whose name he had yet to indulge me in.

"Oh, I saw it catch your interest yesterday." I laughed, handing the hitman his slice on a small platter, letting him sit up on the counter.

"Hm, and for good reason. Your mother is a master at cakes."

A swell of pride filled me, not bothering to correct the little hitman that coffee cakes fell under my order, Kaede hating the smell.

"I'll be sure to tell her that." I breathed, a smile flickering on my face as I leaned onto my forearms, going on the same eye level as the no.1 hitman.

"So, anything new happen with your student?"

Reborn let out a hum, sliding his fork from his mouth before speaking.

"He seems to show some promise, he has acquired two subordinates for his family. His grades and overall physique have yet to improve, however." He sighed, as if the information weighed heavily.

"Perhaps he's a late bloomer, give him some time, he might just surprise you." I offered, handing the baby a tissue.

"Yamaguchi-san, you never asked about families." He commented, while accepting the tissue, making me pause.

Through all his talks, he had thrown around the word 'mafia', 'family' and such without a care, and I didn't bother to 'ask' what he meant, sort of hoping he'd leave it alone, and think I was one of those accepting types.

Apparently not.

I smiled and leaned on my hand, looking down at the hitman out of the corner of my eye.

"I feel like, I don't want to know."

Black pits flashed for a moment, before his fedora shadowed his face, a small smirk working its way across chubby cheeks.

"Fair point."

* * *

I blinked as I passed the Sawada house, a faint noise making me tilt my head and freeze.

" _Aaahh!_ "

Oh, I recognise that voice.

The tree beside me shook as a black and white blur few into it, my legs moving before my mind registers the threat. I was a good few meters from the house when the blast went off, the pressure moving me forwards faster than I'd feel comfortable feeling again.

"Well, welcome to the party, Lambo." I muttered, brushing my pants off.

 **ASDFHJKL**

"I'm going now, see you later kaa-san!" I called, sticking my head into the kitchen where she was having a slow breakfast.

"Ah, Daiki-kun! Wait, take these with you!" My mother perked up suddenly, before grabbing a small zip lock bag from the kitchen counter and handing it to me.

I looked down at it and examined the contents through the clear plastic, the little purple balls of sugar rolling from one corner to the other.

"Thanks, kaa-san." Came my comment, pressing a kiss to her cheek before exiting the house.

As I walked from the bakery, I pushed a little lolly into my mouth, rolling it around on my tongue to try and figure out the flavour.

Grape.

How lovely.

* * *

"Thank you, Yamaguchi-san!" The Yumei Private girl shouted gratefully, bowing before turning and taking off in the directing of her school.

"Wait, uh this isn't…shit." I sighed, glancing down at the perfumed letter in my hand.

The confession letter addressed to Yamamoto weighed light in my hand, easily flipping to let me see the love heart sticker used to seal it shut on the other side.

The poor girl expected me to give this to him in her place, too shy to do it herself.

"This isn't a good idea." I muttered, pocketing the paper with a loud sigh.

Starting, I stepped to the side as a bicycle rode past me, a helmeted woman riding the two wheeled contraption. Keeping my eyes on her, a faint inkling of recognition passing, I watched as she came to a stop before a uniformed boy.

I narrowed my eyes when I recognised him, Tsuna.

What the hell?

"Here, you can have this."

Shit.

My eyes widened when her helmet came off, dark pink hair falling and Italian accented voice sounding.

' _Poison Scorpion' Bianchi._

The young Vongola fumbled the open can of fizzy drink, dropping it and spilling its orange contents clumsily.

"Man, I looked so uncool. But why me?"

I watched him as he reached for the can, memory telling me that he wouldn't actually touch the can and would be fine.

"Ah, it's spilling!" He yelped, my breath hitching when his fingers grasped the tainted aluminium, lifting the container.

"Sawada-san! Drop that!" I shouted, alarm making me turn and take steps towards the younger boy.

The young Vongola let out a frightened squawk, reeling mind following my order in an instant. He spun around and faced me, brown eyes wide in shock as he recoiled in on himself slightly.

"Y-Yamaguchi-san? What's wrong?" He squeaked, drawing his hands to himself.

My eyes were focused on the liquid eating away at the asphalt, a frown on my face as my mind reeled, trying to understand why he had actually _picked it up_. Tsuna wasn't meant to touch it, he was meant to see miasma or something and stop! What had gone wrong!?

I shifted my gaze to the younger boy eventually, the troubled expression still on my face. Stepping forwards, I pointed wordlessly to the pothole forming in the street, a shout ripping its way out of the Vongola heir.

"Don't take things from strangers, Sawada-san. Especially if they've already opened it." I muttered, kicking the half empty can away from us.

"What the hell?!" He squeaked out, stepping away from the hole.

Letting out a sigh, I stepped around the boy and walked away, the thoughts racing through my mind making me move faster.

Ryohei wasn't out jogging, Tsuna actually picked up the can. They're small changes, but if I wasn't there, Tsuna might have actually touched the liquid and gotten poisoned. Why'd that happen? Why are things changing?

I let out a breath, trying to calm myself with the knowledge that they were small things.

But could small things compound to a big thing?

* * *

 **|REBORN|**

 _Interesting..._ Reborn thought to himself and smirked his Smirk_Ver.17: You-peasants- are-amusing-me.  
 _(Do NOT confuse it with his_ Smirk_Ver.23: Channeling-your-Inner-Sadist-like-a-boss _or the_ Smirk_Ver.8: Your-futile-struggling-is-vaguely-entertaining-me. _Reading those smirks could save your life!)_

Yamaguchi Daiki couldn't have known about this. The chances and possibilities are almost zero. Zilch. Nada. His file and minions are so far completely accurate, and his calculations said that he would run into his dame student exactly at 7:39.

 _Which had happened._ He smirked his Smirk_Ver.12: Everything-is-going-like-planned.  
 _(Not confused with_ Smirk_Ver.7: I-know-something-that-you-don't _.)_

 _But…_ (His smirk changed to Smirk_Ver. 20: I-am-confused-and-irritated-but-too-cool-and-awesome-to-frown-like-you-commoners.) _Instead of a chance to gauge his flame control to heal Dame-Tsuna from a subtle sedative, which I convinced Bianchi to make instead of her usual, more obvious one, he prevented him from consuming it in the first place._

He smirked the Smirk_Ver.10: You-insects-better-get-ready. _Maybe this job won't be as boring as I thought…_

Because while he found Dame-Tsuna's incompetence and distress amusing every single time, the entertainment value of his girly shriek and thoughts is not to be underestimated, he was itching to be challenged. For a long, long time...

 **|REBORN|**

* * *

"It's EXTREMELY fortunate that Takeshi-kun sits next to the hall window, hey?" Ryohei roared, hands linked behind his head as we stopped by class 1-A.

"Yeah, I suppose so. Hey! Takeshi-kun!" I called, rapping my knuckles on the window beside the young Rain's head.

Class hadn't started yet, but most of the students were in their seats or crowded around their friends'.

I quietly sucked on my teeth when I noticed Takeshi was talking to Tsuna, but brushed it off when the black haired boy opened the window with a wide smile.

"Shujin-kun!"

Don't pretend you didn't just choke on your spit, Sawada. I saw everything, you can't hide the shame.

"Morning dear." I greeted, leaning on the sill and held out the little perfumed envelope.

"Oh! Daiki-kun, you don't need to give me love letters!" He cooed, leaning closer.

"Sorry sweetheart, this ain't from me. Seems you got yourself an admirer from Yumei Private. How fancy." I corrected, a lazy smile coming to my face when the other first years started tuning in on the conversation.

"Eh, then why do you have it?"

"Apparently she's too shy to give it to you herself, and she's seen us walking around together, so she came to me instead."

Takeshi flipped the paper in his hand before giving a grunt and slipping it into his bag, turning back to me.

"What? You aren't going to read it?" I asked, kicking Ryohei in the leg when he snorted.

"Nah, I'll read it when I get home." He shrugged, before looking up when the bell sounded.

"Well, we have to get going. See you."

His face formed into a pout and I laughed, sliding the window shut, the glass pressing against his nose when he tried to lean in.

* * *

"God damn Hibari-san." I muttered, carrying a large box of paper on my shoulder, Hibari's paperwork, to be exact.

"Too damn lazy to carry his own shit. First a bite-buddy, then a perch, then a launch pad! What next?! Dress me up in a frilly maid outfit and make me say ' _Fukaku watashi wo kamimasu, onegai'_?!"

The birds in the tree above me scattered as a loud, aggravated groan ripped from me.

I was meant to be in class, but the damned skylark had all but kicked the door in and dragged me out of the room.

Literally.

He grabbed my tie and just towed me out.

In front of everyone.

God damn.

I sighed, wondering why I even bothered anymore.

Knocking on the staff room's door, I handed off the box of paper, raising an eyebrow when the teacher squawked and yelled for another teacher's help.

It wasn't that heavy…

"I'll take my leave, sensei." I got out of there when they fell, not wanting to sort the paper _again_.

Standing out in the front path of the school, I took a deep breath and stretched, cracking my vertebra as I did. Reaching around, I thumped my back to try and mute an itch that hid beneath my binder, avoiding my nails through the thick material.

" _Papa!_ "

What?

I yelped as I was bowled over, something catching me in the side and throwing me on my back.

Groaning, I rubbed the back of my head as I sat up, looking down at what had attacked me out of nowhere.

"What the hell?"

The first thing I noticed was the cow print shirt and the afro, then the horns and necklace. The young boy's arms were wrapped around my waist as he sobbed into my stomach, whining about Reborn.

Lambo Bovino, a _15 year old_ Lambo Bovino, was sobbing into my shirt.

…

"I am not okay with this."

Grabbing the bawling boy by his head, I tried to push him off, only for his grip to tighten and press his body closer to mine.

"Papa! Reborn's being mean to me again! Make him listen to me!"

I stilled, the familiarity of the title making me uneasy, especially since that hinted future interactions.

It's fine, maybe I baby sit him for the Vongola sometimes or something? Maybe he says it to piss me off? Maybe I look like his dad? It doesn't mean I do anything _dumb_ in the future.

"Hey, who're you calling ' _Papa'_?! I don't know yo-"

I was cut off as a plume of smoke filled the air, the weight on my chest disappearing before being replaced by a much lighter one.

" _Lambo-san didn't mean to break the plate! Waaa!"_

Ah, the time limit must have expired.

Coughing, I waved away the cloud of smoke, the young Lightning coming into view as the particles dispersed.

I groaned when I saw his crying face, before frowning when I saw the small cut on his cheek. He has said something about a plate right? He must have gotten hurt then.

Maybe I could…just as an experiment?

Closing my eyes, I did a quick scan for Reborn's flame behind my eyelids. Finding none, I turned my attention to the teary little cow nursing his wound in my lap.

Carefully, I raised my hand, trying not to scare him, before letting two of my fingers gently prod the skin beneath the cut.

I was vaguely aware of Lambo quieting down as I focused on moving a controlled amount of flame from my core to the tips of my fingers, then carefully transferring it to the broken layers on skin on the boy's face.

Fix the capillaries, mend the nerves, sew the skin.

When the little sunshine flames dimmed and died away from my fingers, a victorious smile came to my face.

"How does that feel, sweetheart?" I asked, wiping away the beads of blood that didn't get taken back.

"Better. Thank you." He answered, a rare display of shyness taking place.

"That's good." I perked up when I remembered the little balls of grape flavoured sugar in my pocket.

"Here, have one."

Lambo's eyes lit up as I held out a small lolly for him, letting the little cow happily take the sweet and shove it into his mouth.

"Hey, what's your name?"

The young Lightning jumped to his feet, little pads digging into my thighs as he tried to stabilize himself to allow him to pose.

"I am Lambo from the Bovino Family! I am 5 years old!" He declared, words slightly muffled by the lolly in his mouth.

"Ah, nice to meet you Lambo-san. What are you doing in Nami-chu?" I asked, knowing full well he was after Reborn.

"Lambo was sent here to kill Reborn!"

Well then.

"Um, good luck with that. I guess."

"Lambo doesn't need luck!"

I know, you need a miracle.

* * *

I gave a yawn as I walked down the hall, students bustling past me as they ran to their friends' classroom to spend lunch with them.

Ryohei had been called to the staff room about something concerning his homework, nothing too serious, I hope. That however, left me to walk the halls absentmindedly to waste time and burn energy.

I lowered my hand when a familiar little boy came running, his eyes scanning the people in the hall as if trying to find someone.

When Takeshi's eyes landed on me, they flashed for less than a moment, before he came to a sudden stop before me, panting slightly.

"Hey Takeshi-kun, what's wrong?" I asked, giving a slight wave despite the proximity of the boy.

"I'm trying to find the nurse, she's not in the infirmary. Do you know where she is?"

I rolled over the question in my head, half of my mind going to where the nurse was, the other half going to the blurry timeline of the plot.

"Ah, I think she's in the staffroom, I saw her talking to the gym teacher." I answered out loud, my brain coming up with Bianchi's reveal.

"Thank you, shujin-kun!" He grinned, planting his lips on the corner of my jaw before taking off down the hall.

What?

What?

 _What!?_

I brought a hand to my face and power walked down the rest of the hall, ignoring the coos and hoots sent my way by the rest of the hall.

My pocket buzzed as my phone went off, signalling a received text. Fishing it out, I flipped it open, skipping past the image of a grumpy Takeshi covering in flour to access the text.

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _Your turn, shujin-kun ;)_

Damn, my little fiancé.

* * *

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Yamaguchi-san, could you please supervise the first year's cooking class? Just for today! They're making cakes and pastries so you'll be fine!"

I stared up at the teacher in disbelief, Ryohei and the other students snickering at me from within the classroom.

Only in Namimori Middle, does a student get asked to teach a class.

Bloody hell.

"Yeah, sure. Do I go now or..?"

"Yes, please. They're in the third practical room, thank you Yamaguchi-san! We'll be sure to put this on your record!"

I watched the teacher jog away, the poor man's nerves frayed as he yelled into his phone.

Apparently, his wife had gone into labour at the start of class, and none of the teachers could take over, so here I am. The next best thing.

Raking my hand through my hair, I stuck my head back into my classroom and called out to the teacher. She waved me off and told me to collect my handouts off of Ryohei before the next lesson and blessed me with good luck before I bolted down the hall, hoping the girls hadn't tried to start without supervision.

How the hell was I gonna teach a bunch of girls? I don't know them well enough to try and be all buddy-buddy with them, it was bound to be awkward. What if they don't believe me when I tell them I'm taking over as supervising teacher? Argh!

I slowed to a stop in front of the door, the lack of noise coming from the room, probably the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. Taking a deep breath, I swallowed my nervousness before stepping in, making myself known by clearing my throat loudly.

"Eh? Ki-nii? Why are you here?"

I turned my attention to the call, blinking when my eyes landed on Kyoko and Hana through my lens.

Oh yeah, I hadn't taken my glasses off yet. Oh well, maybe it will make me look smarter?

"Sorry everyone," I started, calling the chatting girls attention. "Kenma-sensei had an emergency to attend to, but since you're all going to do pastries and cakes, he's put me in charge of your practice today."

The halved class of girls turned to each other and murmured things, before I had two questions targeted at me.

"What happened?"

"Why are you in charge?"

I smiled hesitantly and answered both truthfully.

"Ah well, Kenma-sensei's wife had actually gone into labour and he needed to be at the hospital for the delivery."

I flinched as the girls let out screams of approval, congratulating the long gone teacher.

"And, as most of you know, I am the baker's son. So I'm pretty well versed in this branch of cooking. There appear to be no other teacher that can come in on such short notice."

The class seemed to accept my explanation, moving to their bays with their partner of choice, recipes they printed from home in hand. I let them go about their business, only interrupting the class once to demonstrate the creaming method, before releasing them again.

* * *

 **|S.K|**

Kyoko became giddy when she saw her other brother enter the classroom, taking control of the situation easily. He had yet to even walk entirely through the door and had already got the class in order, girls in their bays and the role in his hand, ready to mark.

Kyoko really did love her brothers, they we both so cool.

"Geez, he's so jumpy." Hana drawled, rolling her eyes.

"What? No, Ki-nii is the bravest person I know!" The young girl squawked, turning to her friend with a pout.

"C'mon Kyoko-chan, he's obviously nervous. I don't blame him, girls can be feral around a good looking boy. If he weren't already with Yamamoto-san, I'm pretty sure he would have torn apart." The long haired girl smirked, pulling her black locks into a ponytail upon Daiki's instruction.

"Okay girls, apparently you all have your own recipes to follow. Pick your partner and have at it, call for me if you need anything."

" _Anything?_ " A classmate giggled, leaning on her bay top suggestively.

"Sorry, sweetheart, I'm already spoken for."

Kyoko gave a small laugh when she saw a good porting of the room deflate, pouts and complaints shared through the class.

"For those who don't know me, my name is Yamaguchi Daiki. Okay, respond to your name please. Abe-san?"

Abe gave a wave from the back corner of the class, the rest of the girls quieting down as they waited for their name to pass.

"Akane-san?"

"Please, call me Kana-chan. _Yamaguchi-kun._ "

"Maybe when you start buttoning up the rest of your shirt, Akane-san."

The class let out a low 'ooooh' and laughed, Akane pulling her apron up a bit higher.

"Damn, he has no mercy, hey." Hana laughed, pulling out bowls and utensils.

"Ki-nii has always been appreciative of modesty." Kyoko breathed in response, grabbing the tray and walking with her to the centre table to collect their ingredients.

"Kurokawa-san?"

"Over here, Daiki-san."

Daiki gave her a nod before turning to the next girl on the role.

As Hana measured their flour, Kyoko turned her attention to the only boy in the room, a small smile coming to her face as she mused to herself.

Yamaguchi Daiki, despite the boy being eleven years late, Kyoko could barely remember a time where Daiki hadn't been in her life. As a child, she had been enamoured by the stories her brother told her about the adventures he and his mysterious friends went on during breaks and weekends, how he catered to her brother's rash and extreme nature, inherited by their father.

For years, Kyoko had pieced together an image of the boy from Ryohei's childish and basic explanations, slowly adding personality and appearance to the base in her mind.

Daiki was a source of escape for her, her mind running off as she imagined how she would meet the older boy. Perhaps they would meet at a grand ball, him asking her for a dance. Maybe they would fall in love, and then their identities would be revealed to one another! Each version was as fantastical and glittery as the last, making the young child swoon.

But the way they had met, was by far the greatest. And the scariest.

Kyoko didn't mean to cause so much distress, going with the two boys with the promise of seeing her brother. She didn't know the amount of pain that would follow, for both Ryohei and Daiki.

The confrontation had been harsh and brutal to their young minds, curses and fists thrown at each party by both sides. Ryohei being beaten by the two elder boys and just as it seemed like it was all over.

He appeared.

Daiki came running and protected them both, using strength that neither of them had to defend them.

Grass stained knees, scraped up elbows and bleeding from multiple places, Daiki turned to the two Sasagawa siblings, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. Despite his rough appearance at that time, Kyoko couldn't see anything other than her white knight. A noble man, come to save her and her brother from despair.

Kyoko would be embarrassed to admit, but for the next few years, she wrote out plans for her wedding with Daiki, how many kids they would have and what their house would look like. She dreamt of clichéd walks on the shore and fancy dinners by candle light, creating and reconstructing how he would propose and how old they would be when it happened.

Then Yamamoto Takeshi came into the picture.

When Ryohei had come home telling her about the boy, she had almost teared up, but managed to keep it in. She was jealous, she knew, and she didn't like the feeling. Kyoko had the good sense to keep a lid on her tantrum when her brother told her about Daiki going to a sleepover and the shift in his interactions with the other boy.

For a while, Kyoko didn't like Takeshi.

Then she saw Daiki's face when they were around one another.

The tanned boy always seemed to have some sort of trouble resting on his mind, a certain layer that stuck to his mentality and weighed him down, only really lifting around Ryohei.

Around Yamamoto, however, it was almost as if the layer was…washed away.

The chef's son had a presence that set Daiki's mind at ease and allowed his muscles to relax, whether they knew it or not. When their hands brushed, Daiki's eyes would clear and become alert, and when Yamamoto hugged him, he settled down, racing mind and surging body finally getting a chance to rest and take its time.

When Kyoko saw that, she willingly stepped down from her pedestal, instead taking up the role of younger sister. And you know what?

Kyoko watched as Daiki shifted his glasses, ready for her name to be called.

"Imouto?" He hummed, looking to her.

"I'm here, Ki-nii!"

She couldn't be happier.

 **|S.K|**

* * *

"We're all done?" I asked, drying my hands as I surveyed the room.

A chorus of affirmatives rung through the class as they balanced their treats on plates, excited titters flying from person to person.

"Okay, in an _orderly fashion_ , we're going to go upstairs and give some to the boys to try. Don't run, or you might drop them and we don't want that."

I opened the door and let them out before closing the door behind them, locking their bags and valuables in the room. Pocketing the keys, I walked to the head of the swarm, leading them to classroom containing the other half of their class.

"Now," I started, sliding the door open and addressing the small group of boys. "These lovely ladies were kind enough to make you lot some delicious cakes, be nice and take them with gratitude."

With that, I stepped aside and let the girls in, watching in amusement as they called for their crushes and friends.

"Daiki-kun!"

I let out a laugh as I caught Takeshi's hand when he approached, spun him with old knowledge from salsa class, and pushed him back to the crowd of boys.

"Sorry sweetheart, but today's about the girls. Enjoy your cakes." All of the smiles and waves I sent him didn't do any good to remove the pout on his face, before he turned to Tsuna and did a 180.

Turning my attention away from the boys, I focused on the girls, scanning them and their products proudly. A sudden shift amongst the crowd made me straighten slightly, a frown coming to my face when a flash of pink showed through the white and blue of the uniforms.

It took me a moment, but my mind came up with the answer.

Bianchi.

I thought about leaving her, and letting events take place as they were foretold, before a glance to Kyoko's excited face made me break.

She looked so happy, she was excited to give her intended the cake she worked hard to make.

I bit my lip, before walking out of the class and standing behind the group of girls. Reaching through them, I let my hand circle around Bianchi's bicep and fluidly pulled her out of the mass, thankful that she still held her poisoned cooking in her hand.

I had been fast enough. Good.

"What the-"

"Excuse me miss, but I do believe that you are trespassing, and unless you gave give me a visitors permit, I must ask you to leave." I cut her off, crossing my arms while keeping an eye on the cake in her hand.

"You. How did you see me?" She asked, taking a step back.

How _did_ I see her?

"I just happened to be looking, I suppose." I shrugged, before dodging under the platter of purple flung at me.

Giving a cough, I covered my mouth and nose with my hand as the miasma rose from the plate, Bianchi already vaulting out a window.

Grunting in annoyance, I pulled out my phone and typed a text to Hibari quickly.

 _To: Cloud_

 _Get the janitor in front of class 1-A quick. Intensive. Possibly corrosive._

Shoving my phone back into my pocket, I entered the class again, leaning against the door as I watched the happy scene.

It was a lot more tranquil than what would have happened, Takeshi surrounded by girls as he formed a cavity and Tsuna accepting the cake from Kyoko, blushing bright red.

"Lambo-san wants a cake!"

I looked down at the little cow, scooping him up before he could throw the room into chaos.

"Sorry sweetie, but all of the cakes have been given to someone."

Placing the boy on my hip, I laughed as he began to tear up, a pout on his face.

"But Lambo-san wants sweet things!"

"You want another grape lolly?" I asked, fishing one out.

"Yes! Yes! Lambo-san loves grape and candy!" He cheered, happily letting me shove a sugar ball into his mouth.

"Eh!? Lambo-san, why are you here!?"

Both Lambo and I looked to the call, the visage of Tsunayoshi standing in a strange, half jump stance greeting us.

"Oh, is he yours, Sawada-san?" I asked, accepting Lambo's outstretched hand with my pointer.

"No! I mean yes! Sort of!"

Raised eyebrows were traded through the room the young Vongola tried to make a proper sentence that didn't contradict itself, failing quite miserably.

I smiled when Kyoko let out a laugh, Tsuna deflating in defeat as Takeshi pat him on the back.

Yeah, a little change can't affect _that_ much.

* * *

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _Morning shujin-kun!_

A small laugh left me as I read the text, before I quickly typed as response, dodging around a telephone pole.

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _Do you not have practice today?_

The reply was almost instantaneous, my phone going off seconds after I sent it.

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _I do, I'm just texting you during a water break!_

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _Ah, gotta go! See you at school! ;D_

I stared at the emoticon for a moment, before rolling my eyes and snapping the phone shut. Shoving it back into my pocket, I let my hand glance over my brass, before glancing up when a shadow was cast over me.

What the…

" _Hello!"_

" _Ciaossu."_

Nope!

I began to walk faster, my breath catching and my body coming to a stop when I felt a tug on my leg. Looking down, I let a growl rumble in my chest when I saw Leon transformed into a rope and wrapped around my ankle.

" _It's that girl…"_

" _My name is Miura Haru."_

I could hear her voice shaking as she tried to keep her balance, muscles straining to stop her body from swaying.

" _I know. You follow us a lot when we're going to school."_

" _What is it today?"_

" _Um, will you be my friend?"_

" _Sure."_

God damn, I didn't know humans could hit that pitch.

I rubbed my ear in irritation as I tried to pull my foot free, noticing Leon's face traveling down the line towards me.

" _Yamaguchi Daiki, you've been standing there for a while."_

Glancing over my shoulder, I sent the baby a passive glance, ignoring the screech that left the young Vongola.

"Hello Reborn-san, it seems that your strange pet has taken a liking to my foot."

Get him off, _please_.

"Eh!? Yamaguchi-kun!?"

My eyes snapped up at the yelp and my arms tensed when I saw Haru's body tilting dangerously, my own body moving forwards and catching her without my consent.

Wait…wasn't Haru meant to be able to do gymnastics…I DIDN'T NEED TO SAVE HER! STUPID BODY!

Glancing down at the girl in my arms, forcing a smile on my face to cover up my moment of stupidity.

"Miura-chan, are you okay?" I asked, tilting my head slightly.

I stilled sharply when I saw the dazed expression on her face, a faint redness coming to her cheeks a she drew her hands to her chest.

Oh no.

Please no.

"Y-You can call me Haru-chan, Yamaguchi-kun." She murmured, glancing to the side.

Shit.

"Ah- Yamaguchi-san? Your foot is still…" Tsuna tried, hand raised half-heartedly as his body half deflated.

Same, Tsuna. Same.

"Reborn-san, can you release me?" I urged, happily taking my foot back when the baby hitman stroked Leon.

Carefully, I put Haru down and took a step back, watching as the girl jumped back into the plotted event.

"Ah, I know this seems a bit rushed, but can I squeeze you like this?" She asked, hugging herself tightly.

My eyes widened slightly when I saw Leon shift, his body morphing into his second most common form: a gun.

"Don't be so familiar with me. I'm a hitman, you see."

Hey, that would have rhymed in English.

Focus!

Tsuna's eyes latched onto mine, and I responded with a raised brow, watching in amusement as he fell into a state of panic.

"Hey, don't say that stuff in public-"

Hand!

Stepping up behind Haru, I gripped her wrist in a gentle hold, the sudden stop letting her fingers glance over the young Vongola's cheek.

Tsuna remained frozen as he looked up at the hand that had brushed his cheek, eyes locking on tanned fingers that circled a pale wrist.

"Now, now Haru-chan, there's no need for that."

* * *

 **|REBORN|**

Reborn the Sun Arcobaleno, was _not_ happy.

His student, Dame-Tsuna, had tried to harmonize with someone _outside_ of his selection.

He had tried to harmonize, and had _failed_. _Miserably_.

Now, Reborn wasn't _happy_ , but he wasn't _angry._ He wasn't angry, because the young Vongola had finally showed some promise.

He had tried to get to Yamaguchi Daiki.

A boy who had _somehow_ managed to fly under the Mafia's radar despite his ability. His flame ability.

Reborn wouldn't admit it, but he didn't expect the boy to be so able in his control of his flames, being able to almost completely extinguish his flame when he _felt harmonization!_

Normal people don't _feel_ harmonization, they feel attachment. The process of harmonizing tends to be subconscious, instinctual, neither Sky nor guardian was meant to be aware of the process until it had taken place.

And yet, the baker's son had stopped the Sky flames in its tracks and managed to avoid harmonization.

At first, Reborn thought something was wrong with the boy, the way his flame seemed to fluctuate randomly did not seem healthy. But after the display, it was revealed that the boy knew he had flames.

Now, how much did he know _about_ them, that was one of the questions.

Another, was, can Tsuna do it again?

The rejection had been harsh, but not brutal, there had been worse rejections, which resulted in flames being permanently bruised, some even stunted.

If he could do it again, and gain the boy as one of his guardians, or at the very least an underling...Oh how would Reborn _love_ to wave the little gem he found at the other Arcobaleno.

Then there was Sasagawa Ryohei, practically a carbon copy of the First Generation's Sun Guardian. His flame seemed to be constantly ignited, the boy constantly working to the 'extreme'.

The two sun flames worked so wonderfully, that it would be a waste to leave either of them, but at the same time…

Reborn glanced at the figure typing away at his phone, a few paces in front of them, before glancing at his student.

Tsuna kept glancing from the ground to Yamaguchi's back, clutching his bag as he tried to work up the courage to talk to the boy again.

Could Reborn manage to get _either_ of them?

Yamaguchi had already rejected the Sky once, and Ryohei would definitely feel the hostility emanating from the boy's flame.

Ryohei would probably only go with Tsuna if Yamaguchi did, and Yamaguchi might just knock him off if he tried to harmonize again.

There was a careful balance that needed to take place, a certain measure that needed to be taken in order for either of them to become a guardian.

Reborn was all for Ryohei being the guardian, having the abilities of the First and the same pure drive, but Yamaguchi had his own tricks, his awareness of his flames and his strength making up for his lack of drive. Not to mention he was already in some sort of companionship with all of the current candidates.

But, of course, that all relied on Tsuna being able to try again with Yamaguchi.

"I'm a hitman, you see." Reborn said, displaying a transformed Leon to the civilian girl.

The baby hitman blocked out the dame's whining, instead attaching his eyes to the sudden movement that came from both Haru and Yamaguchi.

The elder boy grasped the girl's wrist carefully, his other hand coming to hover inches away from her stomach to keep her from moving forwards and advance on Tsuna.

"Now, now Haru-chan, no need for that." He drawled, keeping his face carefully blank when the girl rounded on him.

"Yamaguchi-kun? Why'd you stop me? He's horrible, tainting the poor baby's pure heart with his dirty nature!"

"How do you know it's his fault?" He asked, spinning her around.

As they began debating, Reborn noticed the subtle movement of their bodies, more specifically Yamaguchi's.

They were moving, just slightly, but they were swapping positions, making the boy closer to the Sky than the young girl was.

The baby hitman turned his attention to Tsuna, a smirk coming to his face when he saw the faint awed expression on the dame's face.

Hm, maybe they still had a chance.

 **|REBORN|**

* * *

I groaned as I relaxed into my chair, another test over, and another score waiting to be presented.

"Wow, that was a hard one, but I think I got it TO THE EXTREME!" Ryohei whispered harshly, leaning towards me as the teacher began the next topic on the board.

"Yeah, so long as you remember to keep most of the answers as surds, it's easy." I agreed, glancing at him, before stalling.

Ryohei's face was frozen and his forehead began to gleam with sweat, the sound of his heart breaking auditable to the entire room.

"You…didn't keep it in surds. Did you?" I sighed, both our heads dropping in defeat.

"Yamaguchi-san, Sasagawa-san, care to share with the class?"

Ryohei and I froze, snapping our heads to the teacher, before ducking them and mumbling apologies, glancing at each other with matching hesitant smiles.

We cracked open our workbooks and began copying down formula, diagrams and examples, ignoring the snickers passed around by our less than sympathetic classmates.

Nudging the Sasagawa child with my elbow, I tapped the little kanji in the corner of my margin.

 _Study session?_

He grinned before scribbling an answer down in his own lines.

 _EXTREME! Yours or mine?_

I spun my pacer for a moment, thinking about whether Kaede would mind the company, before remembering she was going to be out until late.

 _Mine, kaa-san's not gonna be there though, so I'll cook dinner for us._

 _EXTREMELY!? Can you cook one of your Western dishes again?!_

 _Sure, wanna try pasta this time?_

"EXTREME!"

"Sasagawa-san, it seems that you know the answer then, please show the class."

Oh shit.

Glancing at the board, I quickly wrote down the answer and jammed the paper into Ryohei's book, hoping he'd take it with him.

He did, thank God.

* * *

 **|S.R|**

Sasagawa Ryohei started in surprise when he saw the small answer wedged between the pages in his book, the way the x's were written hinted to just who had helped him.

The pale haired boy glanced over his shoulder, looking at his brother-from-another-mother, relief written clear on his face.

Daiki had always been there for him, saving his ass from his own stupidity and recklessness.

"Anytime now, Sasagawa-san. I can assure you, the answer isn't Yamaguchi-san."

Daiki rolled his eyes as the class fell into a fit of giggles, before sending him a thumbs up and a slight smile.

Ryohei grinned and turned to the board, grabbing a piece of chalk and wrote down the answer.

 _(x-3)(x+3)_

"Uh, well done, Sasagawa-kun. You may sit down."

The Sun plonked his behind back down in his seat without hesitance, purposely bumping the older boy's arm with his elbow.

Daiki shifted, relaxing into his seat as the teacher continued to write down more examples, crossing his left leg so that his knee rested on Ryohei's thigh. This was their usual position during class, some part of their bodies touching, whether it be their arms, feet or legs.

The rest of their peers had got a kick out of it at the beginning, but once Yamamoto came into the picture, they settled down and started referring to them as their ' _brOTP_ ' whatever that meant.

Girls are weird, honestly.

Ryohei tapped his pacer against his paper as his eyes trailed down to the watch on Daiki's wrist, the taps going in time with the ticks.

* * *

"Sensei said we need to partner up, so you'll be my EXTREME partner!" A five year old Ryohei roared, pointing to the seated boy in front of him.

"I'd rather no-Hey!"

The Sun paid the boy no mind as he dragged him over to a little table, another pair already seated and discussing ideas.

The Sasagawa child forced the older boy to sit before dropping into the little chair beside him, leaning forwards excitedly.

"So, what did the teacher ask us to do again?!"

The boy before him placed his hand on his face, before sighing and going through the instructions again.

"Sensei told us to decorate a hat together, we have the paper, instructions, feathers and scissors here." He breathed, pointing to the pile dropped in the middle of the table.

"Okay! Let's get started, TO THE EXTREME!"

The blue haired boy groaned before collecting bits of everything for his self-proclaimed partner, his lip pulled into a slight frown.

"So, what do we want to make it look like?" He asked, turning to Ryohei.

"I have no EXTREME idea!"

"…" He stared at him blankly for a moment, before slumping, a little smile barely hidden by the shadow cover his face.

The young sun tilted his head when a splurge of unfamiliar noises came from the boy.

What on earth did _'he's so fucking cute'_ mean? Could you eat it?

"Okay, why don't we make a crown then?"

Ryohei's grin brightened, making the boy in front of him rub his eyes for some reason, before he nodded.

"Yeah! Yeah! We'll be EXTREME kings!"

"We're only making one hat." He sighed, pulling a piece of yellow paper from the pile.

"Eh? But that means one of us won't get a crown!"

The blue haired boy shrugged, grabbing some safety scissors, before patting the little Sun on the shoulder.

"It's fine, you can be the king."

The two boys fiddled with the paper, following the elder's plan for the design. It was simple, as expected of children their age, and more than a little messy, but Ryohei was proud of it.

"Wow, that's really good, Ryohei-kun, Daiki-kun." The teacher cooed, looking over their shoulder.

"TO THE EXTREME! So Daiki is your EXTREME name!" The Sun roared, leaning closer to the boy.

"Yes, Yamaguchi Daiki." He answered, leaning further away in response.

"I'm Sasagawa Ryohei, TO THE EXTREME!"

Ryohei blinked when Daiki's face jumped through a rainbow expressions, before slamming to a stop on carefully blank.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" He asked, reaching out to poke Daiki's cheek.

"Wow."

Ryohei reached out with both hands and squish both sides of the other boy's face, a grin spreading across again.

"Wow! Your cheeks are EXTREMELY soft!"

"Pwese wet go." He tried, hand coming to pry away Ryohei's.

Holding both of the pale haired boy's wrists in one hand, he pushed them to the table, before fitting the crown to the size of his head and walked off to get the paper stapled.

Ryohei watched quietly as a small team of children shifted to the side for the boy, shying away from his glance.

"Hey, Sasagawa-kun, why're you talking to him? He's _weird_." One of the boys from the pair sitting with them asked, leaning towards him as he shielded his mouth.

"Eh, what do you mean TO THE EXTREME!?" Ryohei asked, tilting his head.

"Ssssh! Don't yell, he'll hear us!" He whispered harshly, sending the blue haired boy a glance.

"He's really weird! He talks like my dad does, and he never smiles! Kaa-san says smiling is good, so he must be a bad!"

The little Sun glanced over to the boy and he couldn't help but be confused, squinting as he scanned Daiki's face.

"What are you talking about? He's smiling! It's obvious TO THE EXTREME!" He said, pointing to the boy standing at the teacher's desk, stapler in hand.

"Quiet! He'll hear you!"

Both boys turned their heads to Daiki to check that they were still in the clear, the boy from the other pair freezing, and Ryohei waving when they saw him staring at them with a flat expression.

"Here you go, Sasagawa-san." He said, propping the crown on his head.

Ryohei grinned, his hand coming to stabilise his crown as he watched Daiki clear their table, walking to the bin before turning his attention to the teacher who intercepted him. He tilted his head as the blue haired boy talked quietly to her, before frowning.

Yeah, Daiki was defiantly smiling. How could he not see it?

"Are you EXTREMELY sure he's not smiling?" Ryohei asked, nudging the boy.

He glances at the Sun before looking back at his half done hat, ignoring all of Ryohei's urging.

* * *

"Hey Daiki-kun! Let's play TO THE EXTREME!"

Daiki looked up from his book, an annoyed expression pulling at his face.

"You've been following me around for the past week, Sasagawa-san, what do you want?"

"I wanna be EXTREME friends!"

"No."

Ryohei crouched in front of him, a pout obvious on his face.

"Eh? Why not?"

The boy was about to say something scathing, before snapping his jaw shut and standing.

"I don't need to give you a reason." He said, walking off.

Ryohei watched him go, his brow frowning as his eyes latched on the tight grip Daiki had on his book, before a grin split his face.

"Yamaguchi Daiki!" He roared, making the boy, and everyone else in the playground, turn to him.

Ryohei pointed at him, squared his shoulders and spaced his feet, before continuing his declaration.

"By the end of the EXTREME year, you and I will be EXTREME friends! TO THE EXTREME!"

* * *

Every day after that, Ryohei would make a point of singling out the boy. Ambushing him at every turn and bend, going as far as hanging from the ceiling fan once to jump him when Daiki went to return a book to the shelf.

" _Daiki-kun! Be my EXTREME friend!"_

" _Oh, for the love of lily pads – NO!"_

Neither of them know when it happened, but at some point, they had started some sort of war that no one else was allowed to touch.

If a teacher asked Ryohei to stop annoying Daiki, the older boy would say they were playing, and if someone spoke badly about Daiki, Ryohei would come down on them like a ton of bricks.

They don't know when it started, but they ate together during breaks, Ryohei sitting a metre away, then an arm's length, then they were leaning on each other in their sleep.

First they were yelling, then they were harshly talking, then they were trading secrets into each other's ears, snickering at the other's expense.

Slowly they had integrated into each other's life and had moulded their actions around the other, accommodating each of their quirks and making up for shortcomings.

"We've got to go to elementary school next year, where are you going?" Daiki asked on the last day of school, sucking on his lolly.

"Namimori Elementary, where else?" Ryohei laughed, teeth clacking against his own sucker.

"Hm, same."

"Oh yeah, and Daiki-kun?"

"Yes, Sasagawa-kun?"

"I win."

* * *

"Oi, Ryohei-kun! Stop looking at me like that, I'm getting the creeps." Daiki scowled, pressing his workbook to Ryohei's face.

"Aw c'mon Daiki-kun, my face is EXTREMELY good looking!"

"Ah, that must be why you haven't ever had a girlfriend in your life."

"Low blow, Daiki-kun. Low blow."

"You two!"

Both of the boys jumped and sat back straight, heads down and scribbling equations into their books.

"Sorry, sensei!" They yelped, grimacing when they both got taps on the head from a book.

"Partners in crime, you two, I swear." The teacher sighed, before going back to his desk.

Daiki and Ryohei glanced at each other before snickering, their hands flying to their mouths as they tried to write legibly.

Oh, if only he knew.

 **|S.R|**

* * *

I yawned as Ryohei and I walked from the classroom, just barely dodging a detention.

"So, we head over to my house and have dinner?"

"That's the EXTREME plan!" He roared, clapping me on the back.

Stopping for a moment, I noticed my pocket buzz with my phone going off.

"Hey, Ryohei-kun, stop for a sec. Someone's calling me – Hello?"

" _Ah, hi shujin-kun!"_

"Oh, hey Takeshi-kun. What's up, you got your score yet?" I asked, moving with Ryohei to the gates.

" _Yeah, about that actually…I failed."_

My pause made my partner stop as well, before he signalled that he was going to talk to Kyoko and ran off at my nod.

" _I got 20%! More than last time!"_

"Takeshi-kun…20% isn't all that great, still." I sighed, glancing around at the flow of students.

" _I know, but I have to retake the test tomorrow! So, can you and I have a study session?"_

Oh damn.

"I'm actually having Ryohei-kun over tonight – give me a sec." Turning away from the phone, I looked to where the Sun was standing and hollered loudly.

"Oi Ryohei-kun! Do you mind if Takeshi-kun comes!?"

He paused for a moment before nodding and shouting: " _HE'S EXTREMELY WELCOME!_ "

"Yep, you can come. He's fine with it, we were just gonna study anyway." I said into the phone.

There was silence for a moment, the faint breathing the only thing that told me that the Rain was still on the line.

" _Okay, I'll come around a bit later. See you then, love you!_ "

I stood quietly stunned as the line cut off, the deep constant beeping going off in my ear.

"Oi, Daiki-kun? What's EXTREMELY wrong?" Ryohei asked, leaning around to look at my face.

"He…He said _'love you'_ …"

"YOU'RE EXTREMELY BLUSHING!"

"Shut up."

* * *

Ryohei and I sat on the floor, leaning back on the couch as we watched another episode of Doraemon on the television.

Taking a synchronised sip of juice, we let out a sigh before waiting for the opening to finish.

"I remember this being more engaging." I muttered.

"WHAT EXTREME MACHINE IS THAT?!"

Looking at Ryohei with a flat expression, I watched as he leaned closer to the screen completely engrossed in the show meant for children.

"EXTREME! VOICE CANDY!" He roared, throwing his hands up.

I sat in silence as the sticky liquid rained down on me, my white shirt slowly turning orange and see through.

This, kids, is why we wear undershirts.

"…"

"I'm gonna have a bath." I sighed, before punching the boy in the side, his body crumbing to the floor as he wheezed out an apology.

Grabbing a bundle of clothes from my room, I slipped a spare binder between the layers before grabbing a towel and walking into the bathroom. Dropping my stuff on the toilet seat lid, I got the shower running before dropping my pants and shedding my first shirt.

I heard the harsh thumps of footsteps before the bathroom door was flung open, Ryohei standing in its wake with a huge grin on his face, arms crossed and feet spaced.

"DAIKI-KUN! LET'S TAKE A BATH TOGETHER!"

 _Holy mother of Jesus!_

"Ryohei-kun," I started, looking at him as my face slowly darkened into a glare. "Cover that up, before I cut it off."

"But Daiki-kun! We're both EXTREME men, so it doesn't matter! Besides, they do it in manga all the time!" He declared, putting his hand on his hips.

 _Eyes up, Daiki. Don't subject yourself to that hell._

"Wait…what manga are you reading?" I asked slowly, suspicion bubbling to life.

"A friend of our Imouto gave her a manga for her birthday this year! It was about two EXTREME friends and how they bonded! A lot!" He let out a hearty laugh as he threw his head back.

…

…

How should I break this to him…?

"Ryohei-kun, by any chance, did one of the two _friends_ have an _extremely_ defined jaw and was significantly more masculine than the other?"

Let's go with the classics, shall we?

"EXTREME! Are you a mind reader Daiki-kun?!"

"No! Stop! Don't come closer-just-just stay over there!"

"But Daiki-kun!"

"Put some clothes on _TO THE EXTREME!_ "

 _ **BANG!**_

"Now where was I…Ah yeah-"

 _Holy mother of Jesus! What the hell?! Ah! My eyes! My soul! No!_

"I feel violated." I muttered, slumping against the door, my hand coming up to lock the door three times, just to make sure.

Moving away from the door, I stripped off the last white shirt, before I began the true fight.

Getting the binder off.

Pray for me.

…

 _Wait, Kyoko reads yaoi?!_

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Yamamoto Takeshi hummed to himself as he walked back to his home, intent on telling his father his plans for the evening and take some sushi to his fiancé's house. He _had_ hoped it would just be the two of them, but it's common knowledge that you had to get their significant other's friends to like you as well to make the relationship work!

"And besides, shujin-kun promised to marry me as long as _I_ don't move on." The young Rain laughed quietly, before pausing when he saw the familiar visage of his friend ahead of him.

Tsuna always had something new and interesting going on around him, something always ready to get Takeshi's blood pumping and his mind racing. That made the young Rain follow after him, the desire for the strange and dangerous constantly being peaked as more and more days past in his company. His friendship, and the others that came with it, was a welcome bonus to the thrill he experienced.

What would happen if two strangers came together?

Takeshi thought back to class and smiled when he remembered the boy was much in the same boat as him, required to take another test.

His Daiki wouldn't mind…

"Yo, Tsuna-san!" The young Rain called, tapping the smaller boy on the shoulder, making him turn.

"Do you want to the homework together? It'll be a lot faster, the more people there are!"

"Yeah, sure!" Tsunayoshi agreed, perhaps a little too quickly.

" _Then let's do it at our house."_

Both first years sent each other confused glances before scanning the area for the noise, eventually focussing on the plants next to them.

Takeshi managed to keep his expression the same when a familiar baby emerged from the ground, turning to face them through foliage.

"Yo!" He greeted, smiling as interesting things took place, just as he had wanted.

"Why are you choosing where we do our homework?!" Tsuna asked, crouching slightly.

"Because I'm your tutor."

"Ah, actually," The smiling Rain started, raising his hand to draw attention to himself. "I have an upperclassmen who is willing to help us, and was going to go to their house."

"Oh? And who would that be?" The little baby asked, looking up at the tall teen.

"My fiancé, Yamaguchi Daiki!"

"Eh!? Fiancé!?" Tsuna's jaw dropped as he stared at the young Rain with wide eyes.

Reborn became quiet for a moment, before Leon transformed into a phone, letting him send the new arrangements to Gokudera.

"Very well then, I've invited Gokudera-san. He'll meet us at the bakery."

Takeshi grinned, suddenly wondering if Daiki would _really_ mind the sudden influx of people coming to his house.

"I wonder if Daiki-kun will get mad at me…" He muttered as Tsuna started to yell at Reborn, before shrugging.

"Nah, he loves me too much."

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

"Yes! Finally!" I hissed harshly, throwing my hands up in victory.

With my binder finally back on, I shuffled over and pulled on a dark blue shirt, before throwing my legs through a pair of track pants, pulling the string tight.

I sighed as I walked back into the living room, Ryohei, thankfully dressed, laying on his stomach on the floor, having a deep conversation with Mephisto.

"I wonder if you can understand us. What do you see, Miphy? Dogs can only see in black and white, right? Does that feel lonely? Having no colour in your life?" He sighed, before slowly drawing his finger to Mephisto's nose with a quiet 'boop'.

He must have grabbed some his clothes that he leaves in my room a lot, always forgetting to take them home after a sleepover. His uniform replaced by a white, long sleeved shirt and grey, baggy pants.

A slight smirk came to my face as I made a large arc around him, keeping my feet light until I was just behind the young Sun and took a deep breath.

"SASAGAWA RYOHEI!"

"YES! KAA-SAN!?"

I bit my lip when we made eye contact, snickers falling from them as his eyes slowly narrowed into slits.

"Daiki-kun?"

"Yes, Ryohei-kun?" I responded, stuttering hisses escaping as laughs.

"You made an EXTREMELY big mistake."

"Ah that reminds me, you're kinda small." Was my answer, pointing southwards.

"DAIKI-KUN!" He roared, leaping at me.

"And that's the door!" I laughed, dodging under his attack and running out of the room.

Rubbing my hair with my towel, I called out that I had heard as I approached the door, opening it as I let the fluffy material fall around my neck.

"Hey Takesh- shit."

I stared at the three other males standing in my door, each of them wearing different expressions.

"Eh? Yamamoto-kun, did you multiply TO THE EXTREME?" Ryohei asked, coming up from behind me.

"No, no! Tsuna-san needs tutoring as well, and Gokudera-kun is really smart so he could help! You don't mind, do you Daiki-kun?" Takeshi asked, clapping his hands together and leaning forwards.

"No, I suppose not." I deadpanned.

 _I care immensely._

"C'mon in, we haven't started yet." I called, stepping out of the way.

"Sorry for the intrusion." They muttered, before the young Rain turned to me.

"Hey Daiki-kun, where's Kaede-kaa-san?"

"Kaa-san is gone until late, I have no idea when she's coming back." I shrugged before closing the door behind them.

"Ah yeah! Gokudera-kun, I haven't introduced you yet!"

I was just about to correct the younger boy, when he grabbed me and wrapped himself around my arm.

"Gokudera-kun, this is my husband, Daiki-kun!"

" _HUSBAND!?"_

A sigh escaped me, before I nodded to the silver haired teen, submitting to the young Rain's will.

"Hello again, little one." I breathed, before petting Takeshi's head and parting from the group the clear the coffee table.

"So," I started, everyone sat down and their books out. "Takeshi-kun here tells me that two of you have to retake a test. Am I correct?"

"Y-yeah." Tsuna deflated, looking down at his paper.

"Okay then, what's the topic, and what do you have trouble with?"

"Algebra, and most of it." Takeshi laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Same for me."

Ryohei and I glanced at each other before shrugging, Ryohei rummaging through his bag for his plethora of notes as I motioned the boys to come closer.

"Okay, show us your books, we'll work fro-" My jaw clicked shut when I saw both their books, the boys fidgeting at my sudden silence.

"Takeshi-kun, less game plans, more diagrams. Sawada-san, less doodling, more writing." I stated simply, taking a certain joy in how they flinched.

I flipped through their books, reading between their scribbles to scan their limited copying and exercises. Shutting them both, I stood from the table and walked into my room.

Rummaging through a box under my desk, I pulled two thick grid books out and moved back to the living room, dropping them in front of the two children.

"Use these from now on, you've damaged the others beyond repair. You should never draw on thin paper with white board marker, or permanent marker." Their heads ducked as I dropped back next to Ryohei, who was snickering.

"Hey! You have no right to say that to the Tenth!" Gokudera snapped, standing sharply.

I let a frown fall onto my face, leaning back on my hands to look at him lazily.

"Careful, little one, you're in my territory now."

" _He's right you know, a Mafioso should always be wary in other's territory."_

Oh God, sure Reborn, turn this into a Mafia lesson.

"Eh? Where's that come from TO THE EXTREME!?" Ryohei roared, his head snapping to every angle.

Glancing around, I watched the others look for the baby hitman in equal confusion.

"Mafioso?" I asked, a little sadistic flicker coming to life when Tsuna paled exponentially.

"Uh-that! He doesn't mean _Mafioso_ -Mafioso, he means-ah!"

"We're playing this Mafia roleplay game a lot, and Tsuna-san's the Boss!" Takeshi laughed, throwing his thumb over his shoulder at the young Vongola.

"Oh?" I breathed, sending Tsuna a glance before smiling.

"Sounds like fun."

"Do you wanna join?" He asked, leaning towards me.

Oh _GOD_ no!

"No thank you, Takeshi-kun."

"Ah, Daiki-kun, can we talk about how your house is EXTREMELY haunted!?" Ryohei urged, yanking at my sleeve.

"Really Ryohei-kun, are you still scared of ghosts?"

"Hey! You're the one who _made_ me scared of them! TO THE EXTREME!"

"It was _one_ Goosebumps episode, it wasn't even one of that really scary ones!"

" _The amount of time it has taken to find me is quite worrying, maybe I need to step up your training, Tsuna-kun."_

" _HIEEEEEi!_ Please no!"

Letting out a long sigh, I closed my eyes and searched.

…

When the hell…?

Standing carefully, I grabbed the television and pulled, the large box sliding along the wall as if it were on wheels, revealing Reborn seated in the wall.

"Reborn-san, why are you in my wall?"

"I'm Tsuna-kun's tutor."

I stared at him, my face deadpanned, before sighing a stepping to the side, letting him jump out of the hollow and land on the couch.

"When in other's territory, a Mafioso should respect the Boss of that place, even if they themselves is a Boss. It's common courtesy. That being said, you shouldn't accept blatant insult, and uphold your image." Reborn lectured, seating himself down.

"Sure…" I muttered before turning back to the students at the table.

"Let's get started then, shall we?"

* * *

I read Takeshi's work and sighed, handing him back the paper with a smile as I adjusted my glasses.

"If you managed yourself better you'd be an amazing all-rounder, Takeshi-kun."

Tsuna had been literally slumped over the same question for roughly three minutes, half of the working done for the first one.

"It's pretty easy, after I read the textbook. I don't get question seven though."

"Hahaha! You're still an idiot, Yamamoto-san! Right, Tenth?"

The little sound he made when he saw Tsuna's face made me suck on the back of my teeth to hold in a laugh, his own expression adding to the scene.

"I don't even care about the seventh, I don't get most of these."

"Uh…Show your power by solving question seven in no time!"

Ryohei and I shared a glance, our own homework sitting in our bags completed and self-marked, leaving us to the mercy of year 7 maths.

As Tsuna rattled off the question, I slowly pieced together the scene taking place as told by the paper, a frown slowly stretching when it rung bells.

That doesn't make sense…why would…

"Hey, you three are all in the same class right?"

"Yeah." Takeshi nodded, the other boys pausing their melt down.

"Who teaches you the core's?"

"Ah, Nezu-sensei. Why?" The young Vongola asked, lowering his paper.

Oh, okay then.

"It's a trick question."

"Huh!?" They yelled, leaning forwards.

"There's no way you can mathematically work that out. That sort of question brings a whole bunch of physics and other too complicated stuff into account. The only real answer you could give is _they're glued_ or _they're being held together by something_ , and even then, that's just in theory." I shrugged, taking a sip of juice, Ryohei's on the other side of the table.

"Nezu-sensei likes to make it obvious who is smart and who is falling short by throwing in these sorts of questions, but _man_ , that's a hard one."

Yeah, hard enough that I wouldn't have been able to 'figure it out' without having watched the series and had Reborn explain it to me. Because, let's be real, there's no way that's a real question. Well, at least I _sound_ smart.

"Well, in that case, I'm done!" Takeshi grinned, scribbling down ' _not possible_ ', before folding the sheet and sliding it into the book I had given him.

"Good, help Sawada-san out- _don't_ use onomatopoeia, please sweetheart." I sighed, standing up and cracking my back before dropping my glasses on the table.

"I'll get dinner started, Ryohei-kun, make sure they don't break anything."

"You got it."

Humming, I walked into the kitchen, before letting out a groan.

"They're everywhere."

"Oh, hello again. I've just finished making everyone snacks." Bianchi said, holding a plate of rather _hostile_ looking biscuits.

"Ryohei-kun, clear the couch!" I called, before letting her pass, the sound of Gokudera collapsing obvious as the room broke out into chaos.

"Jesus, now I have to make the pasta well, I've got some real deals here." I sighed, before grabbing a pot out from a cupboard and starting the process.

I slipped on my mother's floral apron and rolled up my sleeves, the sounds of hell only a little worrying as they resounded from the room behind me.

As long as they don't break anything.

" _Haru is here to save Reborn-chan from you dirty boys!"_

 _ **CRASH!**_

" _I have EXTREMELY failed you, Daiki-kun!"_

 _ **BANG-RIP!**_

" _Again…"_

…

…

I hate the Mafia.

* * *

 **I dare you all to put "Fukaku watashi wo kamimasu, onegai" into google translate.**

 **I dare you.**

 **The first |REBORN| was written by ThePlotbunnyBreeder, give 'er some love!**

 **LeNoRi, over and out!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Word Count: 10,072**

* * *

"Hibari-san, you _are_ aware that I am part of the boxing club, right?"

"I know."

"Oh, really? Great, then, please explain to me _why_ I'm having to sit in on this meeting. Specifically where _you're_ meant to be sitting?"

"I hate crowding."

I gave a groan and rubbed my face, before pushing my glasses up to pin back my fringe.

The morning so far, had been less than desirable.

Apparently, Lambo had taken up permanent lodging in my house, and now shared a room with me upon my mother's order. Now, that wouldn't be all that bad, Lambo was a bit of a handful, but not incredibly so, if only he didn't throw a tantrum and keep distracting us when we're trying to bake in the morning.

I glanced down at the irritated burn on my elbow, caused by the little baby bumping into me when I tried to take the baguettes out of the oven.

Kaede now allowed me to put Lambo in the time-out corner when I saw fit.

Of course, I could have healed the burn, but just flashing the reddened skin made Lambo quiet down. A bit mean, but hey, if it works, use it.

I let out a loud sigh as the upperclassmen started filing in, sending me confused glances before dropping their gazes.

Um…

Blinking, I looked up when a shadow was cast over me, sending the looming skylark a flat expression.

"The handout." He stated shortly, draping the sheet over my face before retreating.

"Thanks, birdy- OW! Stop! Geez, I'm sorry!"

The meeting continued with me nursing a bump on my head the older students sending us worried glances.

"Okay, so on the print-out are the rooms assigned for the second semester's committees."

That actually, really hurt. Can I heal it?

I did a quick scan, slumping when I felt Reborn a level below me.

Guess not then.

"Hey, that's not fair! Says here that someone's using the reception room! Who is it?"

I glanced down from the ceiling to look at the paper, a small frown on my face. Isn't the reception room reserved for-

" _Do you have a problem?"_

The Discipline committee. Of course.

I let my head fall back so that I was looking at the lazing skylark upside down, raising an eyebrow at him when the poor girl squeaked out an apology.

The Cloud sent me a glare, before kicking me back into an upright position, the back of my head throbbing slightly.

"Stop that, Chattering Herbivore."

"But I'm bored." I whined leaning on my knuckle.

"We're against the Disciplinary Committee getting special treatment!" A brave little boy spoke up.

"Completely against it!"

Okay, maybe not so brave… More like stupid. Or idiotic.

Take your pick.

"Um…question?" I called, raising my hand hesitantly.

"Yes?" A girl from across from me asked.

"There's only meant to be one representative per committee, right? Why are there so many from the…what are you again?"

''We're the Tree Planting Committee!"

"And we're different, we have to deal with things like global warming."

"Yeah, we're very conscious, aren't we?"

"Yes." They chorused together.

"That… doesn't answer my question." I sighed, before freezing.

There was a flame spike.

It felt different, not like something I had experienced before. Still the same warmth that came with the presence of a flame, but – I don't know – its shape was different, almost. If sun flames were _blunter_ than this, more flat. These flames had a certain pang to it, more concentration.

Closing my eyes, I tried to locate it. It was _amazingly_ close practically behind…

Well damn.

Hey'a Cloud Flames, how ya doin'?

I frowned at the flames moved, footsteps resounding in my ears as the possessor approached.

The Flames were strong, but seemed to be dying down from their previous fluctuation, their fuel gone.

Ah, Hibari must have calmed down a bit then.

The tongues of purple circled my own little bonfire of yellow, before suddenly shifting just as a weight sank onto my lap.

Snapping my eyes open, I saw the empty meeting room, then felt the warmth of a body pressing against my abdomen, hair brushing my neck.

"Don't move."

Shit.

"If I wake up, I'll bite you to death. Remember, even a leaf falling can awaken me."

Double shit.

"Hibari-san?"

"What?"

"I need to go to the bathroom."

"Too bad."

Triple shit.

* * *

"He's so mean to me!" I whined, planting my face into Ryohei's back as he slumped on his table, his laughter becoming silent from the lack of air left in his lungs.

"HE SAT ON YOU!? SO THAT'S EXTREMELY WHY YOU DIDN'T COME TO CLASS!? HAHAHA!"

"You're a terrible person."

"H-HE SAT ON YO-O-OU! HAHAHA-hmph!"

"Choke. Choke. Choke." I chanted, pushing the bread role further into his mouth.

" _Yamaguchi-san?"_

I looked over my shoulder with a growl, glaring blatantly at the pompadour sporting trio of boys.

"What do you want, Disciplinary Committee?"

"Hibari-sama demands your presence. Now."

"And if I don't go?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"He'll come get you himself."

I gave a loud sigh, pushing Ryohei off his chair, before standing and walking out of the room, the pompadour trio following close behind.

"He is in the staffroom. The teachers have work for him to complete."

"And how does that involve me?"

" _You're going to carry them for me."_

I paused at the door of the staff room, staring at the Cloud with a flat expression. Crossing my arms, I shifted my weight and raised an eyebrow at him, expressing my opinion of this situation through my face.

"And why does that task fall to me, Hibari-san?"

"Because I said so." He answered bluntly, before a three large boxes were shoved into my arms, muscles tensing at the sudden weight.

"A-are you sure he'll be okay carrying those, Hibari-san?" One of the teachers asked.

"Yeah, they're pretty heavy, I mean, one's pretty tiring."

"He'll be fine." The Cloud brushed off their worries before turning and starting down the hall, leaving me to juggle the boxes.

"You should feel honoured, Hibari-sama asked for you by name." On of Hibari's boys said as he walked, most of them grouping around me rather than the skylark.

Now, whether that were in case I lost control of my load, or because they would definitely die if they were to step into Hibari's little bubble, was up to debate.

"Oh really? I thought he'd have forgotten my name, since I've only heard him say it once. And that was, like, three years ago. Give or take a few months." I hummed, smiling at the skylark when he glared over his shoulder.

"Get ahead of us, clear space for the Herbivore to put the boxes down." He ordered, the pompadour-ed boys scrambling to follow his order.

Now, I was alone with him.

Again.

Shit, he better not try and sit on these boxes.

I'll drop them _and him_ out a window if he does.

I swear on me mu-OW!

"Why'd you do that?!" I squawked, bringing my shoulder up to protect my new wound.

Damned birdy had just _bit me_ for _no reason!_ Who does that!?

I grimaced as something wet trailed down into my shirt, hopefully blood, I didn't want Hibari spit on me all day.

"Another win to me." He stated, before walking around me and back towards the reception room.

"That doesn't count!" I yelled, groaning when he ignored me.

Son of a bitch.

Next time he tries to use me as a tree, I'll drop him. I swear.

I tensed as the sounds of shouting reached my ears, stopping my feet when Hibari raised his hand just before the door.

" _You dare defy a Disciplinary Committee member?"_

I sucked on the back of my teeth as a rather painful sounding collision took place, followed by a loud thud.

This is familiar… It must be the boys then.

" _Well then, it can't be helped."_

What do you mean 'it can't be helped'?! There is literally almost- you just wanna fight, don't you?

From the sound of added punching, I would have appeared to be right. They were having way too much fun with this.

I gave a quiet sigh, before crouching and placing the boxes down next to the wall, Hibari's fists jumping as the sounds of a fight got him excited.

" _Are you done?"_

" _Yeah."_

Poor pompadour boys, they didn't deserve that hell.

Raising an eyebrow, I watched as Hibari situated himself against the door frame, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he observed his new targets.

"Those watchdogs are useless." He sighed, the hand closest to me fingering the handle of his tonfa.

"Who are you?" The skylark asked, pulling a sigh from me.

Oh, so he _doesn't_ remember whose party he gate crashed?

Actually, he might have done that to a lot of parties.

...Rude.

" _He's Hibari Kyoya."_

Shifting, I leaned against the wall, letting the situation play out. Reborn had said something about real life training, and personally I think they're going to need as much of that as they can get.

"Family? What kind of crowding is that?"

The kind that you can't pick and choose, birdy.

" _Crowding? Whatever, just get-_ "

Tonfa.

My body tensed when the familiar flash of metal cut through the air, before the smell of coffee hit me as ceramics shattered on the floor. Letting out a breath as the skylark walked into the room, I slid down the wall to sit on one of the boxes, listening to the grunts and contact that sounded from the room.

After a few moments, there was quiet and talking took the place of battle sounds. The familiar voices drifting through the open door.

" _What are you doing?_ "

" _I'm cleaning up."_

Wait, what was he doing at that point. It was something dangerous, wasn't it…

Oh yeah, he was gonna drop them out a – _A WINDOW!?_

I jumped for a moment, but clamped my hands down on the box, forcing my body to remain seated.

They'll be fine. Reborn planned all or this. He won't let them sustain grievous injury.

" _REBORN! I'LL BEAT YOU WITH MY DYING WILL!"_

See? They'll be fine. Settle.

Letting out a breath, I leaned forwards onto my knees, pulling out my phone when I felt it buzz.

 _From: Kaa-san_

 _Can you get milk on the way home?_

 _To: Kaa-san_

 _Sure. Anything else?_

 _From: Kaa-san_

 _No, thank you dear._

I looked up from the screen as the room shook from an explosion, smoke escaping from the door. Quickly, I typed another text to Hibari's right-hand.

 _To: Kusakabe_

 _Get a team of DC boys up to the reception room. Clean up required._

 _From: Kusakabe_

 _Who won this time?_

 _To: Kusakabe_

 _Not my fault. Intruders. Dealt with._

 _Now get up here._

Closing my phone, I looked up to the door as Hibari stumbled out, looking worse for wear. Pulling out my handkerchief, I reached out and offered it to him, keeping my own face blank.

"Hankey?"

"…Hn."

* * *

I yawned as I flipped the page of the morning paper, the lack of talk about all the recent noise unsurprising.

Taking off my glasses, I polished the lens against my shirt before donning them again, blinking when I found them clearer.

Apparently, it was going to be sunny for the rest of the week.

That's it.

Nothing ever happens in Namimori, well, nothing that ever comes to light.

The bell rung through the quiet shop, making me look up from a particularly intriguing article about the process of paint drying.

When I found no one there, I placed the paper down and leaned over the counter as I normally did with our smaller customers.

I wonder if I should install a step for the children…

" _Ni hao!"_

Blinking down at the little thing, kneeling on the floor before the register, I flipped the word through my head before smiling when it clicked.

"Good morning, how can I help you?" I asked, recognising the little child.

She rummaged through her pocket, before pulling out a little red purse and pointing to a small cheese and bacon roll.

"Please?" She asked in accented Japanese.

"Sure, here you go."

Little I-pin took the roll graciously, handing me back the payment, taking a bit and cooing happily at the warm bread.

"Is that all?" I asked, leaning on my forearms and watching her over the frame of my lenses.

"Ah! You recognise this man?" She perked up, pulling a polaroid out of her pocket.

"Here, come onto the counter."

She paused before jumping up into the surface, giving me a better look at the man in the photo.

I frowned, wondering if the man could be related to Gianni with his head's shape, before turning to the little girl and shaking my head.

"Sorry, I don't recognise this man."

"Okay, thank you." She sighed, before bowing and leaping off the counter.

"Wish I could have been more help. I hope you enjoy, come again."

* * *

Leaning on my broom, I stared out a window with a bored expression, watching as I-pin quickly scoffed down twice her body weight in dumplings.

The door to the roof opened and Tsuna's hair was the first thing to peek out of the frame, giving the little girl time to go into a stance, chewing on the last of her meal.

From the distance I was at, I could see just about everything, but could hear nothing, unsurprisingly.

Sound, however, seemed to be unneeded, as the visage of a noodle-y Tsuna was amusing enough to make my lip twitch.

Oh look, there's Kyoko.

Holy shit- that kid moves fast!

Careful Tsuna, you nearly made my little sister flash. I'd have to kill you for that.

Oh, hey Gokudera.

Just how light is I-pin? They are literally tossing her around like a ball!

Ello, Takeshi, welcome to the party.

" _Catcher! Back home!"_

I may or may not have found that funnier than I should have.

Slapping a hand over my mouth, I slid down the pole of my broom, body shaking from laughter as screams continued to sound from the outside.

"Fucking hell! They're idiots!" I laughed, leaning against the wall as I wrapped my arms around my stomach.

"A-ah, Daiki-kun? You okay there?" Ryohei asked, pausing his extreme sweeping.

"T-t-they're all such f-fucking idiots!" I hissed out, falling onto my side as another wave of laughter racked through me.

" _Ah, someone help? Anyone? Wait! No, don't leave me here! EXTREME! DON'T LEAVE ME WITH HIM TO THE EXTREME!"_

I took a deep breath before letting out another round, vaguely aware of Ryohei poking me with the end of his pole.

* * *

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

I gave a groan and pulled my pillow over my head, desperately trying to block out the shouts emitting from the little cow jumping on my stomach.

"Let's play at Reborn's house! Reborn's house! Reborn's house!"

"Go away Lambo-kun. And the house belongs to Sawada-san, not Reborn-san."

The _one_ day I get to sleep in, and mum leaves me to look after this little shit.

"I wanna go to Reborn's house! I wanna go!"

"Get out, Lambo-kun."

"Please!? Please!?"

I let out a quiet scream as my phone went off, adding to the noise of the room and waking me up fully.

"What?" I growled, my voice coming out stuttered from the impact of Lambo's jumps.

" _Wow, shujin-kun, are you okay? You sound pretty angry."_

"Yeah, just a bit cranky." I sighed, before looking down at Lambo as he continued to use my gut as a trampoline.

"What did you want?"

" _Gokudera-kun and I are going over to Tsuna's house, do you wanna come?!"_

"Why would I want to go to his hou-Hey!"

"Eh! You're going to Reborn's house!?" Lambo screamed into the phone, now in his little mitts.

"Uh-huh! Lambo-san will come!"

I lunged forwards and snatched the phone back giving the young boy and gentle tap on the head.

" _How about you, Daiki-kun? Are you coming?"_

"No thanks, Sawada-san and I aren't nearly close enough for surprise visits. I'll drop Lambo off though, see you then."

" _Okay! Love you!"_

I paused, noticing he hadn't hung up yet.

Shit.

"Uh…yeah…Love you too- Did you just squeal?"

" _Yes! No! Bye!"_

…

"Okay Lambo-kun, brush your teeth and wash your face. I'll drop you off at the Sawada's." I sighed, removing myself from my warm bed.

* * *

 **|M.H|**

Miura Haru leant around the corner as she watched Yamaguchi exit his house, the little baby Lambo bouncing out after him.

"Now, both Takeshi-kun and Nana-san have my number, so when you want to come home, just ask them to ring me, okay?" He asked, locking the door behind him, before bending and scooping up the cow print covered infant.

"Okay!"

Haru sighed as she watched the older boy let the child in his arms play with his glasses, a small smile on his face.

He was so mature and mild-mannered, he knew how to look after a child and how to treat them gently, keeping their pure hearts protected from the dirt they could encounter.

Haru was certain that she could lead a happy life with Yamaguchi, their house would always smell of the fresh bread they make every morning, and their garden would be blooming all year round. He was obviously a family man, so they would have at least three children by their fifth year together. Two boys and a girl, the boys being taught to protect their little sister's heart.

The Midori student gave a dreamy sigh as Yamaguchi threw Lambo in the air and caught him, making the young boy laugh and ask for it again, with the yells of _'higher! Higher!'_.

However, there was the amazing Tsuna, the one who had saved her from drowning bravely screaming 'hold onto me!' Stripping himself down to his boxers and diving in after her heroically. Perhaps he didn't have the tact that Yamaguchi did, but Haru was sure that, with a few years, he would grow into a fine young man under her influence.

Oh, which one!?

The charming, mature Baker's son?

The cute, exciting Mafia Boss?

Ah! So hard to choose!

 **|M.H|**

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to come in, Daiki-san?" Nana asked, ushering Lambo into the house.

"No, I'm fine, thank you though. Call me when he becomes too much of a handful, okay?"

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be fine."

I smiled and waved as I walked out of the gates, doing a small fist pump.

One down, I thought happily.

One to go.

Looking over my shoulder, I waved to the Miura girl hiding behind the far wall, making her go red in the face and make a mad dash for the Sawada house, slamming the door behind her.

I jumped as an explosion went off, speeding up my pace as screams erupted from the house.

Sorry, not sorry, Tsuna.

* * *

"Daiki-kun! You should fight too, TO THE EXTREME!" Ryohei roared, his K.O-ed opponent being dragged out by his fellow karate club members.

I leaned against the roped and shook my head, laughter bubbling up as a flicker of yellow flashed behind my eyelids.

It was bright and big, just like the sun and the aura Ryohei was exuding at the moment, a roar of war leaving him as his blood hummed for another fight.

Heh, such an adrenaline junky.

* * *

"Ryohei-kun, you're telling me that you've pressured some poor first year into coming to the boxing club this afternoon?" I sighed, closing my book as I looked up at the younger boy from my seat.

"EXTREME! HE'S GOT EXTREME STAMINA, STRENGTH AND SPEED!"

"…Great. Just don't be too rough with him, okay?" I requested, turning back to my book.

* * *

I sat down on the edge of the ring, my legs dangling off the edge as I flipped through the rubric for an upcoming assignment, the sounds of Ryohei practicing punches keeping me company.

"This is going to be so EXTREME!"

"I'm sure."

"He's just what we need to up the EXTREME level of our EXTREME boxing club!"

"If you say so."

"Daiki-kun! Are you even EXTREMELY listening to me!?"

"Absolutely, I entirely agree with you."

"DAIKI-KUN!"

"Yes, that'll be fine."

"OH FOR THE EXTREME LOVE OF-!"

"Okay then, Ryohei-kun."

 _ **BANG!**_

I looked over my shoulder, raising an eyebrow when I saw Ryohei face first in the rink, his "I-am-so-fucking-done."-expression making an impression on the padding.

"Did something happen?"

"You did."

"Must have been a marvellous occasion, then."

"I hate you."

"I'm sure you do, sweetheart."

The two of us looked away from our respective focuses and looked to the door as it opened, the silhouette of a particularly small body presenting itself to us.

"Who are you, TO THE EXTREME!?"

"I am Master Pao Pao, a well-respected elder of Thai Boxing!"

…

"Welcome." I said slowly, wondering just how the _hell_ that worked as a disguise.

"May I ask your reason for being here?"

"I've come to observe the match between the leader of the boxing club, and the new member. It will surely be an intense one."

"Well then, make yourself comfortable, we're just waiting for him now."

If Reborn was here, didn't that mean that the one Ryohei had pressured into coming is…

"Ryohei-kun?"

"Yes?" He asked, still staring after Reborn .

"Who, exactly, have you asked to fight against?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi of class 1-A! Yamamoto-kun's EXTREME friend! Kyoko-chan's classmate TO THE

EXTREME!"

I rested my head on my hand, worry suddenly hitting me.

Ryohei and Tsuna had interacted before, sparingly, but they knew each other better than they did in canon.

Would that affect the story? God, I hope not.

"Are you okay, Yamaguchi-san? You seemed troubled."

I looked to the disguised Reborn and shook my head, brushing of his concern just as the door opened for a second time.

" _Lambo-san has arrived!"_

" _And I-pin!"_

" _Ah! We beat Tsuna-san!"_

" _Shut up, baseball-idiot! We could never beat Tenth, we're scouting ahead!"_

" _Sure, sure!"_

" _Haru's so excited!"_

" _Why the hell are you here, crazy lady!?"_

" _Hayato-kun, you should be kinder to women."_

" _Gah!"_

" _Oops! Gokudera-kun got sick again!"_

" _I'll take him to the nurse's office, my frail little brother."_

Nope.

All the "Nope".

Quietly, I edged myself off the side of the ring, thankful of the fact that I was on the side furthest from the door. Seated on the floor, out of eyeliner of the people in the room, I continued to read the rubric, taking out a pen to put a star next to a piece of information that didn't make sense to me.

Barely looking up from the paper, I listened to the sounds of Tsuna's fearful screams as he entered the building, his friend's motivational speeches not helping his case.

" _Reborn!_ "

Oh, he's found the elephant in the room. Well done.

Glancing up as they organised themselves, I was greeted by Ryohei's calves grazing my nose.

Ah, he had taken my corner, good. Keep the fish away from me, thank you.

" _He's intense when he's upset too!"_

You have no idea, young one. No idea. Should have seen him when he threw tantrums.

" _Fight with your dying will."_

I sat back and waited for the scream of "REBORN", but when none came after the shot, I tensed up like no other.

Slamming my eyes shut, I flinched back from the fire that bloomed before me. It was still Ryohei's and still had the same amount of Will behind it, but it had been made different somehow. A fuel had been added to it, not to make it stronger, per say, but to make it more…auditable? It made the tinder beneath the fire crackle and snap loudly in my ear, the source of the flames working double time to keep up with the new power flooding through.

Crackle and snap…

No wonder Ryohei was forced to take days off under Colonello's order.

His body must be a mangled mess.

I took in a deep breath as another shot went off, silence following for another second, before a _screeching_ hit my ears.

Screeching in my ears, and blinding light in my eyes.

Prying my eyes open, I leaned against the ring, breathing heavy and erratic as the ringing faded.

How could anyone use those flames? They were uncontrolled and random, flaring up of their own will and thrashing around crazily. Their frequency was off the charts, random explosions of noise ripping out of the tinder beneath the flames, making them roar up and swallow any traces of blackness behind my eyes.

I… I need to leave… The noise is still here. I need to get away, even for a moment.

Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself before standing and walking out of the room. That of course, require me to pass almost every other occupant, making them call out to me, causing the ringing to get louder with the new barrage of noise.

"Daiki-kun! Where're you EXTREMELY going?!"

"Hush! I'm going to talk to the teacher. Just… stop shouting, okay." I groaned, putting my hand against the door to steady myself.

As soon as I was outside of the room, a wave of cool air hit me, the residue heat from the flames leached away from my skin.

Stumbling further from the building, I dropped against the trunk of a tree, hidden by its thick base. Giving heavy breaths, I panted as if I was trying to filter the flames out of my system.

Drawing my hands to my face, I scrubbed the flesh on my skull to try and ease myself back into reality, my nerves frayed from the onslaught of noise and light.

"Chattering Herbivore."

I didn't even bother to acknowledge the skylark's sudden appearance, too busy trying to settle my throbbing headache.

There was a sudden pressure on my splayed legs as hands wrapped around my wrists, prying them from my face.

"Too much light. Too much light." I breathed, closing my eyes as the sun scratched at my retinas through the leaves.

A hiss left me as another light hit me, purple luminescence presenting itself before me as yellow and violet tongues danced around each other carefully.

I tensed when Hibari shifted and something wrapped around my eyes, fastening at the back of my head.

Opening my eyes on instinct, I was greeted by absolute black. No flames. No colours.

"…Thanks." I breathed, slumping against the tree.

"Hm." He grunted through the dark, before moving and falling against me.

Ow… his tonfa is digging into my leg. Ow.

"Explain."

"Just my own stupidity."

* * *

 **|H.K|**

Hibari Kyoya yawned into his hand as he laid on a tree branch, just beyond the club rooms.

The baby had last been seen going into the boxing club's block for some reason, and Hibari wasn't going to miss a chance to witness the baby's prowess.

The boxing club, at the moment, was under the rule of one Sasagawa Ryohei, and, to a lesser degree, Yamaguchi Daiki, who acted like more of a manager than the actual manager did. Keeping the rowdy boys in line as compared to how they used to act.

With less property damage and the noise level lowered, the amount of paperwork on the skylark's desk had shrunk, even by a little.

Speak of the devil, the cloud looked up when the young baker's son stumbled out of the studio, pain barely noticeable on his face.

The boy stilled for a moment, leaning against the wall, before taking unsteady steps to the tree the skylark occupied, dropping down beneath him.

Upon closer inspection, Hibari could see how his eyes were tearing up, his pupils almost pinpricks as the second year slammed his hands over his ears, grimacing against an unheard noise.

This was odd, Yamaguchi had never shown this level of pain before, even all those years ago at the pool, hands and feet covered in blood as he clutched his possibly fractured arm. When Hibari attacked him, he always laughed instinctively at the pain, spurring the skylark to strike harder to shut him up.

Now, he kind of wanted the boy to start laughing manically, preferring that over erratic breaths that grated on his nerves.

"Chattering Herbivore." He called as warning, before dropping to the ground beside him.

Feeling a little miffed from the lack of response, the skylark shifted, before seating himself on the boy's legs, effectively protecting his pants from getting dirty. He stared at the baker's son for a moment, before reaching out and prying his hands away from his face, using more effort than he'd like to admit.

He frowned as the boy recoiled from the light, closing his eyes, only to flinch further.

The Cloud watched for a moment, before releasing the second year's wrists and reaching up for his tie.

Craning his neck as he undid the Windsor knot, he roughly aligned it with the boy's eyes, tying it up at the back of his head.

There, now he'll shut up.

The baker's son stilled for a moment, before reclining against the tree, a small saying of gratitude leaving him with a rush of air.

Hibari gave a grunt before falling onto his side on the boy, ignoring the obvious discomfort his left tonfa was giving Yamaguchi.

The skylark happily leached the boy of his warmth, letting his head fall onto the younger's shoulder as drowsiness began to take its toll, before the second year tensed up and snapped his head to the side, despite being blindfolded.

"Tiny flames." He muttered, tilting his head slightly.

"Hm? Flames?"

The baker's son shifted to look down at him for a moment, before turning back to the previous direction.

"There is a group of people coming our way. Seven or eight."

Hibari narrowed his eyes up at the boy before turning his attention to the direction indicated, listening closely.

Faint conversation and footsteps.

How…

"Wao."

The skylark would have stood to intercept the people for crowding and loitering after school, however, the arm slung over him dragged him back down and behind the tree, effectively hiding the duo from the flock.

"Herbivore." He growled warningly, putting the butt of his tonfa at Yamaguchi's jaw.

"Leave them, Hibari-san, they're already in over their heads. Don't draw their attention." The younger explained, tilting his head back when he felt metal brush his jaw.

Hibari paused for a moment, thinking over what he said, before grunting and deciding to take the opportunity presented to him. Reaching around the boy, he grabbed the excess material from his tie, forcing Yamaguchi's head back further, making him let out a confused grunt. Locating his target, he lunged forwards and sank his teeth into the column of flesh before him.

"Ow! You son of a-"

"Quiet. Don't draw their attention." He mumbled, capping the younger boy's mouth with his wrist, tonfa still occupying his hand, before sinking his teeth back in, stretching the marks further.

The vibrations that rumbled in the boy's throat and chest were Hibari's only warning before a large hand latched into his own neck, cutting off airflow.

The skylark choked for a moment, before pressing his teeth further in retaliation, a dangerous glare coming to his face as he pulled the material sharply. In the same instant, two sharp pains rung through the Cloud, the hand closing further around his throat, and the sharp teeth sinking into his wrist, the muscle beneath his own jaws shifting with the clamp.

The two boys remained still for another few moments, neither moving in consideration of the instantaneous response.

Hibari's eyes latched onto the slowly raising hand belonging to Yamaguchi, watching as it splayed out, before a single finger came down.

Four.

Three.

Two.

" _Let's get out of here!_ "

Both boys released the anatomy in their grasp and separated, turning their equally intense gazes to the sudden burst of sound.

Yamaguchi was the first to move, walking to stand by the building, holding out his arm for the skylark to emerge from the tree and land on.

They turned to each other, Hibari smirking slightly when he stared down at the still blindfolded boy, before focusing his attention to the group approaching.

"Someday we'll get ourselves a hot girl!"

Yamaguchi had been right, each boy did look like they had been through the grinder, bruises and scrapes covering their bodies.

"What are you doing there?" He asked rhetorically, looking down on them from his perch.

"Hiba…ri…-san?!" The biggest choked out, before turning his attention to his blinded perch.

"If you're crowding," Yamaguchi sighed, tilting his head to face them.

" _Kamikorosu."_ The skylark finished, narrowing his eyes.

"AH! EXCUSE US!"

Hibari watched them scramble away, speed impressive considering their injuries, before glancing at the room they had left.

He snapped his attention to his perch when a small snicker left the boy, frowning slightly when he saw an eye peeking out of the fold, a hand having reached up to pull one side down.

"Be nice, birdy."

" _Kamikorosu,_ handler."

The smile they shared was nothing more than baring their teeth.

 **|H.K|**

* * *

"Ryohei-kun! Run!" I yelled, bolting down the hall as the final bell let students out of their cages.

"Why TO THE EXTREME!?"

"I dropped Hibari-san out a window!"

"YOU WHAT!?" The entire storey yelled, students and teachers sticking their heads out of their classrooms to watch in fearful awe as Ryohei and I ran for our lives from a _very_ angry skylark.

* * *

I pouted at my mother as she pressed an icepack to my cheek, her other hand coming up to dab disinfectant on the bleeding bite mark below my ear.

"You remind me of your grandfather, always coming home with cuts and bruises." She cooed, tapping a plaster over the teeth marks.

"Good thing I'm a fast healer, eh?" I laughed, testing out my jaw.

"Uh huh. Now, when you feel better, I need you to take an order to the Sawada's house. Nana-chan needs a kilo or so of bread delivered to her, she was too busy to pick it up today."

I nodded, before abandoning my icepack in the freezer, sending little tongues of sunshine to my injuries.

Padding up to my room, I frowned when I noticed Lambo's cot empty, meaning he was either running amuck somewhere in town, or was ambushing Tsuna.

"Kaa-san! Where's Lambo-kun?"

"He went over to the Sawada's! Could you bring him back with you?!"

I gave a groan but called back an affirmative, dropping down the stairs before grabbing the crate and tucking into the crook of my arm.

"Bye, kaa-san!" I called over my shoulder, walking out of the house.

Nothing had really happened recently, that I was aware of, that is. There had been rumours of shady looking men running around the past few days, but nothing all that stand out.

I wonder what part we're up too.

Reaching the Sawada house I paused, a faint grimace on my face.

Ah, that's what we're up too.

The crowd of black suited, tinted glassed men blocked a good portion of the street, mumbling things to each other in a mixture of Italian and Japanese.

" _It's good that Boss has accepted Vongola's guardians."_

" _They did take down a Yakuza for him."_

" _Hah! They still have a lot of growing up to do!"_

Yakuza!? How long had they been here? Didn't they do that on Dino's last day?

I shook my head before sighing, mentally preparing myself to try and penetrate the horde of men.

"Uh, excuse me? Can I get through?" I asked the closest man, his familiar face turning to face me.

"Are you a member of the Sawada or Vongola Family?" He asked, looking me up and down.

"Ah, no, I can't say I am. I'm here to make a delivery for Sawada Nana."

"And what makes you think we'll let you in?" Another man stepped forwards, the rest coming to make a wall of suits.

Well then… This is quite the predicament.

"Ah! Daiki-kun, there you are! Come in! Come in!" Nana called from the door, the words working magic on the men.

They parted with incredible grace, a swift apology leaven them as a chorus.

"Um… no worries?" Damn, that sounded like a question.

I shuffled past them quickly, trying to not duck my head when they stared at me intensely, as if trying to pick me apart.

"Sorry for the intrusion." I hummed softly, taking my shoes off as I walked through the door.

" _Well then, Enzo should say-AH!"_

I looked up from my position at the base of the staircase, my arm lashing out and catching the olive and blond blur that came sailing at me. Giving a grunt as another heap landed on the arm, I tensed my muscles to stop the two bodies from falling further.

"My, my, you're so lively Tsuna-kun! Good catch, Daiki-kun!" Nana cooed from the doorway, a hand on her cheek.

"Are you okay?" I asked the two boys bent over my arm, both of the winded.

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no!

Why is Yamaguchi here!? He'll find out about the Mafia if h-

"H-hello, I'm Dino, the tenth Cavallone boss. Hehe." The older man under Tsuna laughed nervously, slowly pulling himself from the baker's son's arm.

The young Vongola watched the older Namimori student carefully, trying to see if he'd react badly to the information, deflating in relief when he only shrugged.

"Hm, have a good trip, Sawada-san?" Yamaguchi smirked, putting his free hand on his hip as he stared down at the younger boy.

Trip?...Fall!

Tsuna's face went red with embarrassment when he remembered the boy had caught them, saving the Mafia from a rather nasty fall.

"Uh, thank you. Yamaguchi-san." He stuttered out, bowing his head slightly.

"No problem." The baker's son shrugged, before calling after Tsuna's mother, asking where he could put the order down.

"Who was that?" Dino asked, staring after the boy with a careful expression.

"That's Yamaguchi Daiki. What's wrong Dino-san?" Tsuna asked, glancing up at the older boy.

"That boy, he's…something's…never mind."

Dino shook his head, his frown shifting into a smile, before he leaned down to whisper to the younger boss.

"Yamaguchi Daiki, eh? Isn't he one of your possible guardians?"

"What? No! He's made it very obvious that he doesn't like me!" Tsuna yelped, glancing at the baker's son's back as he moved around the kitchen with his mother.

"Really? That interaction just then was pretty normal, he even cracked a joke!"

" _Dame-Tsuna once tried to harmonize with Yamaguchi-san."_

Both bosses looked to the railing of the staircase, giving synchronised "Gah!"s when they saw the baby hitman balancing on the structure.

"I tried to harmonize?! What!?" Tsuna yelped, leaning forwards.

"Oh? And how did that end? I don't sense a connection between them." Dino asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He failed. Miserably."

"Hey!"

"It was a flat out rejection. No hesitation."

"Okay! Fine, I get it! Can someone please explain to me what ' _Harmonization'_ is!?" The young Vongola tried to hiss, glancing between Reborn and Dino.

"What? You don't know?" The older boss asked, a bewildered expression on his face.

"No! That's why I'm asking!"

" _Boys! Dinner's ready! Call the others down!"_

"Ah, Dino-san, can you stay for dinner?" Tsuna asked, remembering that he had to leave.

"It seems that I have to. Reborn-san hasn't filled you in on important information." Dino sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"O-oh, okay. Yamamoto-kun! Gokudera-kun! Dinner's ready! Come down!"

As Dino led Tsuna through into the dining room, they could hear Gokudera and Yamamoto arguing down the stairs.

" _Daiki-kun, you should stay for dinner too!"_

" _A-ah, I would but-"_

" _Great! I'll get out your plate!"_

"… _Okay…then…"_

Dino and Tsuna exchanged glances, feeling empathetic for the boy who just got dragged into the abyss of Nana's hospitality.

When everyone was seated, Tsuna glanced to Yamaguchi, noticing how he had sat himself at the furthest point of the table from the young Vongola.

"Daiki-kun! When did you get here!?" Yamamoto burst in, a blinding grin on his face.

Both Dino and Tsuna choked on their rice as the batsman threw himself across the baker's lap, wrapping his arms around his neck as he nuzzled him.

"Only a bit ago, hello to you too, Takeshi-kun."

"Oh dear, I miscalculated. We don't have enough seats." Nana gasped, looking at all her guests and live-ins.

"It's fine, Sawada-san! I'll sit with shujin-kun!" Yamamoto laughed, relaxing on Yamaguchi further.

"Shujin-kun…" Tsuna heard Dino mutter, turning to watch him think for a moment, closing his eyes as he tried to find the translation, before falling into a coughing fit when it clicked.

"Oh, well then we'll be fine!" His mother cooed, before plating up the meal.

Tsuna ate mostly in silence, sneaking glances at the partners on the end of the table.

They looked happy together, quietly happy.

Yamamoto's laughter and loud voice toned down to a mutter as he talked to the older boy, accepting the chunk of fish offered to him by a pair of chopsticks. Yamaguchi's defensive and almost plastic exterior was watered down and he smiled softly up at the seated boy, arm wrapped around the young boy's waist to stop him from slipping.

They looked like they had been doing this for years, and were content to do it for many more, totally at peace with being like that.

"Daiki-san!"

Heads turned when Lambo ran into the room, vaulting off Tsuna's head and landing on the batsman's lap, greeting his host happily.

"Hey, Lambo-kun, you been behaving for Sawada-san?"

No, Tsuna felt like saying, thinking back to all the explosions and crying.

"Hey," He jumped when he felt Dino lean into his ear to whisper to him quietly. "They kind'a look like a family don't they?"

The young Vongola blinked, staring at the domestic scene in front of him.

Two partners seated together, a toddler sitting in their collective lap as they smiled down at it, reflecting its own upwards one.

Yeah, they did.

"Okay, let's talk about it." Dino suddenly declared, sitting up as he projected his voice across the table, drawing everyone's attention.

"Huh? Talk about what?" Gokudera asked, lowering his cup.

"Harmonization. And Flames."

 **|S.T|**

* * *

My eyes widened slightly, hand clamping around Takeshi's and teeth slamming together within my mouth.

What?

What had I just heard?

Flames?

They were talking about flames?!

 _They were talking about flames_ _ **before**_ _the Varia arc!?_

What had changed?! Was it something I did!?

No, it couldn't be. I hadn't been involved enough. It was probably something else.

Cool it, Daiki. Calm…that's it, calm.

"So, Tsuna-kun, what do you know about flames?" Dino asked, resting his jaw in his hand as he started the conversation.

"Ah…Dying Will?" The Vongola tried, shrugging as he gave a nervous smile.

"Reborn-san! What have you been teaching him?"

"I wanted him to get to a certain level before I explained the whole thing to him, however, it seems his flames have become a bit more active as of late, and I need to speed things along a bit." The baby shrugged, sipping at his coffee.

Speed things up?

Oh don't tell me…

"Ah, anyway, there are seven kinds of flames: Sky, Storm, Rain, Cloud, Sun, Mist and Lightning. Each flame has an attribute or trait, Sky has harmony, Storm has disintegration, Rain has tranquillity, Cloud has propagation, Sun has activation, Mist has construction and Lightening has hardening. Everyone has a flame, but more often than not, they can't utilise it due to lack of drive, or will. You, Tsuna-kun, have a Sky Flame."

Calm down Daiki, this is okay. A little stray from the plot is okay. They're just being introduced to the prospect of Flames a little earlier on.

But why the _hell_ am I here for this?

"Eh? What am I? What am I?" Takeshi asked, leaning slightly out of my stiff arms.

"You're a Rain Flame, Yamamoto-san." Reborn chirped, before turning to Gokudera.

"And you're a Storm Flame."

"Lambo-san is a Lightning." He said, pointedly looking to Tsuna, as to act as if Lambo was absent from the scene.

"Eh, really? What's Yamaguchi-san?" The young Vongola asked, turning to me.

"Do you want to know, Yamaguchi-san?" The baby hitman asked, glancing at me.

"No thank you, I'm not participating in this game." I declined, a small smile on my face.

"Oh? Or is it because you already know?"

Everyone at the table was on high alert at that instant, Gokudera jumping to his feet and Takeshi's hand clamping down around my shoulders, drawing himself closer to me almost protectively.

"Eh!? Yamaguchi-san already knows!?" Tsuna shouted, snapping his head between Reborn and I.

"Ah! Are you talking about the pretty yellow fire Daiki-san used to fix me!? They're really cool! I bet mine are cooler though." Lambo snarked, upturning his nose.

"Lambo-kun." I growled, glaring down at the cow on Takeshi's thighs.

"Oh, so not only are you aware you _had_ them. But you know how to _use_ them. Interesting, Yamaguchi-san." Reborn breathed, before tottering over to me on the table.

"Can you tell me the first time you used the flames? Was it conscious?" He asked, leaning forwards as he tipped his hat.

"I'm not playing this game, Reborn-sa-"

"Your mother, Kaede-chan, is a lovely woman, very trusting. She and I get along quite well if I do say so myself. She doesn't seem terribly durable, however." Reborn sighed, clasping his hands behind his back.

" _Careful_ , Reborn-san, I might just take that as a _threat._ " I warned, my grip tightening further.

"Shujin-kun? U-uh shujin-kun? Ow! Daiki-kun! Stop!"

Let go!

I immediately released the lithe hand in my grasp, shame and self-loathing hitting me full force when I saw the bruises lining Takeshi's hand, the limb cradled close to his chest.

"Yamamoto-kun!" Tsuna gasped, getting to his feet.

"You bastard!" Gokudera shouted, reaching into his jacket.

I ignored them in exchange for carefully reaching for the hand again, my breath hitching when he flinched.

"I'm sorry…just…let me fix it?" I asked quietly, noticing how Lambo had quietened.

Takeshi's fingers twitched for a moment, before he let me touch him again, sliding his hand into mine.

I had hurt Takeshi…

Fuck Reborn.

Flames.

Breaths hitched through the room as my hand lit up with sunshine, Lambo letting out an excited squeal as the flame tickled his nose in greeting.

Mend the capillaries…

"What on Earth…" Takeshi breathed, examining his newly healed hand.

"Sun Flames." Reborn stated, before smirking at me.

"Fuck you." I growled, circling my arms around the younger boy and drawing him into an apologetic hug.

"Will you answer my question now? Yamaguchi-san?" He asked haughtily, the people around us fidgeting as the air buzzed with tension.

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Hurt him. Then heal him.

His Daiki had hurt him.

Then just as fast, he had healed him.

Takeshi's mind raced as he tried to make sense of the situation.

Flames of Will, those were what flickered on Tsuna's forehead every other day, causing the confusing and exciting events to take place.

His Daiki had them. He, _himself_ , had them.

Takeshi bent his fingers this way and that, shifting further into Daiki's arms as he glared down at the baby before them, his entire body on edge.

"Will you answer my question now? Yamaguchi-san?"

Yes, when had Daiki first used his flames? Before or after they met? How long had he kept this part of him secret? Why did he use them? Where had he been hurt? Who hurt him?

"When I was twelve years old. My arm broke." He growled out, Takeshi enjoying the vibrations.

The young Rain paused for a moment, before reaching through the arms holding him hostage, and grabbing one of the decorative flowers in the vase on the table. Drawing it back to him, he proceeded to slice little cuts along his palm, making Daiki freeze up and grab his hands.

"What are you doing?!" He hissed, throwing the flower back and relighting the flame.

Takeshi smiled down at the little tongues of sunshine, enjoying the warmth that spread through his hand as they illuminated his limb and mended his wounds.

"You seem pretty well versed with the way of your flames. Do you use them often?" Reborn asked, picking up the discarded flora.

Daiki glared at the small child, before the shifting of his muscle hinted his next action.

"I'm leaving." He stated, placing Takeshi on his feet before trying to stand, only for a long green roped to snap around him.

"Ah! Reborn-san! I don't think that-" Tsuna tried, only to get yanked back by Dino.

"Leave them be, Tsuna-kun." He warned, sending Gokudera a warning glance.

"Well, Yamaguchi-san?"

"Tch, as little as possible." He snapped, straining against the rope.

Takeshi didn't much appreciate his husband being bound by something out of his control, but the curiosity that bloomed forth with every answer was too much to bear.

The baby let out a hum, tilting his hat towards Tsuna before giving a thoughtful expression.

"Daiki-kun?"

The elder boy glanced at him for a moment, before turning back to the table, a harsh glare on his face.

"Daiki-kun, come on." Takeshi cooed, kneeling next to the chair as he laid one hand on Daiki's thigh, the other on his arm.

"...How's your hand?" Finally came his voice, eyes turning to look at the hand on his leg.

"It's fine, you healed it all up."

The Yamamoto child sat on the floor beside the elder boy, gently rubbing his clothed leg as the others bickered amongst themselves in the table.

"Shujin-kun, calm. Steady." He breathed, feeling the muscles under his hands tense and jump.

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

I glared down at the table as I let my leg bounce rapidly, the inside of my cheek pinched between my teeth.

Bastard. Using my mother as leverage.

I hate the Mafia.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly let the air seep from my lungs, taking most of the tension with it. The little Rain by my side dropped his head onto my arm, slipping his hand into mine with ease.

"Yamaguchi-san?" Reborn called, making me look up, frown on my face.

"Yes?" I breathed, twitching when the rope wrapping me rippled slightly.

"Do you want to join Tsuna's family?"

"Reborn!"

"Reborn-san!"

"No." Came my decisive response, voice low and face stern.

"...I'll let you think about it."

"I won't need to." I said, standing as Leon slipped from me.

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Sawada Tsunayoshi watches helplessly as the three boys from the far end of the table filtered out of the room, all tense and barely giving the table another glance.

"Reborn! You can't do that!"

"Do what? Threaten the boy with his mother? Ask him to join the family? Be clear, Dame-Tsuna."

"Any of it!" The young Vongola yelled, standing slightly.

Threatening someone with their family was…

Tsuna glanced over his shoulder at the kitchen, watching the back of his mother as she moved about the workplace, packing away ingredients as she hummed contently.

"Just...leave Yamaguchi-san alone, okay?"

"Oh, I can't do that." Reborn chirped, turning to look at the desperate teen. "He could be useful, what, with his flames and abilities. The fact that he managed to reject you is interesting, Harmonization is a delicate thing."

"Reborn!" Tsuna tried, only to be shot back down as the baby hitman continued.

"Harmonization is the forming of a bond between a Sky and its Guardians. It brings them closer, making them a unit and a family. The usual amount is six, one of each flame."

Bond with Yamaguchi Daiki!?

That...sounds a bit...Tsuna fidgeted slightly, a strange strangled noise leaving him as he glanced around.

"Gokudera-kun, I am sure that you and Dame-Tsuna are either in the process of Harmonization, or may very well have already completed it."

The young Vongola blinked as his self-proclaimed right hand man's face lit up like a Christmas tree, looking up at him with a little too much intensity.

"Really? Tenth saw me worthy of his Storm Guardian!"

Tsuna gave Gokudera a hesitant smile, before glancing over through the window, the figures of the three boys long gone from his sight.

"Yamaguchi-san…"

"I'm sure he'll be fine."

The young Sky turned to look at his senior student, watching as he folded his hands together and sent him a small, sympathetic smile.

"I hope so."

 **|S.T|**

* * *

 **|LAMBO|**

Lambo of the Bovino Family kept his mouth shut the whole walk home, sensing the danger that would come should he draw Daiki's attention to him at this point in time.

Yamamoto gently held the elder boy's hand in his own as he balanced the little baby in on his hip, keeping the trio in time with the pace they had been set.

The scene that had taken at Reborn's house had been...tense, to say the least.

For every person who wanted to free Daiki from the ropes holding him, there was someone who wholeheartedly wanted to keep him there until he didn't have anything left to spill. As is the Mafia way, he supposed.

As Lambo played with the fabric of the batter's shirt, he couldn't help but glance up at him, hands wringing slightly to keep him entertained.

Daiki had been sinking his teeth into the side of his hand almost the entire time, his face pulled into tense concentration, the kind he had when he was trying to solve a hard problem fast.

Was he scared? Because Reborn threatened his mother?

He didn't need to be, Lambo doubted that Reborn would actually make a move against the woman. There was nothing to gain from the action, other than the animosity from the blue haired boy, and a couple more, better aimed bullets, from Lambo's direction.

Lightning remembered all the time he had been scared, and how his nanny had hugged him until he felt better. Maybe that would work for Daiki?

"Hey, do you want to stay over tonight? Your house is a bit on the far side. "

"Nah, I'll be fine."

Lambo gave a squeak and covered his eyes as they grew closer, feeling his ears burning hot under his afro.

Uncovering his eyes, he felt himself be passed from Yamamoto to Daiki. The young Bovino clutched the boy's shirt carefully as the older boy toed off his shoes, walking up into their shared bedroom, and sat on the bed, his movements tired, but at the same time, robotic, as if he were working entirely on an autopilot.

When he looked up, Lambo was standing on the floor in front of him, staring up at the teen with a worried expression.

"What is it, Lambo-kun?"

"Hug?" He asked, raising his hands.

"What?" Daiki breathed, scrunching his face slightly in confusion.

Did no one ever hug him when he was upset? That's... pretty lonely.

"Hug."

The tall teen paused for a moment, before carefully reaching out, plucking the child off the floor and bringing him to his chest, wrapping his arms around Lambo.

"It's okay." The little, Mafia raised, infant cooed, wrapping his arms around Daiki's neck as best as he could.

 **|LAMBO|**

* * *

We don't and never will know that.

...But thanks for trying.

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Yamamoto squeezed the hand in his grasp as the wind blew through their bones, feeling way too cold for that time of year.

He opened his mouth, about to say something, before letting it click shut, feeling the warning grip sent through their connected limbs.

Takeshi didn't like it when Daiki was like this, not because he became quiet, or because the air around him became stale, but because the alarms that sung in the back of his mind, suddenly hit a pitch that made his ears ring like tinnitus. It made the task of hearing harder the closer he was to his husband, and being a distance from the other male was not an enjoyable prospect.

Glancing over at the elder boy, he frowned when he saw the hand in his teeth. Releasing the one in his grip, he reached and gently pried it from the calcium, before rubbing his thumb along the dents, smiling slightly at Daiki's own tired one.

"Sorry." He breathed, switching hands to make the hold easier.

Takeshi watched as the baker's son dished through his pocket for his key, unlocking the door.

"Hey, it's late, do you want to stay over tonight? Your house is a bit on the far side."

"Nah, I'll be fine."

He wanted to stay, to be able to help the elder boy in his fragile state, but at the same time, he felt like he would be overstepping some sort of boundary, that his presence would be a hindering.

"Hm, very well then. Be careful, okay?"

Takeshi preened under the concern, smiling as the boy bowed slightly to lay a kiss on his temple, responding with his own to the jaw.

"I will. Goodnight, shujin-kun."

As the young Rain walked down the darkening street, he sent his father a text ahead of his arrival, a hand in his pocket and a slight frown illuminated on his face.

That baby had tried to get Daiki into the 'family', as they called it.

Family… that sounds nice.

But, he had said no.

Takeshi glanced over his shoulder at the cross road that splits the path between the shopping district and the residential.

The Rain really did enjoy his friend's company, the things they got up to, the games they played. Tsuna seemed to draw people in, armed with a charisma he didn't even seem aware of and a certain will that couldn't be swayed. Gokudera was fun to rile up, with his fireworks that seemed to make more smoke and noise than light, and his devotion and loyalty to his Tenth.

At the same time, the Yamamoto child loved his Daiki. The boy being there for him for three years, as compared to their one. They were arranged to marry, and he was practicality over the moon, the high of the information always hitting him when he remembered.

Family, was nice.

A family, without Daiki...was less so.

So much less so.

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

I stared up at the ceiling, the trees outside making moonlight patterns on the white surface. Shifting my attention, I frowned slightly when I saw the sliver of light peeking from under my door.

Glancing over at the still sleeping Lambo, I quietly removed myself from my sheets and slipped out of the room. Padding down the lit hall, I glanced over at Kaede's room, stalling for a moment when I saw it empty.

"She must be down stairs…" I muttered, dropping onto the first step.

Reborn had threatened her.

He had been right, she was trusting and falls easy to suggestion. Other than, perhaps screaming, my mother had no means of self defence.

"Hey." I called, peeking into the kitchen where she was boiling a kettle of water.

"Daiki, my baby boy! What are you doing up so late?" She asked, turning away as she flipped the switch on.

"Couldn't sleep, I guess." I shrugged, pulling out a stool.

"How was it at Sawada's?"

"Cool, I guess. Nana-san is a really good cook."

"Oho?"

She was a weak woman, both in body and mind.

I wonder, what would have happened if I had not come to occupy this life? Would she have continued being a victim of domestic violence? Probably.

"Daiki-kun, what's wrong?" She cooed, stepping closer to me.

"No, nothing." I breathed, before circling my arms around her waist, noticing how easily I could touch my upper arm on the opposite side.

Very small.

Fingers found themselves in my hair, finding and undoing small tangles.

I blinked as my eyes landed on a scar, the length of a thumb, marring the pale skin of her foot.

Very fragile.

It doesn't take someone of Reborn's level to launch an attack on Kaede, a common thug could end this woman with terrifying ease.

"Um, darling, could you let go? The kettle's ready."

"Sorry mum." I apologised, dropping my arms before glancing over at the black pot.

"Hey, kaa-san, you know that baby who comes around a lot? Reborn-san?"

"Yes, what about him?"

"...Never mind."


	11. Chapter 11

**Holy-! This is a long one! Sorry it took so long, rewrote a couple scenes, and school decided to crack down on us due to the end of year. :/  
But meh, here we go, chapter 11!**

 **LeNoRi, over and out! (Haven't done that in a while!)**

…

 **ThePloBre: *peeks around the corner*  
Hi!  
...Bye.**

…

 **Words that may be confusing:**

 _Panadol_ \- a common painkiller in some households.  
 _Shunji-kun_ \- respectful way of saying husband.

* * *

 **Word Count: 17,131**

I groaned as I slammed my hand down on my phone, blindly fumbling with the keypad to try and shut up the alarm. Letting out a cough, I sat up, pressure building in my temples from the sudden movement.

"Daiki-kun, are you up ye- Oh dear, you look terrible!"

"Thanks, kaa-san." I drawled, hunching over as I rubbed my forehead.

"I bet it's because you left your jacket last night when you went to the Sawada's. You should know better, little man!" Kaede scolded, putting a hand on her hip as she waved a finger at me.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, I screwed up." Giving a cough to try and clear my throat, I tried to stand, only to get pushed back down and my blanket thrown over my head.

"Oh, no you don't." I heard her say through the doona. "You aren't going to bake anything today, or work the register. Not with that cold. You'll get all of Namimori sniffing! Go back to bed, I'll call the school and tell them you're sick."

"Will do." I muttered, going full foetus beneath the sheets.

" _Huh? What's wrong with Daiki-san?"_ Lambo asked from outside my little cocoon.

" _He's not feeling well, so you'll have to sleep in my room for a little while, okay?"_

" _Okay. Get well soon, Daiki-san!"_

"I will." Sticking my hand out of the sheets, I waved at the little cow print covered infant as he was carried out of the room.

Plucking my phone off my nightstand, I pulled it under the sheets and wrote a quick text to the birdy so that he wouldn't come crashing through my window for skipping a day of classes.

 _To: Cloud  
Can't come to school today, sick. Don't know the length of absence._

Waiting a few moments, I blinked sleepily as the response buzzed my phone back to life.

 _From: Cloud  
Fine._

And with that, I tossed my phone back into the abyss of the outside room, and was out like a light.

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Tsuna sat on his bed, staring out to window quietly as his alarm became a faint hum in the background.

He watched the students of the three main schools of Namimori walk past his house, some chipper, some just barely conscious.

As more and more people passed, he slowly became less and less… he didn't exactly know what he became less of, but he became more nervous.

"Tsuna-kun!" He heard his mother call as she opened his door, stepping in with a smile.

"Ah, you're awake! Are you looking for Daiki-kun again?"

"H-huh!? No! I don't look for Yamaguchi-san in the mornings!" The young Vongola yelped, spinning around to face the woman, face reddening at the simple prospect.

So what if he only really left the house after he saw Yamaguchi passing? It was coincidence! He just happened to finish his routine when the boy crossed his house.

"Oh, Tsuna-kun, when you go, could you give him back his jacket? He left it, when he went in such a hurry." She sighed, producing the cloth from under her arm.

Tsuna stilled for a moment, his mind flying back to last night's… incident.

"Dame-Tsuna."

The young Vongola jumped awake at the call, snapping his attention to the baby hitman standing on his chair, balancing precariously on the backrest.

"Dame-Tsuna, you have five minutes before you're late for school."

"WHAT!?" Tsuna shrieked, snatching his alarm clock from his desk to see that the World's No.1 Hitman had told no lie.

"Why didn't anyone come and wake me up earlier!?"

"We did, then you spent an hour and half staring out your window, trying to creep on the baker's son." Reborn stated, a certain evil tone in his voice that made Tsuna screech in his defence.

"I wasn't trying to creep on Yamaguchi-san!"

"Four minutes, Dame-Tsuna."

"Oh, for the love of-!"

"Yamaguchi-san says that a lot as well, are you perhaps-"

"NO!"

 **...**

"My, so lively this morning." Nana cooed from the kitchen, packing away Tsuna's bento.

 **|S.T|**

* * *

I gave a loud sigh as I threw my binder to the side, gently kneading my chest to sooth the small chunks of meat and fat. With both Kaede and Lambo out of the house, I was free to go loose, allowing my chest some time to breath and my temperature to drop without the extra layer of cloth.

My breasts were smaller on this body, unsurprisingly, most of my body being made of muscle as compared to the normal stores of fat required to shape the female body. My chest wasn't round, the majority being flat muscle, leaving only obligatory bumps of fat.

In the words of Momoi Satsuki, KnB, " _barely B_ ".

"Much better." I breathed, a cough following after as I covered my mouth.

Fanning away the contaminated air in front of me, I stood shakily and opened the window, bathing myself in mid-day sun and letting a breeze in, clearing and circulating the air in the room.

Dropping back down on my bed, I opened my drawer and rummaged through until I found a particularly hard feeling sock roll in the far back. Pulling it out, I stretched the neck and saw the Panadol packet hidden beside a packet of Ibuprofen, the Lords and Saviours of my female body.

Snapping a Panadol tablet out of the foil, I gathered an acceptable amount of saliva into my mouth and swallowed it down with the capsule.

Letting my jaw crack with a yawn, I hid the sock again as I locked the window, before tucking my binder beneath my pillow and pulled the sheets back up to my chin, curling up under them.

* * *

 **|S.R|**

"Yamaguchi-san?" The teacher called, glancing up from his roll when silence rang through the room.

"Sasagawa-san, do you know where Yamaguchi-san is?"

"I think he's absent today." Ryohei sighed, glancing up from his sheet as he scribbled down another answer.

"Ah, thank you."

The Sasagawa child frowned as the teacher carried on, the empty seat next to him seeming more and more disconcerting by the minute.

The last time Daiki had been absent, he had been attacked.

Daiki was only ever gone when something bad had happened.

Daiki was gone now. Had something gone wrong?

Ryohei tapped his pacer tediously, his leg bouncing as the limb failed to be pinned by its companion knee. The lack of ticking resounding from a usually nearby watch made his tapping unsteady, the lack of familiar breathing and warmth made him have almost constant mental blocks, thought processes shutting off half way to snap back to the cold wooden seat beside him.

The muttering in the room rung in his ears as white noise, his senses searching for a pressure on his thigh, the smell of bread, the crack of knuckles, a flash of blue, tan or amber-earth, _anything_.

" _Sasagawa-san? Are you alright?"_

Ryohei jumped to attention, snapping his head up to direct his gaze at the teacher who was watching his carefully.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine." Came his response, before he looked back down at his paper, his hands moving to sketch a crooked loaf of bread.

The boxer fidgeted, as the familiar warmth curling strangely in his gut, his leg bouncing more rapidly as energy began to pulse through him. The desire for confirmation growing, his fingers twitching to grab his phone and yell through the receiver at the reason for his frazzled state.

Is he okay? Did he get hurt?

Ryohei bit his lip as his grip on the plastic stationery clenched randomly, the clicking creeks barely reaching his ears.

"Oi, Sasagawa-kun, you got a question." Someone hissed from behind.

The sun snapped his head up, his attention falling to the stern looking teacher who stood with his arms crossed.

"Sasagawa-san, answer this please."

Scanning over the question, memories of nights being practically strapped to a chair as Daiki banged on about the topic, forcing the information down his throat and onto paper, came rushing back to him, allowing the boxer to spit out the answer almost as soon as he finished reading.

"X equals 14, Y equals 3."

"Very good, try to keep your restlessness to a minimum."

"Sorry sensei."

Scribbling down a couple more answers half-heartedly, Ryohei glanced up when the bell went off, signalling the end of class.

"You look pretty down, Sasagawa-kun." A fellow student called, sitting on the corner of the boy's desk.

"Can you blame him? His _beloved_ Yamaguchi-kun isn't here today." Another cooed, twirling through the desks to throw his arm over Ryohei's shoulder.

"Oh, shut up." The Sasagawa child sighed, grabbing the boy's face and shoving him off.

"But really, where _is_ Yamaguchi-kun? He's almost _never_ away."

"I'm EXTREMELY sure he's just sick."

The two boys glanced at each other before muttering out quiet excuses and departing from the little island of Ryohei, leaving him to doodle a half assed kangaroo in the corner of his page.

" _Okay students, back to your seats."_

Damn Daiki, he better be okay.

 **|S.R|**

* * *

"When the hell did I create you?" I muttered, squinting at a folder on my computer.

For the past fifteen minutes, I had been sorting through the files in my system, finding random pieces of work, Paint art and stray sheets that had been lost to the flow of time.

I should really stop naming files ' _asdfghjkl'_ , it's not very descriptive.

Stopping for a moment, I glanced over to my phone, the sudden thought of texting Ryohei or Takeshi to give them a bit of peace about my absence, before I locked my gaze on the clock.

They'd be in the middle of class right now…

Clicking around a bit more, I sighed when I threw another folder into the trash.

Meh, I doubt they're worrying all that much.

* * *

 ** **|S.T|****

Yamamoto wasn't in a good mood.

The whole class knew that, the teacher knew that, and it made everyone was on edge.

Tsuna bit his lip as he glanced over his shoulder to his rain guardian, noticing how his fingers drummed his desk rhythmically, narrowed eyes tilted to the corner of his desk and his lips set into a firm line.

Through the day, the sushi chef's son had slowly dropped in levels of cheeriness.

From jumpy and excited at morning practice and first period, to cloudy and stiff by second.

The absence of Yamamoto's… _fiancé_ had caused the batter to become standoffish towards the people around him, his pencil spinning in his hand, similar to how Yamaguchi himself did.

Fiancé.

Tsuna fidgeted as the word rang through his head, before a different version touched his mind.

" _Fiancé."_

The European vocabulary sounded in his ears, a familiar base sourcing it.

Tsuna never really could completely wrap his head around the fact that Yamaguchi and Yamamoto were engaged. Or at least promised to each other.

They were so young, dating and school should be their first and foremost. Yet there they were, standing stable amongst the clutter and disarray of their peers.

Stable.

That was one way to describe Yamaguchi. Whether he was fighting against the current, the wind or the flow of students in the halls, he wouldn't relent.

Yamaguchi Daiki was more of a "break before I bend" kind of person.

A pillar of stability, the kind of person you cling to when things are rocky.

Supportive. Strong. Sure.

In all of those senses, Yamaguchi was perfect.

It made Tsuna fell almost uncomfortable, how perfect the elder boy was.

He acted like he had a manual to life, like this was his second play through of a game in which he knew where the secrets and easter eggs were, and was taking his time to enjoy the scenery rather than scrambling to reach the next level like the rest.

Tsuna glanced up at the board, grimacing as he read another example that flew straight over his head.

There was a limit to how perfect a person could be before it became uncanny, unnatural

But, only in those aspects, was Yamaguchi perfect.

Those moments of weakness was what allowed Tsuna's unease to settle. The way his eyes jump around when he's alarmed, the way he cracked his knuckles when he was bored.

Little details that the young Vongola would be embarrassed to admit he saw, made him human, rather than a prince charming.

Moments where he was made of flesh and bone, rather than plastic and expectations. Tsuna preferred Yamaguchi when he was like that, when he was floating under the surface of the water, enjoying the cool liquid's feather light touch against his skin.

Skin...

The young Vongola froze and covered his face with his hand as a familiar image flashed through his mind, the visage of the blue haired upperclassman leaning lazily against the wall of the change room, his pants hanging off his hips loosely. Fly yet to be done up, showing the band of his boxers and a strip of tanned flesh that peered from under his undershirt, muscles shifting as he waved off a rather vulgar comment thrown his way by his peers. A smile spread across his face making his eyes crinkle slightly, before a hearty laughter left him, sounding over his classmates and standing out to the young Vongola.

Tsuna let out a strangled noise as he felt his ears heat up, a shiver shooting up his spine.

Whipping around, the young Decimo' breath hitched when he made eye contact with his taller friend, dark eyes drilling into his carefully.

Stiffly, Tsuna turned back to the front, ducking his head as panic burst in his stomach.

He knows! He definitely knows that he was thinking about Yamaguchi! His fiancé!

"Sawada-san, please answer this question." the teacher called, pointing to a line that Tsuna didn't even bother to read.

"I don't know!" He squeaked out, three octaves higher than usual.

The young Decimo's face set aflame as the class giggled at his voice break, his desire to hide growing further when Gokudera stood to protect his pride.

Ah, just let this day be over!

 **|S.T|**

* * *

I sighed stopped the stream of water, stepping from the shower with a clean body, no longer caked in sweat. Shaking my head, the sound of droplets colliding with the surrounding wall reached my ears before I stopped, taking a second to regain my bearings.

A flash of colour caught my attention amongst the white and pale yellow of the bathroom, the mirror hanging over the sink reflecting a muscled body that betrayed its true gender, broad shoulders and straight abdomen, packed muscles and the most subtle dip in the waist, just above sharp hips.

Pausing for a moment, I stuck my tongue out at the image, spluttering when I caught a droplet of soapy water on the muscle.

* * *

 **|G.H|**

What the hell, baseball freak!?

Gokudera Hayato gritted his teeth as he watched his boss fidget ahead of him, the Rain Flame user sending off some serious angst vibes.

The young bomber only really understood the basics of the situation, but he knew that Yamaguchi Daiki was the main reason that the two other boys were so tense.

He didn't get why they were so transfixed by the older boy, had he done some sort of amazing thing before he came to the area?

Yamamoto, sure, he was engaged to the guy, but the Tenth? What was going on there?

And why the hell was _Yamamoto engaged to Yamaguchi!?_

The young Storm groaned as he rested his head on the desk in front of him, wondering if this was just another culture shock.

Sure, he had above average looks, grades, manners and height-

 _Little one…_

Oh that son of a bitch! He wasn't that short! Yamaguchi was just freakishly tall!

Damn that bastard, why'd he have to smile when he said that? Fucking pretty boys-  
Nope! Let's not!

 _Over confident!_

 _Get's Tenth distressed!_

 _Doesn't respect Tenth!_

 _Think badly of him, Gokudera!_

The Storm rubbed his face with his hand, scowling when a classmate glanced over at him.

The young bomber doubted the elder boy had ever used those brass knuckles that hung from his hip warningly, the damned thing clinking together whenever he was near.

Despite all that, the danger the pale haired boy felt whenever the boy was around, was undoubtable. It wasn't _confrontational_ danger per say, but it was a sort of danger that slashed at your ankles, daring you to take a step back. You had to keep your eyes on him, or risk a missing a move that could have saved your life if seen.

Gokudera felt like he was missing something, the Yamaguchi boy obviously played a large role in the life of many of his… _friends_ lives. Large enough to have an influence over their decisions and responses.

The Tenth wanted to protect the elder boy by keeping him out of the Mafia, but at the same time, he wanted him near by. For whatever reason.

 _Near by…_

Yamaguchi Daiki was always in the vicinity when something went down, somewhere in the backdrop, blending amongst the crowd effortlessly despite the loud companion he was practically attached to by the hip.

 _Always there. In the background…_

The young Storm sat up sharply as a memory of the shadow in the window came crashing back to mind, calculations of chance and situations speeding through along with it.

The boy had been in the hall of that room, but none of his classmates were, they were scattered through the school, Gokudera had seen that on the way up. He was the correct distance for walking speed that a person could cover in the given time… shit.

He knows.

Yamaguchi had let them into his house.

 _He knows._

Yamaguchi had been in _Tenth's house._

 _He knows._

They hadn't been watching, and he had moved.

 **|G.H|**

* * *

Giving a grunt, I shifted the tight material around my chest until the piece of skin was no longer pinched painfully and I could move freely again. I'd rather not put it on, the heat building beneath the material making my still sickly body sweat, but a glance at the clock warned me of the other's impending return and I submitted to the binder.

Since around midday, I had been feeling a lot better, the fever wearing off and my throat soothed by gargling cups of salted water. I wasn't going to drop and do 50 anytime today, but normal, mundane tasks were possible.

"Normal tasks like..." I took a breath, jammed two fingers in my mouth and whistled loudly, summoning forth the little white pup.

"Heya Miphy, let's go for a walk."

Mephisto gave a loud yap before bolting out of the room, taking off in the direction of his lead that hung from a low hook.

Pulling on a shirt and pants off the floor, I shoved my phone in my pocket before following after the excitable mutt. Taking the lead out of the dog's mouth, I hooked him up before locking the door behind us, beginning the trek to Lady's house. Lady, being the chihuahua that tends to tackle hug *cough* attack *cough* Tsuna.

I waved to the old woman as I closed the gate, Lady nuzzling against Mephisto happily.

"Okay, let's go you two." I cooed, taking the lead before they dashed ahead, forcing me to jog all the way to the park.

The streets were empty for the most part, almost everyone at work or at school, only the occasional retire or stay-at-home there to greet me or send me a disapproving glance.

It was calming, the constant speed set for me as I ran along quietly, the dog's knowing the way off by heart.

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

" _Jeez, what's got Yamamoto-san so riled up?"_

" _Hell if I know, he's been pretty down in the dumps since morning practice."_

Takeshi sucked on the back of his teeth silently as he turned his attention out the hall window, watching the students quickly file through the halls to get to their classrooms before a certain skylark got to them first.

He flipped his phone open and checked for any messages, a frown marring his face when the screen showed no such activity, leaving him to shove it back into his pocket just as the teacher walked in, waving a pile of marked tests at the students.

"Okay everyone, I have your results. Quite a lot of you did very well," Nezu smiled, before letting his gaze snap between Tsuna and Takeshi. "And some of you did very _badly._ "

The batter began tapping his desk irritably as the man handed out their tests, before returning to the front of the room to name and shame the lowest ranked students in the class.

"-And Yamamoto Takeshi, as usual."

"Sorry, sensei." He muttered out, absently tapping the rhythm to the song Daiki hummed while baking.

" _The black magic of Mulholland Drive_

 _Swimming pools under desert skies_

 _Drinking white wine in the blushing light_

 _Just another LA Devotee_

 _Sunsets on the evil eye_

 _Invisible to the Hollywood shrine_

 _Always on the hunt for a little more time_

 _Just another LA Devotee…"_

His muttering was cut short when his accented words finally became too much of an annoyance, the way they were spoken not matching the voice in his head.

He just couldn't find him, checking the boxing club's room and his other haunts around the school grounds had been all for naught. With each void space Takeshi went past, he grew more and more agitated, his smile becoming harder to paste on.

A flash of movement caught his eye, making him turn his attention to the source, his gaze latching on the flushed face of his younger friend.

Sawada Tsunayoshi, he was a nice boy, always so happy and never short of excitement. Lately, however, Takeshi had taken notice of just how alert the smaller boy was of his Daiki's presence, be that physical or emotional.

It had probably started that day in the changeroom, before he has associated the boy as a friend, he had caught the younger student glancing up at his fiance in a state of mild undress, spurring him forwards. Afterwards, through every interaction, Tsuna would _react_ to their upperclassman. Whether it be smiling for a bit too long, or a bit too brightly, making a move to draw his attention, only to squash it down when another would beat him too it.

Takeshi wasn't worried though, he knew that Daiki was loyal.

It was still aggravating, however, when the elder boy's muscles would tense, and his smile would become strained as he tried to hold something back in the smaller boy's presence. His attention halved, leaving Takeshi with only a fraction of his focus.

The bell rung for lunch and the class burst into action, some fleeing to the next room as others spun around in their chairs to yell at the person behind them.

The young Rain merely lifted his chin from his hand and slunk over to Tsuna's desk, dropping down in the chair he had dragged after him.

"A-ah, Yamamoto-kun, you seem a bit down today." The younger boy tried, making Takeshi give a half-hearted response of 'nah, just tired'.

The young Rain looked at the Sky for a moment, contemplating asking the question that had been on his mind for a while, before mentally shrugging and going in.

"Hey Tsuna-san, how long have you and Daiki-kun known each other, exactly?"

Takeshi pretended not to notice how Gokudera leaned forwards slightly, the prospect of Tsuna's past interesting him more than the possible row in the far corner.

"Oh, I met him when I was nine."

"Eh, so long? How did you meet?"

Tanned arms crossed on the desk, keeping his hands tied.

"Well, I was at the pool and - I got clumsy and fell in! I wasn't a very good swimmer back then, so Yamaguchi-san saved me from drowning!" Tsuna laughed nervously at the end, both Gokudera and Yamamoto pausing at the almost stumble.

"But Tenth, you're a brilliant swimmer now, right?!" The young Storm asked, leaning further.

"Y-yeah!" He yelped, before a small smile came to his face, making his Guardians blink.

"Yamaguchi-san taught me how. He's a really good teacher."

Takeshi smiled at the idea of his Daiki being all heroic and strong, before freezing as a small hum left the young Sky.

" _He looks so pretty underwater."_

He probably wasn't meant to hear that.

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

I let out a breath as I dropped to the ground, leaning against a tree trunk as I watched Lady and Mephisto play.

Today had been a good day. No death, no Mafia, no attacks.

"Oh my God!"

Never mind, there was an attack.

"Mephistopheles, let him go!" I yelled, scrambling to my feet and racing after the damned dog.

Reaching the scene, I grabbed the canine by the collar and roughly lead him off of his catch, giving his belly a smack before sending him off to where Lady had sat herself down.

"I am _dreadfully_ sorry about that, he gets excited around new people." I apologised, reaching out to the curled up male.

Slowly, he uncurled himself and looked up at me, making my body grind to a halt and my eyes widen slightly.

"A-ah, it's fine. No harm done."

Red hair, green eyes, glasses and clad in the Yumei Private uniform, Shoichi Irie slowly stood from the ground, before a groan of despair left him.

"Well, no harm to _me._ "

Grimacing, I looked down at the torn up plastic bag containing what must have been some sort of bread like meal.

God damn it, Mephisto.

"That's green tea bread, right? Or used to be." I asked, pointing at the mildly green bread and the paste that leaked from the breaks.

"With red bean paste, yeah. I'll have to go buy more. There goes my allowance for the month." The future Sun Mare ring sighed, trying to salvage the bag.

"Oh no, I'll buy you more. There were only seven, right?" I asked, stepping forwards and taking the bag from him.

"Ah, no! It's fine, really!" He tried, only to have me cut him off with a small smile.

"It was my fault, I should have kept a closer eye on the dogs. Besides, I know a bakery not far from here."

"O-okay, I'm Shoichi Irie, by the way." He introduced, fiddling with his hands.

"Yamaguchi Daiki, pleasure to meet you Shoichi-san." I smiled, before whistling for Lady and Mephisto.

"The little one's Lady, and this mangy mutt is Mephistopheles."

I quickly hooked the two dogs back up to their leads before gesturing for the future Mafioso to follow, striking up conversation when his awkward glances became a bit too obvious.

"So, Shoichi-san, why're you out of school in the middle of the day?"

* * *

 **|S.I|**

"Oi, Shoichi-san!"

Shoichi Irie grimaced before turning to the call, jumping slightly when a piece of paper was thrust against his chest.

"Here's a list of things we need you to get for us, you can do that, right?"

He took a moment to look at the towering trio before sighing and taking the list, pulling his wallet from his bag as he fled the room.

Yumei Private had been going down hill in the past few years, the student average on the decline and the amount of delinquents and slackers on the rise.

It didn't matter to him, he supposed, all he had to do was graduate with a good enough ATAR and move on to the next education building.

Shoichi sighed as he stepped out of the school gates, momentarily wondering if he'll make it back in time, before letting his shoulders sag. Probably not.

"Thank you, ma'am." He hummed out, taking the plastic bag from the server at the counter.

He hadn't been able to buy himself any of them, his wallet already feeling dangerously light from the seven already purchased. Looking to his watch, Shoichi blinked when he saw the wide gap between the minute hand and the fearful number, the sheer amount of time he had left was surprising to say the least.

"Well, today might not turn out so bad." He breathed, glancing at the path that cut through the park, a small smile coming to his face as he decided to treat himself to the scenic route.

Summer was creeping into Spring, and the plants were feeling it as much as the humans were. Leaves were wide open alongside their flowers, bees and birds were flying about freely.

The park was pleasantly empty, everyone at their own commitments, leaving Shoichi to soak up the sun without a care-

"Oh my God!"

The words left his mouth before he registered what was actually happening, a heavy weight pressing spontaneously on his side as he instinctively curled up, protecting his face from the frenzied dog.

" _Mephistopheles, let him go!"_

The voice that run out was low and gravelly, almost as if their throat had been rubbed raw. It boomed over the park easily ad heavy footsteps came closer, Shoichi wondering for a moment what kind of man could own such a ruthless beast.

The dog was ripped off him in a single swift movement, the paws that dug into his sensitive side removed before a soft slap reached his ears.

There was a small yip before Shoichi heard the dog's pants fade into the distance, obviously making a break from its owner.

"I am _dreadfully_ sorry about that, he gets excited around new people."

The Yumei Private student glanced up at the silhouetted figure, gulping when he saw the outlines of solid muscle, and unraveled his body before sitting up.

"A-ah, it's fine." Oh God, he had stuttered. "No harm done."

Shoichi blinked when the boy towering over him paused, eyes widening minutely. Shaking it off, the red haired boy stood, drawing his attention to the bag in his hand, before a groan left him.

They were ruined.

"Well, no harm to _me_."

He was going to have to go back again and buy more now, that'll cost both time and money. At the rate he was going, he would be both late and broke.

"That's green tea bread, right?" He asked, making Shoichi jump to attention.

"With red bean paste, yeah. I'll have to go buy more. There goes my allowance for the month."

"Oh no, I'll buy you more. There were only seven, right?"

Shoichi jolted as the other boy stepped closer, his hair standing on end suddenly when their hands brushed as he slipped the bag from paler fingers.

"Ah, no! It's fine, really!"

What the hell was that?

"It was my fault, I should have kept a closer eye on the dogs. Besides, I know a bakery not far from here."

Ah crap, he's got a nice smile.

"O-okay, I'm Shoichi Irie, by the way." His mother would have his head if she knew that he hadn't introduced himself yet.

"Yamaguchi Daiki, pleasure to meet you Shoichi-san."

Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi, that sounded familiar.

The Yumei Private student fiddled with his hands as he watched Yamaguchi slip two fingers in his mouth and let out a high pitched whistle, summoning forth two canines from the far side of the park.

"The little one's Lady, and this mangy mutt is Mephistopheles."

"A-ah." He managed out before falling instep beside the taller boy, clasping his right arm as he took a moment to observe his new acquaintance.

He seemed nice enough, polite, mild mannered and welcoming to a comfortable extent. What had caused that reaction though? He had no real reason to freak out when he got touched, his sister being very much a handsy person when it comes to affection.

"So, Shoichi-san, why're you out of school in the middle of the day?"

Shoichi jolted sharply, snapping his head to the other boy as he managed to splutter out the required response before the pause became too long.

"Ah, I'm running an e-errand!"

"Oh? So these are for your friends?" Yamaguchi asked, lifting the ruined bag slightly.

"N-no. Not exactly." The red haired boy sighed out, glancing off to the side.

He saw the tanned boy frown for a moment, but he seemed to sense Shoichi's hesitance towards the subject and promptly dropped it.

"So why are you out of school, Yamaguchi-san?"

"Oh, I'm not in the best of health today. I started feeling better, so I took the dogs for a walk." He answered, shrugging as he gestured to the yipping dogs.

"Ah, are you sure you should be outside, then?"

"Yeah, it was probably just a bug. I didn't wear a jacket last night - I was walking."

Shoichi vaguely picked up on the jolt in the other boy's tone, but made no move to comment. It was none of his business, anyway.

The two boys walked together for a little longer, trading conversation about mundane topics varying from school to the weather.

"You go to Namimori Middle? What year?"

"Second. From your uniform, I gather you are from Yumei Private, fancy."

Shoichi gave an awkward smile, rubbing his arm as his body slowly relaxed around Yamaguchi.

"Nah, not really. The rating and average has gone down over the years, it pretty average now. The only thing above the average in Yumei is the cost."

The two shared a quiet laugh as they turned the corner, coming to a stop at Yamaguchi's signal.

"Here we are, Yamaguchi Bakery."

Shoichi stared up at the sign as cogs turned in his brain, memories and knowledge clicking left and right as he spun around to look at his new acquaintance.

"Wait, _Yamaguchi_ Bakery? My mum always brings home their stuff after work! Their cakes are so good! My sister and I practically worship their food! Their breads so soft and nice, and their- oh they're just so great!"

The spectacled boy had basically lived off their goods at one stage in his life, being too busy to actually eat, and as result relied on the snacks his mother brought home as his one source of nutrients during exam season. He still ate the Yamaguchi bread after school as a snack before he did his homework, the bread and other ingredients keeping him sated until dinner was ready.

"Oh? Thanks, I'm sure kaa-san will love to hear that."

…

"Wait, you're Yamaguchi Daiki, right?"

"Yes."

The smile that slowly spread onto the other boy's face made the young redhead's cheeks match his hair.

"Yamaguchi, like the bakery-oh my god, I just ranted about your bakery in front of both you and your bakery-I am so sorry."

Shoichi felt his ears burn as a hearty laugh left the taller boy beside him, the desire to just dig all the way to freaking _Germany_ becoming more and more prominent.

"Nah, always good to hear that we're doing our job. We aim to please, Shoichi-san."

Yamaguchi gave him another smile before reaching into his pocket and producing a key, holding the door open for the stunned teen.

"Well, come on in."

Now, Shoichi may have had eaten just about everything on the store's roster thirteen times over, but this was the first time the young boy had set foot in the _Yamaguchi Bakery!_

Oh, his sister is going to be _so_ jealous.

"Pardon the intrusion." he muttered, ducking his head as he shuffled past his peer, glancing around the bakery.

It was warm inside the store, pleasant, despite the already warming up weather outside. The homely atmosphere seeped beneath his skin and persuaded his muscles to relax, his jitters and tension leaking out as he let out a deep breath, the smell of bread and pastries lining the air.

"Here, as an apology for screwing up your walk."

Shoichi turned and blinked when he saw a bag full of green tea bread placed on the counter, Yamaguchi leaning against the marble on his forearms as he gave him an apologetic smile.

"Wa-No! I couldn't!"

"I do believe we have been over this already, Shoichi-san. You agreed to let me replace the ones that I caused damage to, and here they are."

The red haired boy bowed his head slightly before taking the familiar bag from the Yamaguchi's hands, kind of upset that the buns wouldn't find rest in his own stomach.

"Now, go ahead and choose something for yourself."

Shoichi jumped.

"For some reason, I find myself doubting that those are going to be shared with you."

His smile took the younger boy off guard, the softness of it making him clutch the bag harder as he glanced around at the displays.

"Ah, the cotton cheese cake? Maybe?"

Jesus christ, stop smiling!

Shoichi squirmed as Yamaguchi pulled the cake slice from the rack, placing it in a small box and handing it over.

"I was right then." The boy breathed, moving to write something down on a napkin.

The Yumei student only glanced away from him, giving a muted nod after a few moments of silence.

"Well, I better get going. I'll probably only have a few minutes to spare by the time I get back to school." Shoichi said, taking a step away from the counter.

Yamaguchi stared at him for a moment longer, not responding to the way his ears began to take on a red hue as Shoichi unintentionally compared them to amber stones.

"Well, it was nice to have met you, Shoichi Irie. I hope you enjoy the cake, and please, do come again." Another smile made the Yumei Private student flush before he nodded, a little too vigorously.

"S-same to you, Yamaguchi-san! I will! See you again, soon!"

He waved over his shoulder as he walked out, stumbling as he dropped sharply from the little step, a flush hitting his face harder as a quiet chuckle sounded from behind him.

Shit! He has a nice laugh too!

 **| S.I |**

* * *

Well then, there's Shoichi Irie.

God damn.

I didn't think he'd be such an awkward duckling.

Standing from the counter, I locked the door and switched off the lights, sneaking back into the house. As I slipped my shoes off, a cough clawed its way out of my throat, my chest shaking as my tongue fought back the gag that threatened to spill forth.

"Ah," I choked, thumping my chest. "Too much excitement."

His flame. I had seen it.

It was small, almost pathetically so. Not nearly as bright or strong as Ryohei's or mine. Definitely not Reborn's. However, it had its own charm, a certain strength that curled up deep within the flame, securing it and letting the sunshine tongues flicker safely.

Another couch racked my body before I was left heaving, no air left to dispel from my lungs.

Shit, I shouldn't have left the house.

A quiet whimpering made me look down Mephisto and Lady looking up at me from my feet, their heads tilted as their tails dropped to the ground.

"I'm fine, nothing to worry about." I breathed, opening the back door for them to run into the yard.

Maybe, I should go back to bed.

Yeah, bed. Good idea.

* * *

 **|G.H|**

Gokudera Hayato glared up at the sign built over his head, translating the white kanji with genius ease.

 _Yamaguchi Bakery._

A scowl bloomed across his face as he jammed his hands into his pockets, fingering a line up of mini bombs. Stepping forwards, the young Mafioso stopped himself from kicking the door, instead yanking out a hand and banging the side of his fist on the wood beside the glass.

When no response came, he did it again with more force, throwing his head back to hollar up at the other levels.

"Oi! Yamaguchi-san! Get your ass down 'ere!"

The young storm ignored the looks he was getting from the people around him, long used to being singled out in a crowd.

"Yamaguchi-san! You can't hide from me!" he yelled, knocking again.

" _God damn, I'm coming you impatient little…"_

"I'M NOT LITTLE!" Gokudera yelled just as the door opened, stunning the baker's son for a moment.

"Oh, good afternoon Gokudera-sa-"

"How long have you known about the Tenth?!"

There was a pause, the elder boy's eyes widening ever so slightly, but enough for Gokudera to see.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Wait, Tenth's what you call Sawada-san, right?"

"You know what I'm talking about, you fuckin' giant! Sawada Tsunayoshi being the Vongola Tenth! How long have you known!?"

Before he could react, Yamaguchi's expression had changed and the young bomber's collar had been grabbed and used to yank him inside of the building, the door slamming behind him.

"Shout it to the world why don't you, little one?" The taller boy hissed, locking the bakery door.

"You've been in the Tenth's house! You've been in contact with him for _four_ years! Tell me, you bastard!"

Amber-earth eyes darted from the Storm Flame user to the door, before a defeated tilt to his lips became obvious.

"Not here, Gokudera-san. Further in the house." He breathed, grabbing the silver haired boy by the arm and leading him through the living space and up into Yamaguchi's bedroom.

"Okay, now _spill_." The young Storm hissed, watching as the taller boy locked the simple wooden door.

Yamaguchi rested his forehead against the wood for a moment, before he let out a loud whoosh of air.

"I've known for a while. Maybe a little after Reborn-san started coming to the bakery- he isn't exactly tight lipped about it." He admitted, turning to face the smaller bomber.

Gokudera surged forward, his pale hands coming and gripping the elder boy's shirt as he slammed him back against his door, mint eyes glaring up at amber-earth.

"Do you plan on hurting the Tenth? I know you don't like him, it's obvious by the way you act around him!"

There was a pause, the young Yamaguchi staring down at the small Mafioso, the cogs in his head visibly turning.

" _And if I am?"_

The young bomber's blood ran cold, a sudden pressure weighing down on his when he realised just how vulnerable he was. Just how many mistakes he made.

He was in Yamaguchi's territory.

He didn't gather the proper stats on Yamaguchi's abilities.

The space they were in was not his ideal arena, too small and cramped.

As if sensing Gokudera's realisation, Yamaguchi's eyes became sharp, the larger boy taking steps forwards and making the young bomber take his own back in caution.

"What will you do if I am proven to be hostile?"

The back of Gokudera's knees hit the bed, making him fall back and sit on the green and yellow doona, forcing him to look up at the Sun flame user.

"What will you do if I plan on hurting-hell _killing_ the Tenth?"

At this point, Yamaguchi was looming over him, using his height and broad shoulders to allow his shadow to swallow the smaller boy.

Gokudera clenched his fists as he glared up at him, eyes darting back and forth between Yamaguchi's eyes and his shining, brass knuckles.

What would he do?

What would he do if someone tried to hurt Tenth?

Well, that was obvious.

"I'd kill you myself." He declared, squaring his shoulders.

"And if I turned out to be stronger than you expected?"

"I'd die trying."

There was a tense silence, both boys refusing to back down as the air grew denser as flames tongued at the underside of their skins, ready and waiting to jump to action the second they were needed, knowingly or not.

"Good."

What?

"What?" Gokudera gawked, the shadow over him moving back as a smile bloomed across Yamaguchi's face.

"That's a good answer. As expected of the Tenth's Right hand." He smirked, crossing tanned arms.

"Wait-What? Why're..? Huh?" Gokudera couldn't seem to catch up to the situation, the tone changing so quickly that it threw him for a loop, the carpet being yanked from under his feet.

"I have no hostility towards Sawada-san, nor to the Tenth Vongola."

The young bomber looked at the elder boy mutely as he pulled out his chair and sat down on it, leveling himself with his house guest.

"Your answer just then, it pleased me more than I care to admit. I now feel like I can fully trust you with the Little Fish." He said, his smile taking on a softer tone.

"Trust me? Why would you need to trust me with the Tenth?" Gokudera asked.

"Four years, Gokudera-san. I've known that little boy for four years. I've taught him to swim, and I've taught him how to actually catch a ball." The blue haired boy sighed, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled further, almost as if admitting some sort of defeated.

"You're attached to the Tenth." Gokudera breathed, the statement coming out airily.

"That tends to happen, after four years of exposure."

"I'm not sure just how or by how much I am attached to Sawada-san, but I know it's enough to cause worry when I see bombs going off at his _feet_."

The pointed sharpness at the end of that was enough to make Gokudera flinch, the dynamite weighing heavy in his pocket.

"No need to feel sorry, I know how loyal you are to him, and you would never cause him intentional harm."

"Of course not!" He snapped, the very idea preposterous.

"Which is why, I need you to promise me this: Will you look after them?"

There it was, the damn shift that always threw Gokudera for a moment.

"Look after them?"

"Yes, not just Sawada-san, but Takeshi-kun too. I'm no fool Gokudera-san, I know that the Mafia isn't a pretty place. You know that first hand."

The young Storm gritted his teeth.

"You know the terrain you're about to head into better than any of them, so you're going to have to help them as much as possible. You're going to need to be their spear head, the storm at the centre of the attack."

There was another moment of pause.

"Those boys, they don't know what they're getting into. Not really."

Gokudera noticed him look down at his hands, one coming to rub a slight discolouration on his arm.

"So, Gokudera-san? I don't expect you to do it yourself, but until they find their feet, can you look after them?"

"I'd owe you, more than one."

Instinctually, Gokudera's mind grasped the line and stored it away, those words being just as valuable as gold and weaponry to the Mafia.

"Yeah. Yeah, I promise to look after them." Finally came his answer, the words breaking the silence.

"Thank you."

 **...**

"Sorry about-you know- slamming you against the wall. And yelling at you. And stuff." Gokudera muttered awkwardly, shuffling in the doorway of the Yamaguchi Bakery.

"Nah, it's fine. I probably would have done the same thing."

The young Storm scowled as he felt the tips of his ears begin to burn, the smile on Yamaguchi's face annoying him greatly for no feasible reason.

"Well, whatever, sorry still."

His breath hitched and all bodily function shutdown for a split second, mental gears grinding to a halt as a soft heat pressed into his hair, large hands gently gripping his arms.

"Thank you, Little one. Truly."

"A-a-ah! Whatever! Later, bastard!" Gokudera turned and made a break for it, praying that the elder boy didn't see pale skin turn red.

"AND I'M _NOT_ FUCKING _SHORT_!"

 **|G.H|**

* * *

Another cough rocked me as I closed the door behind the shrinking figure of Gokudera Hayato, a hand coming up to cover my mouth.

Turning from the door, I walked back to the kitchen, feeling lighter than I had in awhile.

You couldn't say I didn't try, I had spent most of those four years trying to persuade myself that hating Sawada Tsunayoshi was the only way to survive in this world. As we can see, however, that didn't seem to be working out for me very well.

At least, now I can take my mind off it.

I grimaced as I spat out a mouthful of salted, warm water, the liquid splashing against the metal sink of the kitchen.

Hectic, was how I'd describe today. Not the worst, but not the relaxing one I had been expecting, or needing as it would seem.

Placing down the empty cup, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, moving from the sink to the living room, intent on returning to my bed.

" _Who was that?"_

I'd like to say I descended with grace at that moment, but the tell tale sounds of crashing and my glass cup shattering as I dragged practically half the kitchen down with me as I fell seemed to deny the statement any credibility.

"What the hell-Oh my _God!"_

I stared wide eyed at the figure standing before me in a less than decent state, towel wrapped around their waist and hair dripping with water as they crossed their arms over their bare chest.

"Why was Gokudera-kun here, shujin-kun?"

Now, I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the Yamamoto's were descended from samurai, _not ninja._

"I'll answer that, right after you tell me why you're naked in my kitchen, Takeshi-kun."

Oh, I didn't like that smile.

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Takeshi sighed as he entered the shopping district, having just arrived after telling his father the news about Daiki's absence, and given the green light to go check on him.

It was just after practice, and his legs were stinging from a less than well executed safe slide, leaving the young rain with two, dirt filled scraps riding up his legs and arms, stinging whenever his clothes grazed them. He probably should have gone home, or the nurse's office at least, and got them cleaned up, but the desire to see his fiance muted any pain he received from the frayed nerve ends.

Fishing out his phone, typing in the password, he idly began scrolling through his old stash of pictures. Images dating back to when he was nine being stored in the machine he almost never parted with.

A small smile came to his face when he stopped on an image, the memory connected to it cooling his hot blood.

It was a simple image, taken on a regular Sunday morning. In the frame, there was an image of a dirtied Daiki and Takeshi, their knees covered in soil and grass stains. Their clothes had seen better days, a small hole being worn through Takeshi's pants from the sheer amount of times he had practiced slide safes. The elder boy's arms were wrapped around Takeshi as they heaved with laughter, sunny smiles on their faces as they tried to collect themselves.

He didn't remember his father taking it, but he was grateful for it.

Looking up from his phone, the young Rain came to a stop, reading the familiar sign hanging over the Yamaguchi shop.

Reaching for the door, he paused when he noticed it was locked, but heard voices from inside. They were harsh, and too muffled to tell who they were and what they were saying, but auditable enough to be known.

Frowning, Takeshi took a step back and thought over the situation, before jogging around the bakery and jumping their fence, landing solidly in the backyard. The sounds of Mephisto proved to him that, yes, someone was indeed home.

"Hey Miphy," he greeted quietly, still stumbling over the name even after years of practice. " Is the back door open? I need to get in to see shujin-kun."

The white pup yipped before taking off around the corner, Lady following after him, before head butting the door, the wooden slate swinging open.

"You're the best!" the young Rain laughed, ruffling the terrier's fur.

Gently toeing off his shoes, the Yamamoto child crept into the house. He kept his breath quiet as the voices continued, keeping steady and quiet. As the young Rain reached the stairs, shifting his weight to climb wooden steps in a particular style he had formed over the years, the silence it granted allowing him to jump his fiancé many a time.

" _I'd owe you, more than one."_

Takeshi stopped, the familiar base reaching his ears as he reached the top of the stairs. Shuffling over to the wall, the young Yamamoto leaned next to the door of Daiki's room.

There was no sound for a moment, the young Rain holding his breath in fear of alerting whoever his Daiki was talking to.

" _Yeah. Yeah, I promise to look after them."_

Gokudera?

What was Gokudera doing in Daiki's room?

" _Thank you."_

Takeshi's breath hitched.

Daiki, he sounded so weak. Tired and worn, but so relieved. A moment of fragility that made his voice soft and airy, his emotion obvious for all to see.

And Takeshi _didn't get to see._

His eyes narrowed slightly as he pressed his pads into the wall behind him, forcing himself to remain still as silence rang through the house.

" _Okay, well, I better get going."_

Sucking in a sharp breath, the young Rain pushed off the wall and swiftly padded across the small hall, slipping into the bathroom just as the handle of Daiki's door turned. Taking a deep breath, the young Rain took steps back from the door, leaning against the tiled wall on the other end.

What was Gokudera doing here? What did he promise Daiki?

A light scowl lit his face, his hand coming to slam against the wall to try and restrain his raising aggravation. Hissing, the young Rain recoiled as a shower of lukewarm water pelted down on him, his hand coiled around the upturned knob of the taps.

Wet and more than a little aggravated, Takeshi stepped out of the shower and shut off the water. stripping himself of his waterlogged clothing, he threw them to the floor with a little too much aggression and gritted his teeth.

He needed to see Daiki. Now.

Grabbing a towel, he wrapped it around his hips and descended the stairs, keeping his footsteps just barely audible out of habit.

" _Well, whatever, sorry still."_

Takeshi's eyes widened as he paused at the base of the stairs, just out of their line of sight, but where he could see the last thing he ever wanted to.

" _Thank you, little one. Truly."_

…

 _Calm._

Calm yourself, Takeshi.

Communicate with him. Have confirmation. Fill in the blanks.

 _Do. Not. Attack._

The young Rain watched as Daiki closed the door after the pale haired teen, before hunching slightly, coughs racking his body.

A flash of concern rushed through the young Yamamoto, half of him wanting to help his shaking fiance, the other wanting to be the one shaking him. Stepping off the last of the case, he began padding after his Daiki, letting him soothe his throat with salted water and hack up another portion of his lungs, before deciding to make himself known.

"Who was that?"

In any other situation, Takeshi would have laughed at the scene presented to him, but at that moment, the noise and swearing that sounded off only worked to grate on his nerves.

"What the hell-Oh my _God!"_

Flexing his crossed arms to try and turn down the heat on his simmering blood, the young Rain tried again, just barely keeping his temper lidded.

"Why was Gokudera-kun here, shujin-kun?"

"I'll answer that, right after you tell me why you're naked in my kitchen, Takeshi-kun."

Wrong move.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Takeshi let his smile become sharp, tilting his head just so in a manner he knew would set off alarms.

"No, you'll answer me first, shujin-kun. Why was Gokudera here? And why did you _kiss him?_ "

Taking a certain joy in the tensing of the elder boy's body at his tone, he watched as his fiance slowly collected himself and stood, being careful to not go to his full height in front of his simmering partner.

"Kiss? When did I…?"

Takeshi frowned as the taller boy did as well, looking legitimately confused, before realisation dawned on his face, the fear that followed bathed the baseballer in cold water, while boiling him from the inside.

"Oh."

"Yes, 'oh'. Now, care to share?" The young Rain hissed, leaning slightly.

"Okay, I didn't kiss Gokudera-san. Not in the way I think that you think I did. It was a forehead kiss, ya know- on the forehead? Not on the mouth."

The young Yamamoto narrowed his eyes further, a firm downward tilt to his lips.

"You swear it? You're not lying?"

His fiance placed a hand over his heart and held the other up, displaying his palm.

"I promise, I have never- and will never- engage in physical pleasure through one Gokudera Hayato."

"Or anyone else?"

"Or anyone else." Daiki breathed, nodding as he sighed.

"Good. Now, why was he here?"

"He came to talk about Sawada-san, he thought I was being hostile towards him, and - well, you know how he is towards the boy." He answered, gesturing to air with his hands.

"True."

Takeshi let out a long breath, his blood settled and a certain heat in his core cooled down, allowing him to take a step towards his fiance.

"Shujin-kun, you were absent from sch-Holy!"

Both boys let out harmonious screams of surprise as Takeshi's towel descended his legs, pooling around his feet.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry!"

"Why!? This is the second one I've seen this term!"

"What?!"

"It was just Ryohei-kun's, so it doesn't really count!"

"Ryohei-san?!"

"If it makes you feel better, your's is bigger than his!"

"How is that meant to make me feel better!"

"I don't know! Just cover yourself, God damnit!"

…

Takeshi pouted up at Daiki as he accepted a cup of milk, a pair of his fiance's sweatpants and oversized shirt covering his body as his hair dripped onto the towel hanging on his shoulders.

"So, we all good now?" The taller boy asked, dropping down on the couch next to him.

"No, I'm grumpy again." He muttered into his cup, sipping the calcium restoring liquid.

"Why? Because of Ryohei-kun accidentally flashing me?"

"Accidently? Really?" Takeshi asked, giving him an unconvinced look.

Daiki paused for a moment, before giving a sheepish smile.

"Okay, he kicked the bathroom door in and posed dramatically. So, maybe not so accidental."

"Mhm." He hummed, putting his cup down.

"And because of that, you need to pamper me." He declared, draping himself over his fiance's lap.

"What are you, a cat?"

"No, I'm your husband, I'm worse."

Takeshi grinned as his body vibrated from Daiki's laughter, a hand coming to tangle through his hair.

"Ah, you still don't dry your hair properly, hey?"

The young Rain gave a groan as he was manhandled onto the floor, forced to sit between Daiki's legs and his towel as thrown over his head, large hands coming to begin rubbing the water out.

"C'mon, Daiki-kun!"

"I'm already sick, Takeshi-kun, we don't need you getting a cold as well."

Takeshi gave a quiet hum as the elder boy smoothed out his hair with his hand, removing the towel and testing the dampness, before giving his own hum of approval.

"Okay, all done."

The young Rain shook out his hair before scrambling back up and straddling the taller boy, grinning further at his wide eyed expression.

"So, you were sick today?"

"Yeah, it was pretty cold...last night."

A frown settled on Takeshi's face as the tone of the environment dropped again, a phantom pain buzzing in his hand as memory of the last night came back with a bitter taste. Standing, the teenaged Yamamoto collected his fiance's hand and led his up the stairs, the older boy flicking off lights as they walked.

"How's your hand?"

That was the third time he had asked that in so many hours, despite the response always being a positive.

"It's fine. You healed it."

Laying down on the green and gold blankets, Takeshi dragged the blue haired boy along with him, throwing an arm over his chest and burrowing into his side.

They laid in silence for a few minutes, the sound of breathing and the little clock in the corner ticking away, the only sounds in the room. The sun had long gone down, and Takeshi had barely half the mind to interrupt the quiet to text his father a notice of extended absence, only to pause as Daiki made to move first.

"I don't want to hurt you. I am not _allowed_ to hurt you." He breathed, still staring up at the ceiling.

The young Rain blinked up at him, keeping quiet when he noticed him prepare to continue.

"If I hurt you, you have to tell me. If I am _about_ to hurt you, you have to stop me." The elder boy declared, turning his head to look at his focus.

Takeshi gazed at the little scar on his brow, usually hidden by stands of blue hair, his hand coming to graze it with his finger tips.

"It hurts, but only sometimes. Phantom pain, really."

"I'm sorry."

He withdrew his hand, before lowering it slightly to let it hover above the elder boy's mouth.

"Kiss it better."

Gradually, Daiki's hand came up and gently grasped the younger boy's wrist, pressing the paler palm to his lips in a soft kiss.

"Why are you so afraid of hurting me?"

Another kiss was placed onto the back of his hand, the young Rain's breath coming out more airy.

"My father."

This made Takeshi's attention sharpen, this being the first mention of the man in the years of knowing him.

"What about him?"

Five quick kisses were brushed across his finger tips, calloused from years of use.

"He was a...disagreeable man."

Takeshi recognised this tone, the way he spoke showing just how averse he was to the man in question.

"How so?" He knew he had to keep asking, knowing he was only going to get as much as he asked for.

"Domestic violence towards my mother."

Another kiss was pressed against his palm, harder, this time.

"I don't remember this."

"You would have been too young, five at the most."

Daiki paused his attentions and extended the young Rain's arm, the red marks of the safe slides catching his eye.

"Where did you get this?" He asked, a certain sharpness in his voice.

"Baseball practice. You made me skip getting them checked on. Fix them."

Takeshi watched as he skimmed his mouth across the grated skin, faint wisps of sunshine peeking through his lips and disappearing into paler flesh, mending the damage.

"Where is he now? Your father."

There was a pause in both movement and voice.

" _Hell if I know._ "

It took all of Takeshi's control not to flinch at his tone, a faint frown coming instead.

"Is there anywhere else?"

"My legs."

Despite Takeshi's quiet complaint, the larger boy sat up and situated himself beside the younger's legs, pulling them into his lap and pushing up the pant legs with ease.

"Why did he leave?" The young Rain asked, breath hitching when soft flesh was pressed onto the sensitive skin of his lower leg.

"When I was six. Nine years ago." He felt the mumble against his calf, muscles tensing under the other's grip.

"Why did he leave?" He asked as the blue haired boy grasped the other side, bringing the calf to his mouth.

"I got rid of him."

Takeshi's eyes widened ever so slightly as his leg was lowered, his partner fixing his pants before moving back to lay beside him.

"Okay, thank you." He hummed, rolling slightly to half lay atop Daiki, the boy's other tan arm coming to wrap around his back.

The young Rain watched his partner for a good while, letting him pepper his hand with light kisses that left behind patches of warmth.

"Hey, Takeshi-kun?" He called, drawing the younger boy out of his daze.

"Yes?"

Amber-earth eyes fell from their intertwined hands to his own black ones, the determined but defeated look making his jaw jump.

"If you tell me I am hurting you, and I continue to hurt you-"

He didn't like where this was going.

"Get rid of me."

No. Not going to happen. He wouldn't allow it.

"Takeshi-kun." Daiki hissed, narrowing his eyes.

"Okay." He lied.

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

I let out a sigh as the night came rushing back, the weight on my stomach reminding me of my house guest. I felt less ill compared to the day before, my fever all but gone and the scratchiness in the back of my throat abyssmal. The certain weariness in my core hinting to the midnight oil the little bonfire of Will had burnt to keep me, and the young Rain no doubt, healthy.

Streams of sunlight trickled into the room, bathing half of us in morning rays, illuminating the quiet room, as I slowly raised my hand and gently patted down Takeshi's hair, letting my head fall back. Glancing over at my side table, a quiet groan rumbled in my chest as the hands readied to line up and break out into chorus.

4:30am, time to get up.

Looking down at the mop of black on my chest, I fiddled with the idea of waking the younger boy up, before shaking it off and deciding to try and slip out from under him.

"Okay." I breathed, grabbing a bundle of clothing and slipping out of the room.

I padded down the stairs, yawning as took my apron off the hook and stepped into the bakery.

"Morning, kaa-san."

"Morning, Daiki-kun."

Oh God. What did I do?

I looked at her for a moment, a sudden wave of caution taking hold of me when I noticed the passive expression on her face.

She's angry. Shit.

"Is...Is something wrong?" Came my question, carefully scuttling past her to pick up a crate of meats.

"No, nothing."

Okay, something's definitely wrong.

We moved in a stiff synchrony, ticking off mental lists as we created batch after batch of bread and pastries. Once all the racks were filled, I grabbed a spare box, glancing over at Kaede, noticing her stance.

"Well,"

Here we go.

"Nothing except for that young man in your bed."

 _What?!_

"Wh-FUCK!" I yelped, yanking my foot out of under the 50kg crate I had just dropped on it, hopping over to the counter to lean on as I clutched the limb.

"Look, Daiki-kun, I know this is a hard time for you. All of your hormones are changing and you're feeling all of these different things-"

"No, kaa-san, stop! I am not having this conversation with you!"

"You'll learn to control yourself in time, but until them remember: be safe when having-"

"Nahp! Nope! I'm out! Have a nice morning, kaa-san!" I shouted, booking it out of the bakery as best as I could with a lame foot.

" _You'll have to learn one day!"_

Been there, done that, no thanks!

As I opened the door, I was greeted with the visage of a barely awake Takeshi, leaning back on one arm as he scrubbed his face with his hand.

Blinking, I tilted my head when I noticed, I was a lot bigger than Yamamoto Takeshi. The solid shirt that fitted my frame, hung loosely off of the younger boy's, the collar reaching further across his shoulders than it did on mine. The pants that were only slightly baggy on me, tented around his own legs, the string being pulled tightly to stop them from falling off his hips.

It was a bit left field to the 'boyfriend's shirt' trend, a part of me used to the girls being the one who ended up swimming in their partner's clothing, but I guess, I understand the appeal now.

"Good morning, Takeshi-kun." I greeted, walking over to him as he gave me a tired smile.

"Morning, shujin-kun. Where'd you go?" He asked, the tired lit to his voice making me almost want to coo.

"It's already 6:30, I was getting the bakery ready with kaa-san. You should start getting ready for school." I hummed, gently running a hand through his mess of bed hair.

"Hm, don't wanna."

"Sorry, sweetheart, but that's not allowed. C'mon, get up."

Nudging the smaller boy until he sat up properly, I glanced over my shoulder and sighed when I noticed a pile of ironed and folded Namimori uniforms that were definitely not there the previous night.

"The bathroom's down the hall, you know where. We'll go an grab your books from your house before we head to the school." I breathed, coaxing the sleepy boy from the bed before handing him his clothes.

"Okay." He grumbled, padding out of the room in a daze.

Grabbing my own squared pile, I moved to the first level and used the smaller shower in the laundry, cleaning and drying myself before the one upstairs finished his morning rinse. I threw my towel on the couch as I straightened my tie, one hand coming to tuck away my set of brass.

"Morning, Takeshi-kun!" Kaede called from the kitchen, looking way too pleased with herself.

"Ah, good morning, Kaede-kaa-san!" Takeshi laughed, coming off the staircase, his tie hanging around his neck, undone.

"Hey, Daiki-kun, can you fix my tie? I can't get it." He whined, stepping forwards.

I raised an eyebrow but gestured him forwards, taking up the two ends in my hands and tying the windsor knot for my underclassman with practiced ease.

"There you go." I said, fixing his collar before taking steps back and nodding at his uniform.

"Takeshi-kun, Daiki-kun! Breakfast!"

"Coming!" We chorused, moving after the call.

* * *

"Run. Run. Run. Run." I chanted, both Takeshi and I turning the corner as the final flood of students slipped into the building.

"Safe!" He cheered, sliding through the gates just as the bell rang.

"Jesus, let's never do that again." I panted, hands on my knees.

"Haha, but it was kind'a fun!"

No. No it wasn't. I can assure you.

" _Herbivores. The bell has rung, get to class."_

"Hi, Hibari-san! Bye, Hibari-san!" I yelped throwing the young Yamamoto over my shoulder practically and booking it into the building.

"Hahaha! Wow, you run really fast, Daiki-kun!"

We really need to get you checked out, Takeshi.

* * *

" _WHERE THE EXTREME HELL HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE EXTREME!?_ "

I shrunk down in my chair as Ryohei seemed to tower over me, the rest of the class shuffling away as the teacher closed the door behind him.

"I was sick?" I tried, raising my hands in defense when he looked just about ready to lunge at me.

"You EXTREME piece of- _text me_ when you're sick! Do you know how EXTREMELY worried I was!?" He roared, grabbing me by my collar and shaking me back and forth.

"My- ap-o-lo-gies." I stuttered out in time with the swings, hands coming to wrap around his wrists.

"Sasagawa-kun, please stop assaulting Yamaguchi-kun and take your seat." The teacher sighed, walking into the class with an English text book tucked under his arm.

"Yes, sensei." The light haired boy grumbled, dragging me down onto our chairs with him.

Taking out our books, we situated ourselves as the teacher began the class, Ryohei shifting until he let his head fall onto my shoulder, a faint grumble leaving him.

"Screw you, Daiki-kun. Making me worried for no reason."

"Sorry, I didn't think you were concerned."

I felt him frown into my shoulder.

"Of course I'd be worried, you're my-"

" _Okay, lover boys. No talking in class, unless it's in English."_ The teacher called, the rest of the class breaking out into giggles as they pieces together the sentence.

" _Sorry, sir."_ Came our accented apologies.

"I ship it." Someone said from behind us, making me reached behind my back and wave at him with my middle finger, his neighbour giving a loud laugh.

* * *

"I am _so_ sorry!" My classmate apologised again, all but bowing to me as I pulled my PE shirt from my arms.

"It's fine! It's fine! Barely even hurt!"

" _Barely even hurt!?_ He kicked you in the _balls!_ " Half the changing room roared, people slamming walls and throwing things on the floor in disbelief.

Now, despite what many may think, girls _do_ get hurt when they get kicked between the legs. Maybe not as much as the males, but anywhere can hurt if you hit it hard enough. There is a bunch of nerves down there, after all.

"Yeah, and it hurt _then_ , but I'm fine _now._ So, no need to keep apologising." I sighed, turning to the bowing boy and waving off another barrage of apologies.

Rolling my eyes as the sweat scented room flew into another fit, I picked up the shirt on my bag, before giving a loud sigh.

"Ryohei-kun, dude, you have my shirt again."

"Eh, I do?" He squawked, freezing on one foot as he tried to get his pants back on.

"Ah, sorry."

Quickly swapping shirts, we were one of the first students out of the room, the sunnier of the two of us ducking under a deodorant can thrown in our direction.

"Daiki-kun!"

Oh hell.

"Hey, Takeshi-kun." I smiled, accepting his hug with my free arm.

"EXTREME afternoon, Takeshi-san!" Ryohei roared in greeting, giving the smallest of our trio a manly slap on the back.

"Afternoon, Ryohei-san!"

" _Baseball-idiot! How dare you ditch the Tenth!"_

Oh look, there's Gokudera and Tsuna.

"Good afternoon, little one." I greeted, brushing off how the young Rain's arm came up to mimic my own arm in wrapping around my waist.

"I'm not fucking little!"

"Ah, Gokudera-kun! Calm down!" Tsuna squeaked, jumping at the raise in volume.

"Good afternoon, Sawada-san. How are you?"

I felt Ryohei shift behind me, the flames on my radar suddenly all becoming stiff as the young Sky turned his attention to me.

"A-ah, I'm good! And y-you?! Yamaguchi-san!?"

"I'm doing fine as well."

The five of is stood in a certain silence, Takeshi seeming more than happy to just nuzzle me in public, giving me a reason to look away from the stares of the two Mafia across from me.

The young Sky paused his fidgeting and looked ready to say something, going as far as stepping forwards and unravelling his intertwined hands, only to be foiled by the gym teacher hollering at the top if his voice.

"Second years! Get moving!"

"EXTREMELY COMING, SENSEI!" Ryohei roared for the class, the rest of our peers flooding out of the door.

I let the young Rain pull my head down so he could reach my lips with his own, vaguely hearing both Gokudera and Tsuna let out varying noises of surprise and embarrassment.

Parting from the group with Ryohei by me, we jogged until we joined up with the rest of our class. I brushed off the varying wolf whistles in reference to the PDA, pushing some of the boys lightheartedly when they reenacted a dramatized version of the scene.

"Oh, get over it. I'll laugh at you when you get whipped by your girl in the future." I snarked, throwing a rather outright boy into his crowd of hooting friends.

Pausing, I tilted my head when a faint noise caught my attention, the rest of the class turning theirs to each other instead.

 _"That's so embarrassing! You thought the World Cup was a kind of cup noodle!"_

Shifting my gaze, I zeroed in on the young Sawada standing off to the side of the class soccer game, gaping at his hand with a fear only he could exude.

"I-It talks!" He screeched, moving the limb further from his body.

Letting my brows furrow, I tried to piece together the scene before me, the familiarity ticking me off when the parts didn't click as they should.

Something talking on his hand? Didn't it say something about embarrassing?

On the hand, and embarrasses the possessor… Skulls?

I held my chin as I tried to link the sudden mental image of a skull to the event, blocking out Ryohei's screams of "EXTREME MATHEMATICS!" as I closed my eyes.

Unintentionally, I 'eyed' the muted Sky Flames presented to me, a frown coming to my face as I noticed a strange movement about it. Taking a risk, I let my Flames closer, tilting my view until I could see the whole mass of fire.

Ah, there it is.

Whenever a scathing remark was sounded, his flame would flinch. The tongues of orange cringing away from the voice and fading slightly.

"-iki-kun? Daiki-kun! Wake up, bread slice!"

"What?" I yelped, coming back to reality as the afterglow of Will Flames faded from my vision.

"Time to go." Ryohei said, throwing his thumb over his shoulder, before giving a concerned expression.

"Is something EXTREMELY wrong?"

I glanced over at the freaking out Vongola, before shaking my head, giving a negative response.

"Nah, just a bit absent minded today."

* * *

"Sorry Ryohei-kun, I gotta help kaa-san out at the bakery today, so I need to be in working order. I'll make it up by boxing with you tomorrow, I swear." I apologised, giving the pouting boxer a pat on the back.

"Fine. But you have to give it your all to the EXTREME tomorrow! I won't go easy on you!"He roared, suddenly pumped despite the earlier put-down.

"Sure, sure. See ya, tell Kyoko-chan I said 'hey'."

"Later, Daiki-kun!"

Giving a smile, I turned and began jogging towards the gates, passing the tittering students as I exited the school.

Now alone, a frown marred my face as the damned scratching at the back of my mind returned, the scene from before irritating me with how it alluded my grasp.

What was it? C'mon, you'll kick yourself when you figure it out, I'm sure!

Groaning, I brought my hand up and scrubbed my face, giving a sigh as any ground I had made towards my answer crumbled under me.

"Ah! Yamaguchi-san?!"

Oh God, exactly what I needed. A flailing fish.

Pausing, I looked over my shoulder, eyes landing on the Sky in which I dwarfed on a daily basis.

"Hello, Sawada-san. Can I help you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, no! I was just- you know- walking and, well I saw you and..." He stumbled, hands coming to wring in front of him as he dropped his eyes to the path.

"Sawada-san," I called, taking steps towards him. "Look at people when you talk to them."

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Tsuna kept his head down as he avoided the prying eyes of his classmates, his hands jammed into his pits as he tried to muffle the wailing skulls marring his palms.

 _"How embarrassing! Even though you're in Middle School, you can still don't know your times tables beyond twos!"_

Oh God, shut up! Shut up!

"Sawada-san!" The teacher snapped, making the young Vongola jump in his seat.

"Y-yes, sensei!?" He yelped, straightening his back.

"Is that a device I'm hearing?"

"N-no! I was just talking to myself!" Tsuna squeaked, pressing his hands deeper into his ribs.

"Well stop! It's distracting the class!"

"Sorry." The small boy sagged, coiling in on himself as the class burst out into giggles at his expense.

…

 _"How embarrassing! You walked around Tokyo with your pants inside out!"_

"Please, stop." The small Vongola sighed, raising the hand before him to look tiredly down at his inked palm.

Why was he always the one at the butt of a joke? A cosmic joke, at that. Did some sort of deity take joy in his pain? Is that why he was almost always in this sort of situation these days?

The young Sky took a deep breath, preparing to let it out as audibly as he could, only to have someone a few paces ahead of him beat him to it. His head of fluffy brown snapped up as the familiar base sounded in his ears, instantly recognising the broad back before him and the head of short blue tinted hair.

"Ah! Yamaguchi-san!?" He squawked, legitimately surprised to see him on the walk home, his mind supplying that the upperclassman should be attending to his club activity around that time.

"Hello, Sawada-san. Can I help you?" Came his low voice, the notes rumbling in the young Vongola's ears.

"Oh, no! I was just- you know- walking and, well I saw you and..."

He couldn't help but drop his gaze, the dark eyes of the elder boy making him cower under their intense passiveness.

God damn Tsuna, talk to him!

"Sawada-san,"

The tired tone in his voice made the young Sky tense, a sudden fear taking him as black school shoes walked to go toe to toe with his own scuffed ones.

"Look at people when you talk to them."

The breath in Tsuna's lungs became thin as he felt the side of a calloused finger lift his chin, forcing him to look up at the much taller boy who was suddenly much closer.

"It's common courtesy, Little Fish."

The young Decimo wasn't sure if it was Yamaguchi's actions that made him flush, or the familiar name from years before that made a warmth curl in his chest, having not heard it in a while.

Look at people when you talk to them...

Tsuna's eyes trailed up the elder boy's tanned face, a small part of him marvelling at how mature he looked, even compared to the day at the pool. When they landed on amber-earth orbs, he couldn't help but let his shoulders sag slightly, the spectrum of brown and gold always amazing him whenever he got the chance to see them close enough.

They were always so sure, even in crisis, they knew what was going on, unlike the dameness he seemed to be damned with.

On a single occasion, at least two years ago, Tsuna had opportune enough to get a proper look at the spectrum, close enough that he could see the grainy dunes of amber as they dipped into earthy valleys to contrast against the crests. If he could experience that again, he would be happy, over the moon even.

From this angle, however, he had a better vantage point of the lashes that framed the treasured orbs. Long and thick, similar to girls, but set out in an almost masculine manner. A perfect balance between strong and delicate.

"You were saying, Sawada-san?" His focus asked, tilting his chin further up to pull him from his musing.

"Huh?" The young Vongola breathed, his once half lidded eyes snapping back to alert wide.

" _How embarrassing! Since you were 9, you've compared Yamaguchi-san's eyes to gems!"_

Fear welled in Tsuna's gut as Yamaguchi's eyes widened slightly, the cool hand supporting his chin removing itself as he straightened, flashes of confusion showing in the eyes in question.

"Pardon?" He asked, glancing down to where the grainy voice had originated.

" _Heeii!"_ Tsuna screeched, jamming his hands under his arms, face going an absolute red.

"That wasn't me! I swear! You're hearing things!"

" _How embarrassing! Even though you like his smile so much, you've only got him to smile at you seventeen times of his own will!"_

"Shoosh! For Christ's sake!" The small Decimo whispered harshly, curling slightly when he saw the firm line that was Yamaguchi's lips.

"Is there something wrong with your...Show me your hands, Sawada-san."

Tsuna took a sharp breath as the sudden drop in the elder boy's tone, hunching his shoulders in defence when he reached out to grab his arm.

"Sawada-san." He warned, reaching further.

"Ah, Yamaguchi-san, it's fine! Really! It's just a weird-"

 _"Oh, how embarrassing! You're still afraid at the top of the slide!"_

The next scream Tsuna released was both due to the declaration of humiliation, and the wrist that was now held tightly in the blue haired boy's grasp.

"What on Earth..." He mumbled, other hand coming to trace the chattering skull gently.

"A-ah, it's just a drawing!"

"An animated one, I'm sure." The taller boy hummed, rubbing his thumb over the marking to see if it would smudge.

"I...I don't know what it is." Tsuna admitted, slouching in defeat.

 _"That's..."_

Oh no. Oh, no, no, no. Reborn, no!

The two boys snapped their attention to the hooded baby on the fence, the young Vongola's hand unintentionally wrapping around the fingers in his palm.

 _"Ah, Reborn-san."_

Tsuna took in a hissed breath, eyes widening at just how _poisonous_ his voice became.

"It's the sign of the fatal Skull Disease you have. You're going to die, Dame-Tsuna." The baby hitman continued, not deterred by his less than welcoming acknowledgement.

"Ah, so that's it..." The young Vongola barely registered hearing Yamaguchi breath, the fact of his imminent death taking priority.

"What the hell are you doing? Are you a god of death, or something?"

Reborn then produced a magnifying glass from within his robe, holding it up to his eye as if to inspect the young Decimo's neck.

"I see the shadow of death." He groaned faux-eerily.

"Stop it already! Don't joke around!" Especially when Yamaguchi's here!

"I'm not joking around."

Oh God, what?

Tsuna's jaw progressively lowered as the baby hitman continued to talk, stabs of fear and disbelief striking him left and right.

"Perhaps, it could be a prank? Do you want to try and wash it off, Sawada-san?" Yamaguchi asked, making the young Vongola jump.

"Ah!" He gasped, renewed hope appearing. "Yeah, it should come off! I mean, Skull Disease? Who'd believe that!?"

He decided to ignore that, he himself, had fallen for it for a moment.

The three males walked to the nearest park, Yamaguchi taking up a seat on the wall beside the tap that Tsuna deemed webless enough to use.

"What the hell!?" He shouted, gawking at his still marred palm.

"I take it that the skull has not disappeared, then?" The way he said it was as if he knew that that was the outcome, despite him being the one offering the possible solution.

 _"That's so embarrassing! You get motion sickness on swings!"_

Wait, did the voice move!?

Tsuna let out a yelp as the taller boy moved off the wall and grabbed him, one hand slipping under his shirt and pulling the layers up to reveal another skull chattering away on his right side.

"There's more!?"

The young Sky bit his lip as Yamaguchi's tanned palm came and pressed against the skin just beneath the skull, an inquisitive expression on his face as he leant forwards, making the Vongola Decimo feel the waves of heat from his breath.

"The Skull Disease is a sickness in which skulls appear on your body and tell embarrassing secrets until you, finally, die." Reborn hummed, folding his hands behind his back, once again in his regular suit rather than his cosplay.

"So, basically it's dying of embarrassment. Like dying of shame?" The blue haired boy clarified, standing from his crouch before Tsuna.

"Effectively."

"There's no way that's true!" The young Vongola yelped, spinning around and scrubbing his palms under the water, kneading his thumb into the skin in desperate hope.

 _"That's so embarrassing! You skipped school on a school-wide vacation day!"_

"That's not so bad."

Tsuna jumped, looking over his shoulder at the taller boy, finding him leaning over him to watch the attempted ablution.

"I mean, that means you didn't miss a day of school. And, if you had felt guilty, you didn't do anything wrong and probably tried to amend. Am I correct?"

With a flushed face, the young Sky gave a mute nod, eye wide at just how close the other boy's face was.

 _"How embarrassing! When you talked in your sleep, you bit your tongue!"_

"...Ow." Was the blue haired boy's only comment for that one, the young Vongola flushing further.

"Shut up!" He snapped at the skull, driving the heel of his opposite palm into the marking.

"You should already know these secrets, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn chirped, moving from the wall to the fine gravel ground.

"That's true, but..." He glanced over at the neutral faced Yamaguchi.

"So, this is a real disease then?" The blue haired boy asked, taking up Tsuna's hand to see the still pristine skull.

"That's what I said."

He felt the grip on his wrist jump.

"By the way, the Skull Disease will cause you to die after two hours of contracting it."

"What?!" Yamaguchi hissed.

"What!? No! I don't wanna die!" Tsuna cried, subconsciously moving towards the body holding his wrist as if to hide or draw comfort.

"And to listen to all my embarrassing moments, too." He wept, collapsing against the pillar of muscle beside him.

"Don't worry, they'll keep talking after you die." Reborn corrected, before giving the distraught boy a thumbs up.

"It'll be a funeral full of smiles."

Tsuna felt the shift before he noticed it, the sudden tension in the body beside him hinting to the next action.

"Okay, that's it Reborn-san. You're getting this little Fish a doctor, stat." Yamaguchi ordered, pulling the young Vongola Decimo to his feet.

"And why would I do that?"

He felt a stab of fear hit him in the gut, winding him for a moment, unsure if it was from the blatant blow off, or the sudden darkness that consumed his upperclassman's face.

"Well, my mother has begun thinking that the Yamaguchi Bakery isn't making the profits it needs from the pecan bread, or the coffee cake, as of late. She's debating whether we should cut them from our line, eliminating them from our store for the foreseeable future." Came his based tone, Tsuna's eyes widening when he spotted the horrified gleam just barely peeking out from under the baby hitman's fedora brim.

"However," Yamaguchi continued, bringing the young Vongola before him, placing his tanned hands on thin shoulders and leaning over the smaller boy, making him feel a warmth spread across his back.

"I could persuade my mother to keep them there in exchange for another. _If_ , you find my Little Fish a doctor within the time limit. What was it again? Three hours?"

"Two, actually." His self-proclaimed tutor corrected, Tsuna wondering if it was just his ears playing a trick on him or not, was he _grumbling_?

"Well, we better get on it then. Anyone in mind, Reborn-san?" The taller boy asked, looking way too satisfied with himself.

"I do have one, that I can think of."

If it weren't for the muddled rush of relief and lingering waves of awe and fear that clouded Tsuna's mind, he might have just sensed the impending danger that rang alarms in the far corner of his mind.

 **|S.T|**

* * *

 **|REBORN|**

Good.

Not what he had expected. But good, nonetheless.

Yamaguchi was still up for grabs, the fact that he got riled up enough to step to Reborn personally was enough to prove that. He was doing pretty well, given that he had barely any leverage over the little Hitman, very well indeed.

But still, why Reborn's baked goods? He had already held Leon to someone's head when they had interrupted his morning snack.

The no.1 hitman watched as the tall boy fussed over the little dame, his large body dwarfing his student easily. The heir's face was doing a marvellous impression of an over-ripe tomato, steam beginning to seep from his pores.

Reborn looked to the baker's boy, wondering what he could do with the skills of Mafia Seduction up his sleeve if this was his level already. A sinister smirk slipped across his pudgy cheeks as he tried to hide the gleam in his obsidian eyes.

"I have an acquaintance who is especially good with fatal illnesses. If he treats you, I'm sure you'll survive." He hummed, turning to his less than stellar student.

"Great, let's get him to Sawada-san."

"Ah, thank you! Yamaguchi-san!"

He's good, Reborn thought, watching the dame boy grin in relief.

But not good enough.

You want me to find a doctor? Sure, I'll find you one.

But you have to catch him, yourself.

 **|REBORN|**

* * *

"Poor bastard." I muttered, dropping my bag beside my shoes in the entryway of the Sawada household.

"How's this guy!? Why's he poisoned!?" Tsuna gaped, withdrawing from the toxic scene with shock.

I tilted my head, scanning the man's white suit and black shirt, a flash of little glass tubes lining the insides of his jacket catching my eye. A part of me recognised the man, meaning he was a somewhat important character, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember his name.

"That's doctor Shamal, I called him from Italy." Reborn chirped, not at all bothered by the body sprawled out on the bottom of the steps.

"Hm, it's been awhile since I last done something good for this world." A familiar voice sounded, drawing my attention up the slope to the oncoming woman.

"Bianchi-san." I greeted, nodding my head.

"Ah, Yamaguchi-san, long time no see."

We shared a smile, ignoring Tsuna's shout of confusion, before turning to the white wearing doctor on the floor.

" _Feisty as usual._ "

Oh. Oh God. He's _that_ kind of character.

"He's alive!"

I blinked when spotted a sheet of cloth separating the purplish concoction from his skin, rummaging through my memories to see if I remember it being there in the first place.

"That was close." He laughed, delicately peeling the layer from him and tossing it to the side.

"But, that's how women should be. I like you even more now!" He cooed, jumping towards the Mafia woman with exaggerated kissy lips.

I watched as Bianchi dodged out of the way and executed a brilliant round house kick, giving me no other choice than to give a little applause, making her respond with a delicate bow.

"Geez, you're so shy!"

"Fuck off!"

Within seconds, the Scorpion woman had him pinned to the wall with her poisoned cooking, this time, I noticed the cloth protecting his face.

"As you can see, he loves women." Reborn chirped, seeming quite happy with Tsuna's expression of fear mixed with disbelief.

"This old guy can cure fatal illnesses!? Is he even a doctor at all!?" Tsuna squawked, obviously doubting the baby hitman.

"Yep, I've been under his care before. Shamal was the one who brought me out of my mother."

Wait what?

"Your birth!?" The young Vongola blanched, expressing my confusion via proxy.

The small hitman didn't give the boy an answer, instead turning to the pinned doctor and beginning a different topic.

"Shamal-san, this is Dame-Tsuna. He's infected with Skull Disease."

"His real name is Tsunayoshi, he goes by Tsuna, though." I sighed, ignoring the look sent at me by the little Sky.

"Oh, right. That's why you called me out here." Shamal breathed, peeling the poisoned dish from his face.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm easily distracted." He laughed, coming towards the young boy.

Both Tsuna and I stiffened as his hand came down on his chest, squeezing gently as he leaned in to sniff his neck.

"Ah!" He groaned, withdrawing.

I frowned as I came up behind the little Sky, raising an eyebrow as he declared his exclusiveness, claiming that Tsuna would receive no treatment from him with a male body.

"Reborn-san, you said you would get Sawada-san a doctor." Came my growl, the young Sky running out after the two Mafia.

"Yes, and I did. There's your doctor, straight from Italy." He answered, tilting his head to look up at me. "You never said he had to treat the dame."

"Why you little..." I scowled, before shaking my head. "Whatever, you want a chase, then fine."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, scrolling through my contacts before calling the selected number.

" _Chattering Herbivore."_

"Hello Hibari-san, I need to borrow some of your boys..."

I didn't notice Reborn's eyes flash behind me, a smirk sliding across his face as he stroked his side burns.

* * *

"Kusakabe-san, thanks again." I smiled, shaking the second in command's hand, watching Tsuna corner the good doctor Shamal out of the corner of my eye.

"No problem, Yamaguchi-san. Hibari-sama will be around to collect your payment later." He hummed, the rest of his subordinates bowing behind him.

I had used the small mass of men to create a sort of channel through the town, limiting how far the Mafia doctor could run off too, allowing Tsuna to find him easier. The little fish was unaware of the plan, but I bet Reborn was having a good laugh at our expense,

"I've been meaning to ask, what's going on with your boys. They've been bowing almost this whole time." I mumbled, leaning closer as to not be overheard.

"Hm, for some reason, word is that the shopping district is your territory."

"What?"

"It's understandable, Hibari-sama does leave most of the conflicts in this area to you, and he barely touches this part of Namimori. He only ever comes to visit you, actually." He said, crossing his arms as his grass swung.

"Ah...okay, then." I sighed, shaking my head.

"Thank you, Disciplinary Committee, you've been a great help. Don't give Hibari-san or Kusakabe-san too much trouble."

"It's our pleasure, Yamaguchi-san!"

Oh God, please don't do that. You're making me uncomfortable.

* * *

"Sawada-san, where did your shirt go…?" I asked, raising an eyebrow when I saw his bare torso.

Oh, was that muscle, I see forming?

"Um..." The young Sky trailed off, looking to the side.

"Never mind, doesn't matter. Get healed already." I sighed, waving him off.

"I already told you, I only deal with women!" Shamal contested, standing as he brushed himself down.

"First time for everything, ay?"

"Please, I don't want to die!" Tsuna begged, grabbing the man's sleeve.

"Get off me, boy!"

" _Ki-nii?"_

Oh God.

I turned and sighed when I saw the familiar little girl standing at the gate, staring wide eyed at the scene, a small smile on her face.

"Hey, Imouto." I greeted, letting her skip over to me and wrap me up in a hug.

"Ah, are you and Tsuna-kun playing?" She asked, leaning back to smile at the flustered boy.

"Ah, no! I was just-" He tried to say, holding his hand up to try and stop her train of thought, only to giver her fuel for another excited question.

"Are you doing body painting, Tsuna-kun!"

"Huh?! No, they aren't-Don't look at me!" The small Vongola yelped, closing his fists.

" _That's embarrassing! Even though you're short, you've got the longest waist in your class!"_

I looked to the new skull printed in the centre of the Sky's forehead, the chattering mark setting off another scream from it's host.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi. With a short life. And short legs as well." Reborn hummed, standing by my feet in cosplay once more.

"Too many syllables." I commented, shaking my head.

"Haha, that's funny!"

"Hey, young lady. You're very pretty, I'll give you a good kis-gah!"

" _I'd like to see you try._ " I growled, holding the sleazy Italian by his collar.

"Leave Kyoko-chan alone!" Tsuna shouted, coming to stand between us and his peer.

"Why? This doesn't concern you." Shamal breathed, batting my loosened hand off his shirt.

"Yes, it _does_ concern me!"

"Eh, eve if you die in 5 minutes?" He laughed, throwing his thumb over to the sunset.

I scowled when another move was made at Kyoko, switching sides of the party to stand just behind the younger girl and let her grip the rolled sleeve of my uniform. Blinking, the sounds of Tsuna attempting to manually activate Dying Will mode caught my attention, a quick glance in his direction giving me a flash of orange in his eyes. I held my breath and tensed as he stood taller, his usual rage face on as he screamed out his dying will.

" _How embarrassing! You called an elevator an eberator! That's embarrassing! You can never get the timing right when you sing!"_

The flames in his eyes flickered out and his face fell, all drive dropping off as he stood in shock.

I let out the breath. Good.

"You're so funny, Tsuna-kun!" Kyoko laughed, releasing my upper arm and taking steps away.

"Well, I have to get home now. See you tomorrow, Ki-nii, Tsuna-kun."

"See you at school." The young Vongola drawled, curled up in the fetal position on the road.

"Be safe, Imouto." I breathed, petting her head before she parted from us.

Giving a sigh, I turned to look at Tsuna, raising an eyebrow as an unexpectedly mature expression marred his youthful face.

"Tomorrow, huh? There is no tomorrow for me." He sighed, before a small smile came to his face.

"Well, at least I was able to see Kyoko-chan in the end."

" _That's so embarrassing and so nice! That's the first time you've talked to a girl for so long!"_

"Ah, that's true."

I frowned when the sentence ran through my head, rolling over the gravelly words as Reborn and Shamal stepped up to take the spotlight.

'Talked to a girl?' Wasn't that sentence different in the anime? The 'person you like', wasn't it?

"I'm gonna die as 'No-Good Tsuna', just leave me alone!" The young Sky cried, fluids leaking from his orifices, making me step back.

"I got it, I got it. I'll cure you."

Shamal's sigh of defeat made me look to the older man, the pitying look that he directed at Tsuna giving away just why he submitted to the Vongola's wishes.

"Hold still, right there." He instructed, waving me off to the side.

As I moved away, I watched as he worked his magic, releasing a specialised mosquito into the air and allowing it to land on the Decimo's arm, healing him from the fatal disease, only minutes before he expired.

"You're illness in cured." He smirked at the teary-eyed Sky, sticking his hands into his pockets.

"Why did you heal Sawada-san?" I asked, my suspicion wanting to be confirmed.

"Well, I felt sorry for him." Shamal shrugged, a lazy smile on his face.

"You heard what the skull on him said, right?" He continued at my raised eyebrow, coming to crouch next to the equally smirking baby hitman.

"That was the longest time he had ever talked to a girl. So, that's three minutes. Just three minutes! There's no guy who wouldn't feel sorry for him!" He laughed, holding up three digits to emphasise his point.

A buzz in my pocket tore my attention from the scene in front of me, my hand coming to dig through the material until I withdrew my phone, flipping it open and selecting the message.

 _From: Cloud_

 _Tomorrow, you're mine._

I blinked, before letting out a huff of air, shaking my head as I thanked the Gods that I had trained Ryohei in the art of note taking.

 _To: Cloud_

 _Very well then, Birdy. Tomorrow it is._

Shoving the phone back in my pocket, I stepped back and walked from the Mafia trio, a part of me glad that none of them noticed my departure.


	12. Chapter 12

**LeNoRi: G'day! It's almost Christmas! Due to that, at the end of the chapter Plotbunny and I have thought of a little extra for you all! Merry Christmas!- or whatever y'all celebrate, I dunno.**

* * *

 **Word Count: 15,011**

"Hey kaa-san," I started, leaning back on my chair to look around the door frame into the hall, buttered bun hanging from my mouth.

"Yes, Daiki-kun?" She asked, turning from the cooking show she recorded from the night before.

"Where's Lambo-kun? I haven't seen him around the house since I was sick."

"Lambo-kun? Oh, he's been sleeping over at Nana-chan's since. I didn't want him to catch whatever you had, especially since it knocked you off your feet." Kaede answered, causing me to give a hum of question.

"Was Nana-san okay with that? Her house is seeming pretty full these days, with all of Sawada-san's friends crashing there." I asked, tossing the last piece of my bread into my mouth before standing and placing my plate in the sink.

"Yes, she was. Nana-chan was always surrounding herself with people, even when we were in high school together." She smiled, pausing her show to stand and kiss me on the cheek.

"Okay, sweetheart, time for school."

"Hm, I'm off then." I nodded taking up my bag and shoving my feet into the shoes by the door, waving to the woman of the house as I walked out.

* * *

I yawned as I shifted on my seat that was the right side of Hibari's large desk, one leg drawn up to my chest as the other dangles off the front, another document in my hand as I looked through my lenses at the tiny font.

Hibari scribbled his signature on a different sheet of paper, placing it in a pile next to him before accepting the one in my hand and repeating at my hum of agreement.

We had been at it all day, the three high stacks of paperwork steadily declining as our system worked like a well-oiled machine, the fact that I'm a fast reader being used and abused to keep the papers moving from pile to pile. The room was doused in silence, only disturbed by the occasional hum, rustle of paper or quiet comment. Every now and again, a noise would sound from outside the room, barely catching our attention as we continued with our task, the glance of annoyance shared between us the only response.

"Should we take a break?" I asked, glancing at the little clock face on my wrist.

The skylark looked up at me with his usual passive expression, tinges of boredom showing in his slate orbs as he gave a negative grunt, waving for the next document.

"Finish the work, then you can rest."

A sigh escaped me as I closed my eyes in exasperation, giving a defeated nod in response. Taking another slip from the last pile, I scanned it, the size 6 font driving me crazy as I tried to differentiate one kanji from another.

The sound of annoyed hissing made me look up, turning my attention to the young Cloud at my side with a raised eyebrow.

"Something wrong, Hibari-san?" I asked, blinking when he rolled his chair closer to me and displayed his hand.

A paper cut.

"Ah, that must sting." Came my hum, reaching my own hand and grasping his.

Not bothering to ask his permission anymore, I stuck the long digit in my mouth, cleaning the beads of blood off, and encouraging my flames to stitch the bare minimum of the wound together.

"Hibari-sama! I have the rest of the-Oh my God! I am so sorry!"

Noticing that Hibari wasn't going to acknowledge his subordinate, I removed the digit from my mouth, uncaring about the thin string of saliva that connected my lip to the wounded tip. Turning to the red-faced boy slightly, I let out a quiet sigh when I saw the thick stack of reports that would need to be read and annotated for the teachers.

"Ah, the reports. Put them just here." I breathed, waving to the smaller table beside me.

"U-uh! Yes, right away!"

"Chattering Herbivore, the blood's coming back." Hibari mumbled, his attention still on the shiny pointer.

"Oh, sorry." I thought I used enough flames, I need more practice.

Sliding the finger past my lips, I summoned forth a small bundle of sunshine to the tip of my tongue before pressing the appendage against, the no doubt stinging slice, making sure to feel for the progress this time round. The skylark in front of me shifted, leaning back in his chair as he continued to watch me heal him.

"Why are you still here?"

Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I saw the errand boy standing still as a statue before the desk, a few spaces back, watching our interaction with terrified attention.

"A-as...Um..!" He spluttered, taking a step back as the Cloud's expression darkened.

" _Kamikorosu."_

And he was gone, out the door and down the hall before the skylark could even take another breath.

"You should be kinder to your little sheep." I hummed, withdrawing the finger, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Hm," He grunted, inspecting his cut before drying it off with the tissues in his drawer. "Next document."

I sighed, handing off the paper in my lap to the skylark.

"356 pages down, another 568 to go."

If we were any weaker, we would have groaned in agony.

* * *

"And...that's the last one." I sighed, pushing my glasses up to rub my eyes as Hibari placed the last of the paperwork on the stack.

The skylark gave an airy hum of agreement, leaning back in his chair as he folded his hands in his lap, looking just about ready to take a nap then and there.

I gave a slight smile before hopping off the desk, lifting the piles easily after they were sorted into numerous boxes for specific departments.

"I'll take these to the staff room, you take a break."

Hibari looked at me through his lashed before giving a dismissive grunt, closing his eyes as he let his chin fall to his chest.

Turning from the smaller boy, I closed the door behind me with my foot, walking the path to the outside, knowing that walking around the back of the school would get me to the staffroom faster than by navigating the halls. School was out for the day, all but those with club activities gone from the grounds, so when I heard voices being projected around the corner, I was more than a bit confused.

A yelp escaped me as a flash of black and white whizzed past, making me step back or risk dropping my load and forcing me to resort them on my own. Turning away from the small cloud of dust that erupted from the impact, I let out a cough as it faded, allowing me to see what had created a small crater in the store room's exterior wall.

"Ah, Lambo-kun?" I blurted, a flash of concern showing when I noticed the scrape on his cheek and his eyes going unfocused as he fell from his indent.

As if my call snapped him to attention, his head stopped bobbing and jerked to face me, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes when he spotted me, a stunned expression.

"Daiki-san?" The little Mafioso sniffled, moving closer to me slightly.

"C'mere," I cooed, shifting the load in my arms to the one hand so that I could gather him up in my right arm. "Why're you crying, did something happen?"

Lambo didn't answer and instead buried his face in my side, little cow print hands clutching at the material of my shirt.

"Ah! Yamaguchi-san!?"

The call drew my attention from the teary child, instead landing it on the small group teenagers across from me.

"You three, of course." I sighed, casting my eyes over the future Vongola X and co. raising an eyebrow when Ryohei waved excitedly at me from the back.

"Ryohei-kun, what are you doing with the underclassmen?"

"We're EXTREMELY trying to find Lambo-san an EXTREME babysitter!" He hollered, making the boys around him flinch away.

"...Why?" I asked slowly, some things not quite adding up for me.

"Lambo-san has been quite a bit of trouble at home, so we need someone to watch him while Dame-Tsuna is at school." Reborn hummed, hands folded behind his back.

"Okay, but that won't really be necessary."

"Eh, why?" The young Vongola Decimo finally asked, stepping forwards.

"Lambo-kun lives with me," I answered, before giving an expression of honest confusion. "I was under the impression you knew that, I even drop him off at your house so he can play with Reborn-san."

There was a moment of silence, all of the men's faces before me dissolving into ones of variations of shock.

" _Yamaguchi-kun! Tsuna-kun!"_

All of us turned our heads to the specific call, giving our own reactions to the sudden appearance of one Miura Haru, scowling as she panted, no doubt having just sprinted to our location.

"Haru-san, how are you?" I smiled, silently wondering what Hibari would do if he caught a non-student on the Nami Middle grounds after hours.

"Ha-hi! Lambo-kun, are you alright!?" She yelped, plucking the child out of my arms- or at least, attempted to.

"Let Lambo-san go!" He wailed, little hands still wrapped around the material of my shirt, pulling it out of my waistband and revealing a bit of my stomach to the late autumn air.

"Lambo-kun, come to Haru-chan!"

"Ah, Haru-san, could you perhaps stop pulling on Lam-oh God!" I cut off, stumbling back as the two children across from me were flung back and splayed across the ground, the smaller of them breaking out into tears.

"Ten year bazooka!?" Tsuna shrieked, eyes widening as he gaped at the large purple firearm that emerged from the hammerspace within the Bovino's afro.

"Wait, Lambo-kun!" I tried, only to take in a large breath of pink smoke, resulting in a coughing fit.

Waving away the particles, my eyes widened when I came face to face with a fifteen-year-old Lambo, the time traveller giving me a lazy smile as one hand came up to wave.

"Adult Lambo!" The young Vongola announced, the voice sounding off from behind me.

"Ah, young Papa, how're you?" TYL Lambo drawled, shifting his weight.

" _Papa!?"_

"Oh, it's you again." I hummed, eyeing the 'new' person carefully. "You still call me that, even though I don't know you."

"Haha, I'm Lambo, Papa. You know me, you take care of me!" He laughed, taking a step into my space.

"Hm? I was under the impression that Lambo-kun was a five-year-old. Not a teen." I challenged, tilting my head slightly.

"Ten year bazooka, makes the user swap places with their future self for five minutes." The TYL smirked, one hand coming up to fiddle with his ear lobe.

My eyes were drawn to the action, a sting of worry stabbing me. That was something I did a lot.

" _So you've finally come, Romeo-kun."_

Oh. Oh shit.

"Lambo-kun," I started, glancing over my shoulder.

"Oh, you haven't called me that in a while." He blinked, before pointing to himself. "You usually just call me-"

"Poison Pizza! Magic Cutter!"

His single eye widened, fear obvious in his face.

"E-excuse me!"

"Well, at least he's polite." I hummed, ducking under the purple pizza.

Hearing voices from behind me, I turned, gave a yelp and ducking again, dodging the golden horn sent flying over my head by one Yamamoto Takeshi.

"Careful!"

"Ah, sorry, Daiki-kun!"

As it would seem, TYL Lambo wasn't as fortunate, the sound of two impacts reaching our ears, before the sight of an almost grown man wailing on the floor was presented to us.

"It always ends like this." Tsuna sighed, sagging in exhaustion as Ryohei gave Takeshi a strange variation of comfort for his deed.

"Papa!"

Oh God, not again!

"Shit!" I yelped, just barely balancing out my body as the teenager threw himself at me, wrapping his arms around my neck, legs around my waist and burying his teary face into my shoulder.

"Ah, I want a hug from shunji-kun as well!"

"Takeshi-kun, Takeshi-kun no-gah!"

Balance! Balance!

"Ha-hi! Me too!"

Please, no!

"EXTREME HUGS FROM DAIKI-KUN!"

Nonononononono- FUCK!

The five of us let out harmonious groans as we slowly sat up, rubbing the parts of our bodies that received the most impact.

" _All of you."_

They froze, slowly turning their heads to me. My scowl was unmatched as I sat amongst the sea of paperwork, boxes burst and tipped as hours of careful sorting went down the drain in less than three seconds.

" _You are_ _all_ _going to sort these papers._ _Now_ _."_

I had never seen such great teamwork.

* * *

" _EXTREME DAIKI-KUN! PICK UP, BREAD SLICE! BRO! DUDE! LIGHT OF MY LIFE!"_

I jolted upright in my bed, the sounds of Ryohei's customised ringtone awakening me from a blank dream.

" _EEEEEEXTRREEEEEEEMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! PAL! BUDDY! HOME SLICE! BROTHER! BRO! PAL! STALE! SALTY! DUDE!"_

Snapping my hand out, I snatched up the phone and received the call before the roaring could awaken my younger roommate, and result in another noise.

"Yep?" I hummed, rubbing my face as I leant back against the headboard, glancing out the still black window.

" _DAIKI-KUN! YOU EXTREMELY PROMISED ME AN EXTREME FIGHT TODAY!"_ His voice rung through the receiver, making me move it away from my head.

"Oh? And by 'today', I'm gonna guess you mean yesterday, as of three hours ago." Came my response, pausing to glance at the little clock face on my side table.

There was a pause on the other side, quiet mumbles providing that the Sun was probably talking to someone on his side, possibly apologising for screaming at three o'clock in the morning.

" _Anyway, you have to extremely fight me today, got it?"_

"Yeah, yeah. I got it." I sighed, resting my hand on my updrawn knee as we said our farewells, snapping the phone shut as the dial tone sounded.

"Hmm, Daiki-san?"

Turning my head, I blinked when I saw Lambo peek at me from his bed across the room, small hands coming up to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"Lambo-kun, sorry, did I wake you?" I asked, giving him a small smile as a yawn escaped him.

"Uh huh." He responded, nodding sleepily.

"Sorry, go back to sleep. I won't make anymore noise."

He shook his head, puffy afro swinging along with it, before making grabby hand in my direction, obviously wanting to be picked up. Giving a long breath, I stood from my bed and padded across the room, scooping the little hitman up and sitting back down.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" He asked, burrowing into my stomach, the question seeming to be only a formality.

"Sure."

Drawing the blanket up, I leant back against the headboard again, one hand coming to gently pet the toddler's back as the other cushioned my head. Turning my head, I looked out the window, listening to the ticking of the clock as moonbeams bathed the room in white light.

"Papa, huh?" I hummed, looking down at the little calf dozing on my stomach, a little hand clinging to my thumb.

A soft smile touched my face as Lambo curled up further, his body dwarfed by my much larger one.

"Doesn't sound all that bad."

* * *

 **|S.R|**

Sasagawa Ryohei gave a breath as he paused, having run one and a half laps around the town so far, he was more than ready to face the day, his blood singing and his muscles warm and flexible. The boy had decided to go the extra mile today, the promise of a battle of extreme extremity with his friend Daiki making him jittery and grin, the mere thought of the thrill awaiting him giving him almost the same battle-high he could expect in no less than a few hours.

However...

The Sun guardian's smile faded slightly, his clenched fists dropping to his sides.

Daiki had been acting strange, as of late. Not in everyday activities, no, but in the ring. It had been going on for a long time, but only had become more prominent.

He had become... violent.

Not that that wasn't to be expected in their selected sports, but years of tutelage under his father had made Ryohei aware of people's bodies, allowing him to react in time to dodge or counterattack. So, it wasn't much of a challenge to notice how the older boy held himself back, even against Ryohei, his friend, confidant and brother, he only gave so much effort, the other parts of him working to restrict himself. He had to consciously limit himself when they were fighting, to the point where it had seemed to become unenjoyable for the blue haired boy.

What would happen if he stopped liking boxing? Would he quit?

Hopefully not, the Yamaguchi child was the only member of the club that Ryohei had trouble taking down, the club would become dull without him, no doubt. The Sun wouldn't stop him, however, if he did decide to leave, keeping him there would only further his dislike for the sport, and that was the last thing he wanted.

 _"Oi, oi Ryohei-kun. Dude, answer. Dude, bro, buddy, mate, pal, bro, sunshine, mate, light of my life, dude, pal, sunspot, bro, buddy-"_

Ryohei fished his phone out of his pocket, cutting off Daiki's special ringtone before holding it up to his ear.

"Hello?"

 _"Dude, you have like- five minutes to get to school before Hibari-san hunts you down, where the hell are you?"_

"Uh," The sun guardian glanced around, taking in his surroundings. "Near the shrines."

 _"Why the hell are you near the shrines, sunspot!? Get your gluteus maximus back here before I come after you instead!"_

Ryohei flinched away from the order, giving a yelped positive before declaring his incoming arrival.

 _"Quickly! Speed is key, bro!"_

"EXTREME SPEED!" The Sun roared, pocketing the phone and sprinting around the corner, a cloud of smoke being kicked up behind him

If he didn't want Daiki to get bored, he'd just have to find something to get his blood pumping again.

Shouldn't be too hard.

 **|S.R|**

* * *

"Next challenger!" The coach yelled, waving his hand over at our corner.

"You or me?" I breathed, glancing over to my bench buddy, the Sasagawa child heaving just as heavily as I was.

For some reason, Ryohei had been pushing me to go into the ring every chance he got, forcing me to fight every other member in the club, going at me himself when the others were unavailable or had enough. He seemed almost frantic today, not how he usually was once he stepped in the studio, not a pumped jittery, but a careful one, fussing over my boxing from the get-go.

"Ah, flip a coin?" The pale haired boy asked, straightening up and fishing out a 100 yen coin from his duffle bag.

"Sure," I shrugged. "I'll flip. Loser takes the ring, yeah?"

He handed it off to me, allowing me to balance it on the side of my hand and send it careening into the air, catching it in my palm before swiftly covering it with the opposite hand.

"I call tails." Came my call, Ryohei nodding in acceptance.

"Tails, you're up, sunshine." I laughed, giving the shorter boy a thump on the back to encourage him to stand and take to the ring, fastening his gloves.

As the boys sized each other up, a small frown came to my face, my hand coming to dig blunt nails into my knees as I mentally berated myself.

I had almost slipped up in the last match, instinct tapping at the back of my mind when the sudden urge to let my leg lash out and floor an upperclassman who's feet were in the air more than they were grounded, giving me plenty of opportunities to send him sprawling with the right speed. The twitch of the muscles in my lower body was enough to make me pause, giving the older boy a chance to hook me in the head, dazing me for less than a moment. That moment, however, was just enough time for whatever damned thing that reared its head by the water to do so again, all holds on my strength gone as I let my fist fly, dropping the other almost instantly.

There had been silence in the room when that happened, the other members holding their breaths as I caught mine, everyone's eyes equally wide. By the time coach had K.O'ed the upperclassman, I had stepped out of the ring and handed off my gloves to Ryohei, keeping my eyes down.

I didn't want him to see it. The glimmer in my eye, the looseness of my muscles, the soft smile on my face. It had been years since I had done that, released even a little of my frustrations into a punch.

Even against Hibari, I limited myself. Only go as far as you need to, never further. Disengage him, immobilise him, don't damage him.

I was sure he had noticed it, but when I redirected his hits, I did so gently, making sure not to sprain or tear any of his muscles or tendons with the shift of movement. It, of course, spurred him on harder, making him fight fiercer out of pride, but it was something I couldn't help. The same with Ryohei, he would probably kill me if he knew just how much I pulled my punches when it came to boxing, never putting full power into the jabs, never using my body to create momentum. Their bodies were already under enough stress as it is, and will be under even more in less than a year, so they needed as much health in their bar as possible. Broken bones or permanent injuries were a no-no.

I clenched my fist experimentally, my lip twitching when a phantom noise sounded within my ears.

It still made me cringe, the deep, sharp sound of bones breaking within their flesh casing, but less so as compared to all those years ago. I had never had the chance to check if it was the same sound as I remembered, or if my memory had been dulled by time. There had been almost no hostile Mafia business in Namimori since then, almost as if the sudden disappearance of one of their men had made them cautious about how they went about their business around the Vongola heir.

" _EXTREME_! DID YOU SEE THAT, DAIKI-KUN!?"

My head snapped up, hand releasing my knee cap as I focused my attention of the pouting boxer, his gloved hands on his hips as he glared at me from the ring.

"Ah, no. Sorry, Ryohei-kun." I apologised, giving a small smile.

"Oh come on!" He whined, before pointing at me quite viciously. "Watch me, okay! Watch me when I'm doing EXTREMELY cool stuff!"

"Okay, okay." I laughed, leaning back against the wall as I flipped the coin along my knuckles, focusing my gaze on the adrenalized boy.

I blinked as I watched his movements, noticing how different they were to how he usually moved. They were fast and deliberate, made to be showy and eye-catching. His step sequence kept me in his line of his sight, dodges done to make sure I could see the net punch connect with his opponent's body.

He was putting on a show.

But why? There was no need for the display, as far as I was aware. Was he nervous about something?

The glance he threw over his shoulder, was enough to tell me that: yes, he was nervous. Determination, however, was woven through the fire that flickered with the fight.

"C'mon Ryohei-kun, K.O 'im!" I called, cupping my mouth on one side to direct my voice.

As if the call had flipped a switch, the flames in his eyes roared to another level, the muscles in his arms gearing up to deliver a no doubt devastating blow. The young Sun whirled around, his fist at the perfect angle for the perfect right hook, and with a resounding ' _bang_ ', his opponent hit the ground, a dazed expression on his face as his cheek bloomed an array of purples and reds.

 _"K.O! Sasagawa-san is winner!"_

"Ay!" I cheered, fist bumping the sweaty Sasagawa before letting my body be dragged into a crushing hug, the boy hollering his own victory cry.

"Hey, Ryohei-kun?" I started, using our closeness to talk to him.

"Ya?"

"Is something wrong? you seemed a bit- I don't know- nervous out there."

The muscles under my arms and around my body tensed, before forcibly relaxing, a long breath leaving the young Sun Guardian.

"We'll talk about it later." He replied, trying to pull away, only to be trapped by the cage of my arms he put himself in.

"But we will talk about it."

"Of course."

* * *

"Hope you enjoy, please come again." I smiled, waving at a trio of girls as they exited the shop to join the flow of weekend shoppers.

A sigh left me as the door closed, the giggling that they exuded making me want to roll my eyes at almost every point 'accidental' eye or skin contact took place. Those girls were some of my regulars, coming in every other week. We had lots of customers like that, actually. Older men and women coming in in hopes of running into Kaede and getting a chat with her. She seemed oblivious, however, to their advances, leaving each one of them happily broken-hearted as they walked out with their purchase and a dreamy smile on their faces.

The bell above the door going off brought me out of my musing, my relaxed position of leaning on my forearms shifting only slightly as I tilted my head, giving the new customers a smile as I greeted them warmly.

"Good morning, how can I help you today?"

"Yamaguchi-kun!"

"Ah! Yamaguchi-san!?"

Oh. Oh dear God.

"Haru-san, Sawada-san." I greeted, eyes following them as they walked to my register, contrasting expressions on their faces.

"Back again, hey?"

"Uh huh! Haru Appreciation Day, it is!" The young girl beamed, bending to examine the products on offer today.

"Is that so, and I'm guessing you dragged poor Sawada-san into coming with you, hm?"

The pout she sent me made a small laugh fall from my lips, the way she puffed her cheeks reminding me of a chipmunk.

"No! Tsuna-san came of his own will! It was destiny that he and I were to meet today!"

"Sure, whatever you say." I breathed, resting my jaw in my hand as I crossed one foot behind the other.

"Ki-nii!"

Looking away from the duo, I waved as Kyoko came rushing in, a list in her hand as she grinned happily in greeting.

"Imouto, welcome. Kyoko Day?"

"Yep!" She cooed, her face falling to one of concentration as she surveyed the spread seriously thinking about what she was going to purchase.

"Kyoko-chan?!" Tsuna gaped, snapping his head around to focus on his crush.

"Ah, Tsuna-kun." She smiled, turning to him.

An amused smile worked its way onto my face as the Vongola got caught between the two women, the way his face contorted in panic and fear providing me with the most entertainment in the day so far.

"Ah, Haru-chan, you should try Ki-nii's cream puffs! They're great! So soft!" Kyoko gushed, pointing to the palm-sized pastry, causing her new friend's eyes to sparkle.

"What about the mille-feuille!?" Haru responded, pointing out the cake slice further to the left.

"Yamaguchi-san."

My head snapped down the baby hitman on the floor, looking up at me as he donned traditional japanese clothes.

"Yes?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Will you host us, and let the girls eat in your house?"

As I was about to refuse, vaguely remembering that Tsuna's house was the go-to for all events, Kyoko piped up, a grin all but blinding my eyes.

"Ah, it's been so long since I've been in Ki-nii's house! I hope you've cleaned your room since I last saw it!"

"...Maybe."

…

A grumble left me as I rested my arm on my drawn up knee, the other splaying out under the little fold up table in my room that I had hauled up from the store room by Kaede's order.

"Reborn-kun, you really like pecan bread, huh?" Kyoko cooed, watching the small hitman chew through his bread happily, having missed out for the past few days due to...incidents.

"The coffee cake here is also nice." He hummed, nodding in response to her first question.

"Ah, coffee cake? That's Ki-nii's job!" She laughed, her radiance blinding me, if not for the stone that fell in my stomach as Reborn's voids snapped to me.

"Oh? I was under the impression it fell under Kaede-san's order. Did it change over recently?"

"No, no! Kaede-oba-san hates coffee, Ki-nii's been doing it since his last year of elementary!"

Shush, Kyoko! Shush!

"Ah, well, thank you." He hummed, smiling a bit too sharply in my direction.

I didn't hesitate to reciprocate the gesture.

Watch it, baby. This is my territory, remember?

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Oh God. Oh God. Oh God- Reborn, stop!

The young Vongola glanced between the two Sun Flame Users nervously, the sharp smiles they sent at each other making him fear that they would cut the three people between them.

"Hey, Ki-nii! Try some!" Kyoko chirped, drawing the ominous stare away from the baby across from him.

Tsuna fought the urge to pout in jealousy when he saw the angelic girl offer the older boy a forkful of cake, cupping her hand beneath the treat as to stop any spillage. The blue haired boy raised an eyebrow, a small smile coming to his face as he reminded her that he was the one who made them.

"You know that I've been tasting this thing for years, correct?"

"Oh hush, eat it." She huffed, breaking out into a grin when Yamaguchi took it in his mouth and left the fork clean.

"Tsuna-kun, you have some too!"

"Ah!" The young Vongola yelped, backing away from the utensil shoved up to his face, Haru wielding it as she leaned over the dishes precariously. "No, thank you!"

" _Papa, you have cake?"_

Tsuna jumped as the voice sounded from just behind him, his head snapping around to come nose to nose with an adult Lambo, his lazily opened eye sparkling with interest as he eyed the treats laid out on the table.

" _Ni hao!_ "

"Lambo-kun, I-pin-chan." The based voice in the room greeted, the new guests responding in kind.

The young Vongola watched in disbelief as the older boy just accepted the sudden influx of people in his room, memories of all the times he himself had fallen over in surprise when any of the little hitmen had appeared in his home.

"I-pin-chan, how's the mille-feuille?" Haru cooed, watching the young bomb girl chew up a piece of Yamaguchi's work.

There was silence as I-pin swallowed, her head visibly bobbing as it moved through her system, the people in the room waiting for the young girl's verdict. It took a moment, but soon, water began to collect in the corner of her slanted eye, the tear sliding down her chubby cheek as a blissed out smile spread across her face.

"She's crying?!" Tsuna yelped, shifting back in surprise.

"I-pin-chan's never had anything so good." She hummed in accented Japanese, the words coming out halted and quiet.

"That's quite the compliment you just gave me I-pin-chan. I thank you kindly." Yamaguchi smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he tilted his head slightly at the small child.

"You are welcome! Thank you!" She smiled, hopping over the table to land on the older boy's knee.

"Secret Gyoza Dumpling!"

Tsuna blinked when he saw Yamaguchi's eyes sharpen, amber-earth flashing dark as they zeroed in on the offered dumplings that dwarfed the hands holding them.

"Ah, sorry I-pin-chan. I don't think I can eat that."

What was that?

"Aiya? Why?" The small child asked, withdrawing her arms.

"Hm, they seem to be _special_." He smiled, stressing the last word.

I-pin's face dissolved into shock as if she had just remembered something, falling into a bow as she apologised to the larger boy, a jumble of Chinese and Japanese falling from her lips as she fussed over packing away the two dumplings.

"Huh, why not Ki-nii? I-pin-chan seemed excited to give them to you." Kyoko asked, a small frown on her face.

"I-pin-chan is sorry. She forgot that Master told her not to give special dumplings to others. Sorry again!" She squeaked, bowing to the two girls quickly.

"It's fine, I-pin-chan, we all make mistakes. Just be glad it didn't go any further than that."

How? How did he catch that?

Tsuna watched as the small girl jumped back into Yamaguchi's lap, thanking him profusely in her bilingual manner, making the blue haired boy smile down at her sweetly. A tanned hand coming to gently brush along her single braid to comfort her.

"I-pin-chan promises to be more vigilant!" She declared, clenching her fist in determination.

"Okay, okay." The taller boy laughed, his own fist clenching before he gently knocked hers. "I'll hold you to that."

"Mhm!" She grinned, pressing back.

"Aw! Yamaguchi-kun's so good with children!"

"Ki-nii would make a great husband!"

"What are you two going on about this time?"

The young Vongola watched the three teens interact in front of him, wide brown eyes jumping from person to person as they scuffled amongst themselves, the two girls ganging up on their upperclassman as they tittered on about how much of a family man he was. There was a certain lightness to the situation, maybe caused by the afternoon sun seeping through the window, maybe caused by the girlish laughter that filled the air as Yamaguchi flatly rejected Kyoko's question of how many kids he planned to have in the future.

"Hm...How did that boy know?"

A shot of fear scrambled up Tsuna's spine as the forgotten baby hitman beside him hummed in thought, cold void eyes drilling into the side of the tanned boy's skull as they tried to pick apart the teen.

"Know what?" He managed out.

"I-pin-chan's Gyoza Dumplings are a secret technique, one dumpling is said to hold the essence of 5 million normal ones. If a normal person were to consume one," The fedora-wearing hitman turned to focus his stare on his student. "They'd die."

"Huh?!"

"Somehow, it would that seem Yamaguchi-san knew that, and stopped I-pin-chan from feeding it to anyone." He breathed, turning back. "But how...?"

"A gut feeling, maybe?" Tsuna tried, a nervous smile cracking across his face.

"Hm… Maybe, so." Reborn responded, tilting so that the rim of his hat covered his eyes from the other occupants.

 **|S.T|**

* * *

"TODAY WE BATTLE _TO THE EXTREME_!"

"What?"

I picked my head up off my pillow to stare dumbly at the posing Ryohei, an adrenaline pumped grin splitting his face as he stomped his socked feet on my formula sheets that littered the floor. Looking away from his display, I read the clock face beside me, my face dissolving to a look of utter annoyance.

He had woken me up at 6:30am.

On a Saturday.

"You son of a bitch." I muttered, burrowing back under the blankets.

"Daiki-kun! Awaken _TO THE EXTREME!_ "

My hands snapped out and gripped my sheets, the other end in Ryohei's own resulting in a desperate tug-a-war between us. We held out for a good few minutes, shouts exchange with childish swears riding on their coat tails.

"Get lost you lawn head!"

"Daiki-kun, get your salty ass up!"

"LEAVE MY ROOM!"

"GET UP _TO THE EXTREME_!"

"OUT, EGG WHITE!"

"RISE, BREAD BUN!"

"I DON'T WANNA!"

"YOU _EXTREMELY_ HAVE TO!"

"MY HOUSE, MY _EXTREME_ RULES!"

"Boys!"

Our heads snapped around, the pulling stopped and our mouths clicked shut as we stared at Kaede as she stood hunched over in my doorway, hair a mess and her nightgowns crumpled from sleep.

"It is 6:45 in the morning. Why on Earth are you two screaming at _6:45 in the morning?_ "

"A-ah, we were...He was..." Ryohei and I stumbled, glancing to each other as we tried to align stories.

"Boys." She warned, utilising full mother mode to tame our rowdy behaviour.

"Sorry." We chorused, bowing our heads in submission.

"Good. Not another peep, am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

We flinched as she slammed the door shut, her heavy footsteps fading as she thumped down the hall, back into her room.

Turning back to each other, we shared a wide-eyed look, frozen expressions of mutual fear on our faces. The corners of our lips twitched as barely stifled laughs coughed out, our body jolting sharply as we tried to stuff my green and gold doona into our mouths to try and shut ourselves up.

 _"Boys!"_

* * *

The back of the Namimori Middle School was vacant except for two stubborn teens who were, once again, pushing their bodies to the extreme. Three hours of almost non-stop running had left us panting, but we still carried on after only a five-minute break, moving our twitching bodies into the back-to-back workout the Ryuu-sensei had taught us three years ago.

It was a difficult exercise, balance, timing, strength and trust were all incorporated into the workout, in which we were literally back-to-back. One person would do pushups on the floor, and the other would sit on their back and do sit-ups, working as a weight. After a set amount, they would then link arms and flip over, swapping roles for a turn. Three weeks, it had taken us to perfect the whole exercise. Three weeks of strained muscles, dirt filled scrapes, back cracks and head knocks, but the result was absolute synchrony, one we were more than happy to flaunt when given the chance.

I let out a breath as I pulled myself into yet another sit up, the movement beneath me barely shifting my progress as I lowered along with Ryohei. The younger boy pushed himself into his 78th pushup, making me rise with him as I felt the muscles in his back flex from the effort.

"79...80! Flip!" He shouted, linking arms with me before we threw out weight together and rolled until I was facing the ground, and he the sky.

Giving a grunt, he began his own set of 100 sit ups, as I began my 80 pushups. He wasn't that heavy actually, only 59 kilos, so forcing my arms to push our combined weight of 131 kgs up was a fairly easy task, it was the repetition of the act that got to me, however.

"Daiki-kun," Ryohei started, looking down at me from his position, hands behind his head.

"Yeah, what's up?" I responded, glancing over my shoulder.

"Can we stop, just for a second?"

"Ah, okay. Sure." Came my answer, the young Sun moved off my back quickly, allowing me to stand and face him as he shifted.

"Has anything...Is there something you need to tell me?" He asked, standing straight and walking towards me.

"Ah, I...I don't think so." I answered, more than a bit confused by the sudden question.

"Are you sure?"

Narrowing my eyes, I noticed just how close the younger boy had gotten, barely an arm's length away. Not the closest he had gotten, but probably the most invasive.

"Yes." I nodded, "What brought this along?"

"..."

A frown worked its way onto my face as I watched him shake his head dismissively, preparing to step back and out of my zone, only to be stopped when my hand lashed out and grabbed him by the strap of his singlet.

"No, I want an answer, Ryohei-kun. This had been troubling you for at least a week, and by God, it has been affecting me by affiliation. Now," I tightened my grip and dragged him to the ground with me, forcing him to sit across from me in the shade. "Spill."

"Well..."

"Well?"

He fidgetted under my stare for a few moments, glancing around and avoiding the topic as well as he could.

"Dude, just spill. I promise, I won't snap your neck...Much."

"Thanks, that helps." He deadpanned, before letting out a long sigh.

"Are you getting bored of boxing?"

I blinked, checking his face for any twitch that could suggest humour or trickery, only to find it set in straight.

"Boxing? That's what this is about?" I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck to work out the tension that had built for apparently no reason.

"Yes-well, sort of. Mostly." He stumbled, crossing his arms are he tried to piece together his mind.

"You...You don't seem to like the boxing way, much. Do you?"

"Um," I started, "By 'not like', what do you mean?"

"Like- To me, you look like you're restricting yourself a lot. It's like-like you wanna use your legs, like you wanna kick and stuff!"

"And stuff." I sighed, before nodding in acceptance, stopping his wild flailing as he tried to explain further.

"I'm not really getting tired of boxing, it just- It doesn't fit with how I think, I guess. I know it's a sport and all but, I just can't get out of survival mode a lot of the time. There are so many openings that I could- I need - to take advantage of and it's...It's becoming an itch or sorts now, constantly bugging me."

He gave a solemn nod, obviously making an effort to understand what I was feeling with his boxing-wired mind.

"But, it's not really important, just me being a bit of a brute." I stated, bringing a smile to my face. "Sorry if I caused you any concern."

My smile faded when he didn't respond, only watching me from across the grass quietly. I let my eyes trail, fingers coming to pick at the sparse grass behind the school, chlorophyll inking my nails.

"So...what kind of fighting _does_ fit you?"

I blinked, looking back to the young Sun across from me, before pursing my lips as I thought about the answer.

"I don't really know. I just...I just use everything given to me."

"Have you ever done it before?" He asked, leaning forwards, a spark erupting in his eye as a grin flickered in the corners of his lips.

"Yeah, but only against two opponents. Well, I've only ever gone _all out_ against one."

"Who was it?" By then, he had practically begun crawling forwards, the talk of fighting making his blood hum with excitement.

"Just some dude who I caught...trespassing. He's gone now." I responded, pausing for less than a moment to think about the phrasing.

"Can you show me!? Can we fight!? All out!? No holds!? Please!?"

"All out?!" I yelped, sounds ringing in my ears.

 _Crack_

"Yeah! All out TO THE EXTREME!"

 _Crunch_

"Ah...I-I dunno, that could...That could end badly."

"Oh, c'mon bro! It'll be EXTREMELY fun!" He whined, tugging me up to make us stand.

"You don't even know what kind of moves I use." I tried, an open expression of worry marring my face.

"Then you'll EXTREMELY have to show me TO THE EXTREME!" The young Sun grinned, practically bouncing in anticipation.

"Um...Ryohei-kun, this might be dangerou-"

"Three-Two-One! _Fight_!" He sped through the count, charging at me with his fist raised.

"Whoa!" I yelped, dodging beneath the fist and stepping around him.

"That was a boxing move, Daiki-kun! I wanna see your EXTREME style!" The Sun roared, rounding and bringing his fist down with a ' _maximum cannon_!'

Get away from it. Grab it. Make it _useless_.

With wide eyes, I moved around the arm, hands flying to grasp his stretched arm, and put pressure on his elbow, threatening to snap it the wrong way.

"Argh!"

The gruff yelp of pain made me let go, my body taking large steps to throw myself away from Ryohei, blundered apologies spurting from my lips.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry. I told you this was a bad idea!"

"You..." He mumbled, clutching his arm as his fringe covered his eyes.

Oh no... I really hurt him just then didn't I? Shit, Daiki! Learn to control yourself, dude!

"YOU LOOKED SO _EXTREME_!" He roared, spinning around to stare at me with huge, starry eyes.

What?

"A-ah, um..." I tried, taking a cautionary step back as he began to gush in a way he reserved for boxing and the like.

"YOU WERE LIKE 'FWOOSH'! THEN 'SMASH'! THEN 'CHA!'"

"That...doesn't make sense."

"Here I come! EXTREME RIGHT HOOK!"

My eyes locked on the incoming fist, ideas flying through my head as I watched it approach. Frowning slightly, I tilted my head as I thought about it.

"Maybe..."

Moving my feet quickly, I began running towards him, training my eyes on his body as I made a quiet countdown in my head.

This could either go very badly, or look epic as all fuck.

Let's hope for the latter.

Now!

My eyes sharpened as I lept from the ground, gaining air as he came under me. Snapping my feet around his head, I flung my upper body forwards, moving into the motion of a flip. A grimace reached my face as I felt the weight of Ryohei follow me up, his yelp of surprise fueling the grin that replaced the mar.

Giving my body yet another harsh coil, I sent Ryohei's body crashing into the ground, his back colliding with the hard earth making him choke and bounce twice. I bent my knees as I landed, falling into a crouch to stop myself from toppling as my head felt light. I hadn't done anything akin to a flip for a while, mostly falling to cartwheels, and they were usually reserved for the playground.

"Hey, you okay there sunspot?" I panted, adrenaline draining from me as I approached my K.O-ed partner.

"That." He panted, vocals strained from the lack of air in his lungs after being winded. "Was. Fucking. EXTREME!"

"Yeah." I laughed, flopping down next to him. "That was extremely extreme."

"Hey, what's that style called?"

"No idea. I doubt it'd even be called a style, what, with how mangled it is. It'd make a master cry, I swear."

* * *

 **|S.R|**

Terrifying.

Daiki was terrifying.

A grin split the young Sasagawa's face as he laid panting next to the older boy, adrenaline still humming in his blood as he remembered the sharp eyes that peered down at him as the silhouette obscured the sun above him, dowsing him in darkness before sending him crashing into the earth. He felt as if he should have broken something, pebbles digging into his back as dirt filled scrapes and cuts along his exposed skin. A testing movement showed that there was nothing of extreme damage, only a few strains and bruises.

"Hey, what's your style called?" The beaten boy asked, experimentally moving his neck.

"No idea. I doubt it'd even be called a style, what, with how mangled it is. It'd make a master cry, I swear."

There he goes again, putting himself down.

"Hm, how about _BATS_?" The young Sasagawa offered, rolling onto his front to look down at his partner.

" _BATS_? The hell?" Daiki asked, scrunching his tanned face up in confusion.

"Yeah! _BATS,_ stands for Break All Their Shit! I feel like you just shattered all 300 bones in my body just then!" He grinned, resting his chin on his folded arms.

"There are only 206 bones in the average body, Ryohei-kun."

"Same, same. Anyway, _BATS_ , sound EXTREME?!"

There was a flash of emotion across the older boy's face, before he settled on a warm smile, one which Ryohei reflected with vigour.

"Okay then, you better help me perfect _BATS_ , sunspot." He smirked, raising his fist.

"ALL RIGHT! EXTREME BATS STYLE!"

The two Sun Flame users shared matching grins as they bumped fists.

"You know Daiki-kun, you're kind'a terrifying when you use your style."

"All the better to scare away the ghostie-boos for the little ray of sunshine."

"Oh shut up!"

 **|S.R|**

* * *

"Chattering Herbivore."

Oh, my Lord of Cakes.

I turned my head to look up at the imposing figure of one Kyoya Hibari as he loomed over our prone forms. His slate eyes looked less than impressed by his find of two teens draped across the equivalent of his lawn, the slight raise of his right eyebrow just barely visible to the untrained eye.

"Good-" I glanced at my watch. "Morning, Hibari-san. How're you?"

"Why are you on school grounds out of hours?" He asked, fingers twitching in warning as the metal of his tonfa caught the light.

"WE'RE HERE TO EXTREMELY SEE DAIKI-KUN'S EXTREME FIGHTING STYLE!"

"Oh?" Hibari's eyes flashed in interest as they jumped from me to my partner, a stone of dread dropping in my stomach.

No, Ryohei, no! Don't do it!

"EXTREME! DO YOU WANT TO PRACTICE WITH US?!"

Noooo!

"Hm," A sharp smile touched the corners of the skylark's face as he turned to face me. "I will take you up on that offer."

Shit. I'm gonna die.

"Ah...Okay then." I sighed, shrugging in defeat as Ryohei pulled me to my feet, bouncing on his own as he began to spurt out on-the-spot rules.

"Every EXTREME man for himself! All out, no holding back!" He roared, looking about ready to thump his chest with his fists.

"Um, Ryohei-kun, you saw what my style is like. You called it BATS for a reason. If I were to go all out, I could really h-HOLY SHIT!"

I dropped to the ground as a flash of silver passed through the air, swiping through the space I once occupied. Pushing off the earth, I propelled myself away from the duo as they began to engage, fists and metal colliding with disconcerting ferocity.

Yeah, I'd like to reserve one coffin for a Ms Yamaguchi Daiki, thanks. Reason for fatality? Dumbass bros.

"EXTREME RIGHT HOOK!"

"EXTREME warning would be nice, dude!" I yelped, falling into an unsteady bridge to allow the Cloud to fly over me as the boxer caught him in the gut.

"EXTREME Daiki-kun! I didn't know you were so EXTREMELY flexible!" Ryohei shouted, eyes wide with glee.

"Yeah," I grunted,"Neither did I."

Giving a groan, I let my body fall to the side, allowing me to go back into more natural positions as I pulled myself to my feet.

"Chattering Herbivore."

"Mother of Stale Fudges!" I yelped, my leg snapping up in attempts to defend myself as the visage of an incoming Skylark filled my vision.

A grunt escaped the older boy as the heel of my foot caught him in the gut, the sharp outwards thrust of my leg sending him stumbling back a few metres, but not enough to knock him off his feet.

With my attention fixated on the young Cloud, I failed to notice the charging Sun until I felt the sharp tips of his knuckles bite into the muscles of my back, his roar of "Maximum Cannon!" filling my ears. My eyes widened and my hands flew up, body reacting to the immediate danger. My hands slammed down on his broad shoulder, fingers digging into his sun-kissed skin as I kicked my legs up, tensing my arms as I worked to flip my body over his head and out of the way of the incoming fist. Planting my feet on the ground behind him, I gritted my teeth as I engaged my muscles and began to lift the younger teen, teeth grinding as I twisted my body to send 59 kilos of Sun into the back wall of the school.

I brought a hand to my mouth as his body hit the ground, an apology on the tip of my tongue.

"What the EXTREME hell was that?!" The Sasagawa child gasped, rolling onto his front as he looked at me with a stupefied expression.

"Ah...Things got BATS crazy?" I laughed awkwardly, shrugging pathetically.

"Yes!" He cheered, fist pumping.

Oh God, I made a pun.

The sharp whistling of Hibari's tonfa snapped me from the exchange, making me duck and my leg snap out. The skylark jumped this time, landing on my outstretched leg and sending his own free one sailing towards my head.

"Nope!" I chirped, balancing as I grabbed his leg in a vice-grip and brought the Cloud crashing to the earth.

"EXTREME LEFT HOOK!"

A grunt of pain left me as I was sent tumbling, the side of my face exploding in fire. I shook my head as a shadow engulfed me, warning me of the flying Skylark and allowing me to throw myself sideways to avoid his axe kick.

"Shit, Ryohei-kun. That was a good punch, damn." Came my voice, moving my jaw experimentally.

"Thanks!"

Rolling again when the Hibari boy made himself known, I pushed myself to my feet and launched myself at the boxer, intent on putting some distance between me and the disciplinary committee's head.

"Oh? An EXTREME frontal attack!?" Ryohei roared, falling into position.

I blinked when I recognised it, arms flying up to reciprocate the stance as we would in the ring. This time, however, I didn't hesitate to kick his legs out from under him when he began to bounce, elbow coming down on his stomach to floor him as he let out a 'whoosh' of air. A hiss escaped me as metal clashed against my shoulder, Hibari coming up behind me with his tonfa raised. His foot came next, the limb burying into my sensitive side and sending me sprawling across the dirt until I pushed myself into a handstand, letting the Skylark's flying kick to whizz through the empty space.

Falling back to my feet, I dodged to the side as Ryohei's fist sailed past my face, both Suns ducking down as Hibari tried to take us out with a roundhouse kick. Taking large steps away from the skylark, I watched carefully as Ryohei engaged our upperclassman, sending a barrage of fists crashing against the metal tonfa.

"MAXIMUM CANO-GAH!" The Sun Guardian gasped as the blunt end of two poles dug into his solar plexus, winding him as they threw him aside.

"Ryohei-kun, stop shouting what attack you're going to use!" I scolded, batting away the assault launched on me by the slate-eyed Cloud.

Flinching away from a swing to my face, I let my fist fly and winced in apology as it caught the skylark in the cheek, my eyes widening when he was sent head over heels into the trunk of a tree.

Shit, too much power!

"Sorry, Hibari-san!" I called, giving a nervous smile when his eyes flashed and the Cloud Flames on my radar lit up further.

Oh, shit.

"Ah, I apologised so...please don't kill me too hard?" I tried, yelping as I splayed myself out on the ground as the skylark launched himself at me, instead catching the Sun behind me.

"Were you about to sneak attack me?!"

"No! That's EXTREMELY cowardice!" He gasped, gritting his teeth as he received a blow to the cheek by the crackling Cloud.

"Then what was tha-AH!"

I raised my arms to block to axe kick directed at my head by the airborne Hibari, grabbing hold of his leg and slamming him into the ground with perhaps a little too much strength.

It was weird, being on equal ground with my opponent for once, not like the Aquatic Centre, where the Mafioso was little less than double my height with longer arms and legs. Now, with an equally nimble body, strength and cognitive ability, the three of us were being forced to all but milk our systems to stay in competition.

And it was _so fun_.

"Haha! You're EXTREMELY smiling, Daiki-kun!" Ryohei roared, pouncing on me as the skylark bounded away, putting distance between me and him as he protected his no-doubt bruised side.

"I can't help it," I laughed, kicking the younger boy's legs out from under him. "This is actually _really_ fun!"

His eyes lit up, the boxer's face suddenly blooming with glee as he stepped away from me.

All three of us stood in a triangular formation, with at least three metres between each of us. Glancing between them, I couldn't help but reflect the varied smiles that split their faces, Hibari's more subdued, but still there.

"EXTREME!" Ryohei roared, pounding his fists together as his Flames lit up another level.

Taking a breath, I closed my eyes and called forth my Flame, looking past it to examine the Sun and Cloud presented to me.

Bonfires. Signals. _Beacons_.

They were burning with a ferocity I had yet to see from them, even Ryohei's. Their tongues were all but bouncing around their tinder, ready and waiting to go into action.

Turning my attention, I 'blinked' when I saw Ryohei's Flames shift, the trails of sunshine moulding and moving to create a faint outline within its luminescence. The figure was familiar in both stance and build, the way it shifted in preparation and suspense telling me exactly who I was seeing through the Flames.

I was seeing Ryohei with my eyes closed.

Tilting my attention, I came closer as I watched the flames in action, my eyes widening when I saw what was taking place. Ryohei was healing himself.

A flare up to the left of me made me rip my gaze away and focus on the purple flames, dashing towards it to see what it was doing to its host.

Propagation, yes? That was its attribute?

Focusing, I once again saw the Skylar's outline deep within the blaze, the actions confirming my suspicion. Hibari was propagating Adenosine Triphosphate, giving him boosts of energy and allowing him to hold it for longer.

Those little cheats.

I opened my eyes and grinned at the two clueless boys, taking a certain pleasure in how their muscles tensed up.

So, you want to fight using Flames?

Reaching into my core, I urged my sunshine flames to rouse, my body suddenly buzzing with energy making me bounce on the balls of my feet as my grin became all teeth.

Fine, we'll fight with Flames.

Strains, tears and bruises mended themselves as I fell into a stance that loosely resembled one of boxing, but not quite. Adenosine Diphosphate was quickly cycled into Triphosphate, restoring my first and most effective energy source as I narrowed my eyes at the two teens across from me, their Flames shifting in curiosity and caution as they felt mine activate.

"Ready, Daiki-kun?" Ryohei called, shifting in anticipation as freshly healed muscles prepared to engage.

If they can heal themselves already, why bother being so gentle? A little pain's always good to validate someone's life.

"Only when you are, sunshine, birdy." I cooed in response.

The smile all three of us shared was nothing less than adrenaline crazed as we hurled ourselves into the centre of our triangle, metal and flesh meeting in a frenzy of laughter and roars.

Thinking fast, I dropped to the floor and slid under Hibari as he pounced at me, scrambling to my feet and reciprocating Ryohei's right hook. A loud grunt escaped me as the rounded end of the Skylark's tonfa found its home between my ribs, flinging me to the side with surprising strength.

"Ow, ow, ow." I hissed, holding the bruising ribs before sending a rush of flames.

"Okay, up and at 'em."

Pushing myself to my feet, I let ideas rush through my head as the two Guardians to be turned half their attention to me as I approached. A grin etched its way into my face as I decided to try and see.

I wonder, how much damage can these two handle?

Sending a burst of flames along my limbs, I activated the muscles, forcing them to _work_ and send me flying at the two stunned boys, left and right fists burying into their unprotected stomachs. Coughs of pain left them as they parted with my knuckles, their backs arching as they hit the wall in almost synchrony.

I let a small laugh of excitement leave me as I withdrew my fists, a little bounce in my step as I approached their heaving forms.

"That was so cool!" I almost giggled, squatting down before them.

"That was EXTREMELY BATS crazy." Ryohei choked out, giving me a pained fist bump.

" _Kamikorosu_."

Our Sun Flame fueled bodies lept away with a certain grace as the Cloud lashed out, small impacts just barely throwing us off course.

Slate eyes landed on me before the Committee's head came running with a vengeance, metal poles catching the light dangerously.

Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit!

Sending an overdose of ATP running through my system, I burst off the ground, curling my legs up into my body, allowing the wide-eyed skylark to speed under me.

Spying Ryohei out of the corner of my eye, I hit the ground running letting my feet shoot me to the side. As I sped towards the stanced and grinning Sun, I felt a spark of Cloud Flames tailing me, making a devious, yet _incredibly_ stupid plan appear in my mind's eye.

Why the hell not?

The grin that settled on my face must have been a sight, as Ryohei's body tensed in preparation as I neared, my own body gearing up for the dangerous stunt.

"Sorry, Ryohei-kun!" I shouted as I began to coil up, his eyes widening as the skylark's slate eyes meeting his own mocha.

"Daiki-kun, what are you EXTREMELY doing!?"

"Something BATS crazy!"

Propelling myself off the ground, I planted my feet on the broad muscles of the boxer's chest, legs bending and body tensing as they began to prepare for the next phase. Giving a loud 'whoop', I launched myself off the younger Sun, bending my back and kicking my legs over, allowing me to see the wonderfully painful looking collision between the two future Guardians.

Bending my knees as I hit the ground, I squatted and touched the earth with my right hand to stop myself from tipping. Despite the pain in my ankles from the impact, a grin still split my face as I watched the Sun and Cloud boys untangle themselves from each other, Hibari's tonfa tossed haphazardly around the small space that we had dominated.

I can't believe I managed that! Holy _shit!_ I hope someone got that on camera, cause I'll probably _never_ manage that again!

" _EXTREME_ DAIKI-KUN!" Ryohei roared, bursting from the ground and wrapping me up in steel arms.

"THAT WAS SO EXTREME!"

I laughed as he swung me around, my feet leaving the ground as flying behind me. My whooping was cut short as his grip tightened sharply and the Sun child threw me, sending my body careening into a tree.

"AH! I'M EXTREMELY _PUMPED_!" He hollered, before spinning around and engaging the glowering Skylark in an intense fist fight.

"Stop shouting, Herbivore." The Cloud growled, clipping the other boy's jaw with his recollected tonfa.

"BREAD SLICE, EXTREMELY JOIN US!"

"You need Jesus." I laughed, before pushing myself off my ass and racing at the duo, making it a trio as we weaved around each other.

Ducking under Ryohei's punch, I sent my own into Hibari's side, scowling as my shoulder was used as a support to elevate the skylark and allowing him to send a kick at the Sun child's head. Opening my legs, I caught the airborne Cloud's shins, lower than I would have liked, but effective as it was. The disturbance flipped him head over heels, allowing me to sidestep a jab from the grinning Sun Flame user and let it fly instead into the Disciplinary Committee Head's cheek.

An 'ooh' of sympathy escaped me, shortly followed by laughter as slate eyes landed on me, a violent gleam within them hinting to his own enthusiasm. My grin still stayed even as I winced from a bruising impact from metal tonfa, spinning around and kicking Ryohei's feet out from under him, making the sun release a yelp of surprise.

 _"W-wow."_

Oh _shit_.

* * *

 **|REBORN|**

"Is that really a katana?" No-Good Tsuna asked, watching the young Yamamoto examine the piece of Vongola technology in his hands.

"When the head speed of the bat surpasses 300km per hour, it transforms into a katana. I'll call it Yamamoto's bat." Reborn hummed, looking up at the teens.

"What an amazing name."

Oh hush, boy.

He had every piece of confidence that the sushi chef's son could manage the feet, but it's always to _satisfying_ when a plan comes together with little effort on Reborn's part. The man-child watched the middle school students fawn over the bat-blade, before glancing over his shoulder to the ever so faint sounds of a brawl taking place, calling forth Leon to view one of the many cameras he had posted around the school.

"I don't get it, but it's great!" The young Yamamoto laughed, gazing happily up at the shiny blade.

"Are you sure, Yamamoto-kun?"

"Yeah, I like it!"

See, why can't you be more complacent, like Yamamoto?

"Training is almost complete," Reborn chirped, drawing attention back to himself. "Just one more thing to do."

"Huh? There's still more!?" Tsuna whined, making the baby jump and kick the young Vongola in the forehead.

"Nothing too strenuous, don't you worry. We're just going to see something." The Arcobaleno hummed, jumping off his fallen student.

"See something?" Yamamoto asked,

"Ah, sorry!" Kyoko called, drawing the boys' attention.

"My mother just called, I need to get back and help out for dinner. I'll see you at school, Tsuna-kun, Yamamoto-kun, Reborn-kun!"

"O-oh, bye Kyoko-chan." Tsuna deflated, his shoulders sagging.

"Be safe, Kyoko-chan!"

"Now," The Sun Flame user started, reclaiming the two's attention from their retreating classmate. "Time to go see a show."

Reborn couldn't help but let a small skip in his step, a certain joy bubbling in his stomach as he thought of all the drills he could force those three through to become a deadly weapon. He couldn't wait to get his hands on them.

 **|REBORN|**

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

A show?

The young Rain followed after the little baby with anticipation, just barely noticing the gleam in void eyes.

"Hey, what's the show about? Is it an action film?!" He asked, a grin spreading across his face.

"No, it's a live show."

"Ah! A live show! Like a play? Man, I haven't seen one of those in a while! Have you, Tsuna-san?" The batsman chirped, looking down slightly to address his smaller companion.

"No, not since elementary, I think." Came the younger's reply, a cautiously excited expression on his face.

The two teens were led through the school and towards the back, the baby pausing their progress when they were just around the corner. Laughter and loud collisions sounded from the blind spot, making Takeshi bounce with anticipation, a childish grin coming as he focused a fraction of his attention on the fedora wearing infant's next words.

"Okay, now, we need to be quiet from here. It's only respectful to be quiet when a show is going on, correct?" He hummed, before stepping out of the way, gesturing for the teens to go ahead.

"Very true, very true." Takeshi nodded, tugging the young Sky along after him.

"I wonder what the show's gonna be abo-"

The young Rain came to a halt as his eyes landed on the display before him, three completely different bodies moving around each other with a deadly synchrony that made his blood rush. The grip he had on the younger boy's hand slipped away as he focused on the grin that split the three older boys' faces, choruses of laughter escaping them as they weaved between limbs and metal.

Daiki. Ryohei. Hibari.

They were...terrifyingly terrific.

Without his noticing, the young Yamamoto had started leaning forwards, the grip on his blade tightening as he watched his fiance slide across the ground, dodging a flying kick and setting himself upright in time to fall in step with his boxer classmate.

There was a certain energy to the trio, their bodies working in ways Takeshi had never seen before, wide eyes taking in each movement.

The loud grunt of pain that escaped his fiance snapped him out of his daze, earthy orbs locking on the splayed figure.

Daiki released a mumble of pain as he stood, shaking off the feeling before launching himself back at his spar buddies.

The young Rain's eyes widened as a gaze he had never seen on the older boy before settled in amber-earth, the sharp tilt and dilation of his pupils hinting to the sudden shift in his mindset. A wide grin of devious intention became known, making the Yamamoto's breath hitch.

With a sudden burst of speed, Takeshi's eyes caught the shift of the older boy's muscles as he pulled off a stunt of strength and momentum. The young Rain's fists jumped as he watched Daiki's disappear into his upperclassmen's stomachs, shooting them into the wall a good distance away.

Amazing.

To think, Yamaguchi Daiki was able to do feats such as this...

Something curled in Takeshi's gut as he watched his fiance let out a whoop of laughter, all but bouncing over to his fallen schoolmates and fist bump his friend.

"That was EXTREMELY BATS crazy!" Ryohei laughed, saying 'bats' as if it were referring to something of importance, rather than just an expression.

" _Kamikorosu_."

The two boys leapt from their positions with enviable synchrony, landing with just as much timing as the third year Skylark chose his target.

With barely any hesitation, the blue haired boy bent his legs and shot himself into the air, coiling up to give the fast moving DC head to run beneath.

Since when could Daiki jump that high?

As soon as the older boy touched the ground, he was moving again, taking off in the direction of the resident boxer. The look of calculation flashed again, before disappearing as if all caution was thrown to the wind, a brash look of enthusiasm replacing it as teeth flashed in a grin.

"Sorry, Ryohei-kun!"

What is he doing?

"Daiki-kun, what are you EXTREMELY doing!?"

He's getting too close!

"Something BATS crazy!"

Daiki, stop!

Just as he opened his mouth, a cautionary call on the tip of his tongue, his fiance parted with the earth.

Takeshi held his breath as the Sun Flame user planted his feet on his fellow's chest, using it as a springboard and flipping himself over the incoming DC head, landing in a crouch as the two other boys collided heavily.

The self-satisfied smile that coloured Daiki's face made the young Rain fidget, a part of him wanting to join in, but the rest of him knowing the pattern that they had set would only be disrupted by another player.

An ugly feeling raised its head as the large boxer lifted his fiance, spinning him around in a way that Takeshi himself could never manage, equally bright smiles shared between them as they were twirled. The feeling, however, was squashed down immediately as the momentum from the spin was used to send Daiki all but flying into a tree, the solid body of his upperclassman hitting the ground with a thud. The blue haired boy stood with a laugh, brushing off the bark and dirt from the impact and raced back into the scuffle at the other's call.

Now, back together, their volatile dance began again, the trio trading mutual blows as they reciprocated each blow with absolute equity.

It was a brutal kind of beautiful, the way they fought. It didn't have the guttural tones that gang fights had, or the grace and efficiency of a martial artist. Each player had their own way of doing things, each of them standing on the same level, just on different plains. Hibari's wide, graceful movements balanced by Ryohei's tight, sharp ones and standing just in between them, was Daiki's everything goes. A careful balancing act that incorporated each of them, a three-legged, glass table.

"W-wow."

Tsuna.

Sawada Tsunayoshi.

You just broke the balance.

Why.

The three artists halted, bodies poised in lethal poses as the disrupting noise reached them. The laughter that once coloured the air became silent and the back lawn of the school suddenly became just that, a back lawn.

As if some of the magic still remained, the dangerous mens' eyes snapped to the intruders in perfect synchrony, their facial expressions morphing into variations that suited their character, before the last drop of unison was drained.

Takeshi almost physically cringed when the three boys moved back into normal positions, their movements out of time and choppy compared to the display before.

Why, oh _why_ , did Tsuna have to speak!

"Takeshi-kun, Sawada-san." Daiki greeted, his voice sounding as if he too noticed how the transition was jarring.

"Y-Yamaguchi-san, Sasagawa-san, Hibari-san." The young Sky squeaked out, flinching away when slate eyes landed on him, expressing blatant displeasure.

"Did you two see that EXTREME fight!?" Ryohei roared, bounding over to them with the blue haired boy's head locked under his arm.

"Oi, let me go Ryohei-kun!"

"Bro, you need to EXTREMELY _tell_ me when you can do that EXTREME stuff!" He hollered right into Daiki's ear, laughing when the baker's son's hands came up to cover them.

"But seriously! Did you see those EXTREME flips!? And that EXTREME punch!? God, I'm getting pumped just _thinking_ about it!"

"It's not that great, Ryohei-kun. Most of that was sheer dumb luck." His fiance sighed, lowering his hands when he deemed it safe.

"How was that dumb luck?!" Takeshi burst out, dashing forward to stand in front of the blue haired boy.

"I _saw_ you calculating everything! You had this super cool look on your face that was like 'shwaa!' and then you were all like 'hya'!"

"..." Daiki stared down at him for a moment, before placing a large hand on the younger's black hair.

"Sure."

"Don't 'Sure.' me! I mean it, you were a total badass!" The young Rain protested, waving his arms to emphasise his point.

"But-"

"Even Tsuna-san this it!" He countered, pointing at the stunned Sky.

"H-huh?" He squeaked, curling in on himself as four pairs of eyes landed on him.

"Shujin-kun was a complete badass just then, right?!" Takeshi prompted, pulling him over to stand in front of the sweating upperclassmen.

"Yeah!" Tsuna agreed, with perhaps too much vigour.

The young Rain decided to brush it off as appreciation, joining his classmate in showering his fiance with compliments, Daiki's eventual submission the only thing that made them stop.

"Chattering Herbivore." Hibari called, tucking away his tonfa.

"Finish what you came here for and get off school grounds, before I bite you all to death."

And with that, he was gone, disappearing around the corner in a manner similar to all those years ago.

"Sure, sure." Daiki responded, waving at the DC head as he ushered Ryohei back over to them after he had wondered off.

Takeshi watched as his fiancé pulled on his jacket, his body already cooling down from the intense workout, taking note of the already fading bruises. Taking steps forwards, the young Rain made to grab the older boy's hand, only for Daiki to meet him halfway and let his larger one clasp around paler fingers.

"Oh yeah," He paused, making the rest of the small group turn to him. "Birdy!"

The window above them was slammed open, slate eyes glaring down at them.

"What, handler?"

Takeshi blinked, handler?

"I take this as a win!" Daiki called, a smirk coming to his face.

"And why is that?" The Skylark asked, his body tensing as he felt a jab to his pride.

"Because," The blue haired boy started, his free hand disappearing out of the young Rain's sight. "I never put them on."

Takeshi's breath hitched, the brass metal that lined Daiki's knuckles catching the light as he curled his hand into a fist. This was the first time the Yamamoto child had ever seen the Sun don his weapons, a foolish part of him believing that they were only for show.

He knew better, now.

"Tch, fine." Hibari tisked, slamming the window shut and disappearing beyond the screen.

"Aww man, that means I lost too!" Ryohei whined, crossing his arms as he pouted.

"Haha, don't worry, it's not like you _could_ win this sort of thing." The blue haired boy laughed, reattaching his brass.

"I'd never use them against a friend."

"But that means you aren't at full strength, and that's what his exercise was all about!" The younger Sun grouched, waving his arms.

"Oh hush, I _was_ at full strength, thank you very much."

"So anyway," Daiki hummed, turning to the Rain and Sky at his side. "What's your reason for being here? Do you really like school that much?"

"A-ah! We were just-"

"The baby brought us here to train us! I got this really cool blad-huh?" Takeshi paused, rotating the baseball bat in his hands.

"It turned back into a bat!"

Bats...

"What does 'Bats' mean? You and Ryohei-san were throwing that term around a lot." He asked, looking up at the two teens.

"BATS! It's Daiki-kun's EXTREME fighting style!" Ryohei roared, clenching his fists.

"Well, it's not really a style." Daiki tired, only for Takeshi to shoot off another question.

"Why BATS?"

"It's an EXTREME acronym! It stands for Break All Their Shit!"

"Oh my God, why did I agree to this?"

"Wah, so cool!"

"How is that cool!?" Daiki squawked, looking down at the young Rain.

"Anyway!" He shouted, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

"You said you were here for training, yes? What on Earth could Reborn-san be training you in?"

"I don't know, but he got Dino-san to shoot a bunch of these balls at me with a really cool pitcher machine!"

Takeshi noticed the slight narrowing of Daiki's eyes, his face contorting ever so slightly as he rolled the words over in his head.

"Cool pitcher machine...Never mind, I'd rather not know." He sighed, before looking back to the building.

"Was Gokudera-san here with you? I rarely see you two together without him."

Takeshi paused, turning to Tsuna with a thoughtful expression, before slapping on a smile. With a little hesitation, the young Rain released his promise's arm and took steps towards the school building.

"Tsuna-san and I should wait for him, he'll come back."

"Why did he EXTREMELY leave?"

The two first years turned their attention to the firm line of Daiki's lip as his face settled into one of realisation.

"He's probably just gone off to cool his head. Give him a couple more minutes, he'll get back to your...training, good as new."

Takeshi blinked, a part of him unsettled by how Daiki knew that, the bells ringing in the back of his head. Shaking it off, he smiled and lept at his partner, wrapping his arms around the blue haired boy's neck as he planted his lips over the other's, a surprised yelp muffled by the liplock.

"You're right!" The young Rain declared, releasing the older boy's mouth.

"A-ah."

"Bye-bye Shujin-kun, Ryohei-san!" He laughed, grabbing a frozen Tsuna by his upper arm and dragging him away, self-satisfaction blooming in his chest at the flustered expression on Daiki's face.

Hm, Takeshi thought, I wonder what it would be like to fight against Daiki...

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

 **|Christmas Special!  
(You don't have to pay, but reviews, donations of brain juice and such are greatly appreciated.)**

 **Five Minutes Of The Future!**

I sighed as I rolled away from my desk, the simple wooden door of my room ripped open as Lambo came running in, a bruise forming on his cheek as the screams of the young Vongola trio sounded from outside the house.

"What's the matter, Lambo-kun?"

"Reborn-san's being mean to me! He won't let me kill him!"

Completely understandable.

Giving a hum of acknowledgement, I spun in my chair to face the sniffling child through my glinting lenses as he stepped up his tantrum. Stomping his little onesie-ed feet as he cursed the Sun Arcobaleno, little face scrunched up in childish fury.

"Come now, Lambo-kun. No need to throw a tantrum over such a small thing. I'm sure you'll get to him eventually." I tried, giving a barely there smile as he puffed up his already chubby cheeks.

"But I wanna kill him now! Stupid Reborn-san!" He cried, hands flying to his afro and disappearing into the frizzy blackness.

My eyes widened as a familiar looking purple firearm was pulled from the hammerspace, body moving to intercept its journey only to have the young cow lose his grip on the bazooka. The large weapon wobbled unsurely in his hands before tipping, the barrel pointed at me hostilely as the trigger hooked around the little cow's horns.

Shit.

 _Boom!_

Shit!

I slowly opened my eyes as the weightless spinning stopped, a shroud of warmth covering me until I felt a soft yet solid ground.

Oh God, no.

I can't be here. No, no, no!

A deep inhalation next to me cut through my near-panic attack, making me clasp my mouth to cease my breath. Carefully, I pulled my body from the bed I had found myself in ten years later, the light shroud slipping to reveal a surprisingly lavish room.

The bedroom was large and spacious, walls and surfaces adorned with items of the expensive type. There were high shelves lined with books of varying languages of which only a few I could identify and even less could read, hard and pricey looking covers making up a wall of knowledge that I'd love to get my hands on. The bed was huge, king sized or larger with thick sheets or rich colour and glorious texture. Just the right balance of firmness and delicacy made up the mattress and pillows, letting my body sink into the side comfortably.

This was definitely the most lavishly comfortable room I had ever been in, and I _hated_ being in it.

A glance over my shoulder gifted me a glance of the sleeping bed partner behind me, making me snap back and lift off the mattress, a sharp stab of fear hitting me.

Best not to know.

Carefully padding around the room, feet leaving the carpet under the bed's frame and stepping onto cool hardwood, I began to give in a little to my more trivial curiosity. Keeping the noise to an absolute minimum, I trekked across the room and peeked into a small drawer, recoiling when I saw more than a few _protective_ pieces scattered through the cramped space.

Closing the doors quickly, I stepped away and busied myself with reading the scribbles of English and Japanese notes on a desk, that no doubt belonged to me, pointedly ignoring the Latin-like prints that covered other stray sheets. Reports and other documents of varying legality littered the dark wood, some very ambiguous terminology used in many sentences.

A hiss of air escaped me as I quickly stopped a rolling pen, the damned plastic making more of a ruckus than it was allowed to. Pausing to check for any movement from the other occupant of the room, I let out a quiet breath when no there was no reaction.

You little son of a bitch.

Shaking the writing utensil threateningly, I placed it back down on the desk solidly, fingers coming to cushion the impact and mute the noise. Blinking, I looked past the stationary to read little English writing in a small, pocket-sized book.

Swapping the objects in my hands, I lifted the book to my face and read the cursive-print writing through my lenses.

 _Leonard Kinton, age twenty-eight. Male, airy-voiced, slightly high-pitched, Italian accent, bisexual._

Leonard Kinton?

I frowned my brow as I reread one of many descriptions, wondering the relevance of the focus on the voice rather than appearance. I didn't recognise this name, at least, not the current me. Maybe he was of the future?

Why did I have a profile of him?

A slight tilt came to my lip as I read the next one, squinting through the darkness.

 _Sarah Pyre, age thirty-five. Female, sharp-voiced, steady pitch, American accent, heterosexual._

Why the focus on the voice? Why did I need to know their sexuality?

Sighing as nothing was answered from the other profiles, I replaced the book, flipping it back to its original page.

How much longer am I here? Can't be more than three minutes left, right?

Oh _God_ , I am being touched!

 _"And what is this?"_

My body tensed up in a single wave of movement as arms slid under mine and wrapped around my midriff, effectively trapping me against a solid body and removing my mobility.

"Aw, you're all small now."

"I'm going to take the fact that I can't recognise your voice as a blessing." I declared, surprising myself with how steady my voice was despite the rapid beating of my heart.

"Oh? Can't recognise my voice?" The deep, sleep heavy voice hummed, more weight shifted onto my back, forcing my arms to keep us both suspended.

"I guess I can't blame you, puberty did- what do you always say?- hit me like a truck."

I kept my eyes trained on the pages before me, ignoring the temptation to turn and look at my future bed partner.

"Can you, by any chance, just go back to bed?" I tried, wincing when another wave of weight was added and the buckle of the ten-year-later man's belt jabbed my back.

"Hm, only if you're coming with me."

"I'm pretty sure that that's illegal." Came my quick response, fingers digging into the wood, ready to throw both of us back.

"The age of consent in Japan is 13, and 14 in Italy."

"The age of consent rises to 16 in Italy, when one of the participants has a level of power over the other." I shot back, useless knowledge finally coming to save my ass.

Wait, bad word choice.

"You are saying I have power over you here?" He chuckled, as if amused by my little piece of trivia.

"I've been hoping that that's a gun."

This time, he out right laughed, vibration crawling through my back as his hands decided to roam a little, trailing up my sides and fingering the edge of my binder.

"I'll scream, that will surely draw attention." I threatened, looking out of the corner of my eye fruitlessly.

"Hm, you can try, but the others are already used to you screaming."

Wait.

"But then again, I scream more often."

Good Lord-

"Thanks, but too much information." I drawled, shifting when he tried to worm a finger under the tight fabric.

"That isn't going to work, dude. Nice try, though."

"Aw, no fair."

"Depending on the point of view, it could be the only fleck of fairness in the room."

How much longer do I have? One, two minutes? Hurry up, please!

Gritting my teeth, I managed not to flinch as the man behind me dropped his chin on my shoulder, looking over it to read the book under my hands lazily.

"Oh, you're reading your character profiles?" He asked, one hand coming up to skim across my jaw, this time making me flinch.

"Character profiles?"

"Uh huh, these are all of your aliases. I'm sure you've noticed the attention to voice, correct? You, basically, host anonymous calls with these people as a proxy. It's amazing to watch, really. How easily you can invent people."

"Why the sexual orientation, though?" Came my question, gazing at the last pieces of information.

"Well, sometimes you have to be a bit more personal with your business partners, a little bashfulness or a little assertiveness has the potential to make or break a deal."

The hand on my face dropped and came to trace along the descriptions, a flash of metal making me freeze up further.

A wedding ring.

"...Am I an adulter?" I asked, some part of me wanting the answer to be yes.

"Adulter? No! You and I have been married for four years!" He responded, hands snapping back to chain me up.

"I-!" I yelped, pausing to recollect myself. "I got married? At only 21?"

"M-hm, and guess what?" The ten-year-later man asked, a slight giddiness to his voice.

"What?"

"You got married in a beautiful dress."

 _What?_

"Times up, bye-bye Daiki."

 _Boom!_

I coughed loudly as I waved away the smoke left from the explosion, the light of afternoon sun piercing my eyes as they tried to shift gears from night-mode.

As the smoke cleared, I looked around and frowned when I noticed the lack of Lambo in the room.

"Lambo-kun?" I called, pulling myself to my feet.

A loud crash outside the bakery made my head snap to the window, feet making me move faster and fling the pane open, allowing me to see the mess of Mafia that had gathered beneath my window.

"What are you doing?" I asked, drawing their attention away from the grenade in the little cow's hand.

"Ah! Yamaguchi-san!" Tsuna gaped, alarm colouring his voice.

"Fucking Giant!"

"Shujin-kun!"

I blinked at the last call, turning my attention to the grinning Rain as he waved enthusiastically up at me.

 _"You and I have been married for four years!"_

Did we...

Waving back half-heartedly, I thought about the possibility of Takeshi and I somehow managing to keep this relationship going, despite teenaged nature to keep things short and usually messy.

It was unlikely, and I would be less than surprised if one day we just stopped, but if we could keep it going...

I couldn't recognise his voice, but that doesn't mean he wasn't someone I knew.

"All of you, go home!" I ordered, pointing to the basic direction of the Sawada household, knowing their home base.

"We're trying, but this stupid cow won't stop ambushing us!"

"He's five!"

Best not to dwell on it. The future's already fucked as it is.

…

"Ah, you're back!"

"You sexually harassed me when I was 15."

"All in good fun, I swear."

"Give me your belt."

"What about yours?"

"I'll be using both."


	13. Chapter 13

_**"Unfortunately as an Englishman I feel obliged to point out that a "baker's dozen" is actually a dozen plus one so 13." -**_ **Thanatos147**

 **LeNoRi** **: Well, my life came crashing down around me after I read this, but thanks guy, for clearing up that misunderstanding! It all lines up though, since in canon it should be around January 21st, and for those who remember little details from all the way back in chapter 2, Daiki's birthday falls on this day!**

 **I actually feel a little** _ **too**_ **giddy about this.**

 **As a gift for you all, my beta/sidekick, Plotbunny, and I, have written a total of 3 chapters to be updated in bulk.**

 **Anyway, Happy Birthday Daiki!**

 **Enjoy, and Happy 2017!**

 **Word Count:17,503**

* * *

"Oh shit! Yamaguchi-kun's got the ball! Yamaguchi-kun's got the ball!"

I let out a laugh to the scream of exaggerated fear, quickly dribbling the ball around a fast incoming opponent before making a break for the goal. A flash of a bright red bib warned me of the versing team on my heels, making me almost fumble the ball.

"Daiki-kun! Kick the ball TO THE EXTREME!"

Yep, that sounds like a plan.

Planting my foot on the ground, I turned my other one its side and booted the soccer ball, a grin reaching my face when it bounced off the goalie's hand and into the netted back.

"Alright!" I yelled, fist pumping in victory.

"Good on ya, Yamaguchi-kun!"

"Yeah, we're in the lead now!"

Grins were sent between the PE class, sweaty boys laughing and throwing around lighthearted shit talk against their friends on the other side.

"Oh shit, Yamaguchi-kun!"

The call this time was less jovial and more horrified, the sound of it making the goalie pause his throw in.

"Yeah?" I responded, turning to my classmate.

"You're bleeding! Like a lot!"

Following his finger, my eyes landed on a continuous trail of deep, dark liquid that originated from within the leg of my shorts. The top of my sock has already started colouring itself red as the stream flowed, an itch beginning to form as my skin became irritated.

Oh. Oh shit, that's menstrual blood ain't it.

You know the thing where something only hurts after you acknowledge it? Yeah, not so great sometimes.

On cue, a sharp pain rang through my lower stomach, making a frown tug at my lip as I stopped myself from coiling. Taking a deep breath, that was rewarded with a pang of tightness in the chest, I forced a smile on my face and waved off the younger boys' questions of concern.

"It's fine, I probably cut myself when I took that tumble back there."

"Are you sure, that looks pretty bad." Another classmate asked, wiping sweat off his chin with his red bib, obviously not convinced.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll just head up to the nurse's office and get a bandaid or something." I assured, waving to the teacher before calling out my intention.

"Ryohei-kun, if I don't come back in time, can you grab my bag?"

"Sure, sure." He nodded, chasing after the ball as it passed him.

With that, I jogged from the field, keeping myself nonchalant as possible, before turning the corner and _sprinting_. Being a bit further than the middle of class, there was no one on the halls to stop me on my suicide sprint, the occasional ping of dull pain in my upper thighs or lower stomach only slightly hindering my upward dash to the infirmary.

From memory, I pulled a faded timetable that hinted to the nurse's lunch break, meaning that the office should be vacant for the next half an hour, giving me time to find the feminine hygiene products. This had only happened once, me forgetting about my cycle, but it had been in a more forgiving environment and had much fewer witnesses. I could just hope they didn't bother reading into it too much, I doubted they would come to the conclusion of my gender, but from the origin of the blood, they may think of more absurd ideas, knowing them.

Taking a breath, I came to a sudden stop before the door of the infirmary, pausing to check for any noise. When I heard none, I quickly ducked in before anyone could see me, closing the door behind me softly.

Moving quickly, I got to the cupboard which housed the items, opening the plain white doors to search through the shelves, before stopping.

They're not there...

 _"Is this, what you're after? Yamaguchi-chan?"_

Fuck...

Slowly closing the two panels, I turned to the other occupant of the room, keeping my head low as I did. White pants were the first clue of who had referred to me, the rest of the man's appearance becoming known as I let my eyes trail up and land on his face, the cocky smirk adorned on it making me clutch the counter behind me tightly.

"Good afternoon, Shamal-sensei." I greeted through gritted teeth.

The old trident merely waved the small packet in his hand, his smirk spreading as he let his gaze fall on the spread trail on my leg, messied by my run.

"You seem to be in a bit of trouble at the moment, so I'll give you a bit." He laughed, tossing the hygiene pack at me.

I caught it, pausing as I thought about the possibility of denying his claim, before sighing.

"I'll be back in a couple minutes, don't go _anywhere_."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Shamal responded, dropping down into his wheelie chair lazily.

Pulling my face back into one of neutrality, I quickly moved to the bathrooms, pulling myself into a stall and fixing the issue at hand.

As I walked back to the infirmary, I tried to piece together the chaos in my mind.  
Never before had I come into this kind of situation, no one had ever questioned my gender. Even the things that I couldn't hide, like certain walking patterns or the slimness of my waist, were just taken as one of my features. They weren't put under the microscope outside of jovial poking from classmates and friends.

"I'm going to have to be more careful." I bit out, sliding the door open with perhaps a little too much force.

"Three days after I fixed up the Vongola." He stated, not letting me open my mouth.

"What?"

"That's how long I've known you were a girl." Shamal answered, spinning around to face me. "I will admit, I am embarrassed at how long it took, but you weren't my top priority at the time."

"Of _course_ a womaniser like you would be the one to figure it out first." I sighed, moving to lean against the side of his desk, dropping the packet of tampons on his lap before crossing my arms. "Thanks."

"You should be more mindful of your cycle, people might get suspicious." He commented, putting them away.

"Why do you care?"

"Because," Shamal breathed, looking at me over his shoulder. "It gives me a one-up on Reborn-san."

An airy laugh left me, my eyes closing in slight relief.

"You Mafia people."

"Okay, go on, get out. Your little secrets safe with me." The doctor ordered, waving his hand.

"Unless you wanna stay with me, of course."

"Yeah, no." I declined, pushing off the table. "Bye-bye, Shamal-sensei."

"Later, Yamaguchi-chan."

"I hope you don't plan on calling me that in public, you old leecher."

…

"Daiki-kun! Are you EXTREMELY okay!?"

I picked up my head from my desk, turning to him slowly, my eyes narrowed in distaste.

"Fuck you."

"Huh?! What did I do!?" He asked, stunned.

"Just, fuck you."

* * *

"Food! Food! Food!" Lambo cheered, jumping on the table as I helped Kaede carry in the unusually large breakfast.

"Lambo-kun, get off the table." I ordered, pulling my mother's chair out for her.

The little cow poked his tongue out at me, but turned and moved off the table, sitting down on the pillows stacked up on the chair for him.

"Ah, the Three Days are always so nice. All calm and relaxing." Kaede cooed, gently seating herself as she took up her utensils.

"..." I paused and looked at the calendar, a grimace showing on my face as I counted the days.

"Is something wrong, Daiki-kun? Did I add too much salt?" She asked, bringing a small bundle of rice to her mouth in worry.

"No, no. Nothing like that, it's just." I groaned. "I'm gonna be 16 in a couple days."

Without warning, Kaede began to squeal, hand coming to cover her mouth as she gushed over the information.

"Oh, my little man's gonna be _16_! It feels like just yesterday when Yamada-kun and I brought you home from the hospital!" She chirped, leaning to throw her arms around me.

"Kaa-san!" I whined, flailing my arms comically as she smothered me.

 _"EEEEEEXTRREEEEEEEME-"_

I snapped up the phone and answered the call, cutting off the scream as Kaede giggled girlishly beside me, reaching to clean Lambo's face after he made a mess of himself.

"Yes, Ryohei-kun?" I asked, flicking the little cow's hand when they strayed a little too close to my plate.

 _"Daiki-kun! We've been invited to an EXTREME NEW YEAR'S GATHERING by Sawada-san!"_ He roared, making me tilt away from the receiver.

"Ah, is that so?" I hummed, filling my mouth with Osechi.

 _"So? Are you EXTREMELY coming?"_

"I don't think I wi-Hey!"

"Of course he'll be coming!" My mother cooed into the phone she had yanked away from me, all smiles.

"Nana-chan's house you say? Okay, he'll meet you there! Bye-bye, Ryohei-kun!"

I gaped at her as she shut my phone, a huge smile on her face.

"Come on, everyone! Let's finish up and get ready!"

"Eh? You're coming too?" I asked, shoving the rest of my plate into my mouth as fast as I could, recognising her spur of the moment actions.

"Well, of course, I haven't seen Nana-chan for at least a month!"

Quickly gathering our plates, I rinsed them off before placing them in the dishwasher, chasing after Lambo as he tried to knock a lolly jar off the top shelf.

"Daiki-kun, don't forget to wear your yukata!" Mother called from her bedroom, making me sigh loudly.

By _'your'_ yukata, she meant _'your father's'_ yukata, of course.

Fighting off a scowl, I placed Lambo on the couch and turned on a children's show that should entertain him long enough to let me change in peace.

Padding up to my room quickly, I locked my door behind me before opening my closet, pulling out the informal yukata that had been hiding in the back since last year. Much grumbling and repeated movements later, I had finally got the obi the right tightness, turning to give myself a once-over in the mirror.

"Time to go, sweetheart!"

"Coming!" I responded, shoving my phone in the sleeve and chasing the call out.

Stepping off the stairs, I paused when I saw Lambo in a little kimono, the small calf sucking on a lolly as he was cradled in Kaede's arm. The dazed expression on her face made me raise an eyebrow, as I inwardly cringed, recognising the signs.

"You look so much like your father, my little man."

"Haha, not little anymore, kaa-san." I responded with a slightly strained smile, stepping up next to her to show off the head's height in difference.

"Oh hush, you'll always be my baby. Even when you have a walking stick and a bad back." She huffed, waving off my squawk of indignation as she shoved a folded fan into my obi.

"Come along, boys! Let's not keep Nana-chan and the other's waiting!"

Taking Lambo from her, I let him crawl up my arm and sit on my shoulder, warning him not to scream too loudly while next to my ear. Closing and locking the door behind us, I fell in step with the lady of the house, listening to her titter on about her first New Years with Yamada, a grimace of a smile on my face.

"We got separated for a bit, but he found me within the hour, so it wasn't too bad!"

"How did you get split?" I asked, wondering if I had missed something somewhere.

"Oh, he said he was going to buy some drinks. He must've gotten lost, considering how big the festival was."

The tilt of my lip dropped slightly. You don't get lost in something you've been attending since you could walk.

"Ah, here we are!" She chirped, dashing in and ringing the doorbell.

"Nana-chan!"

"Kaede-chan!"

I blinked as they hugged each other, looking less like single housewives and more like school girls.

"Daiki-kun! Oh, you look so handsome in your yukata!" Nana cooed, ushering me forwards so she could hug me.

"It's his father's." Kaede commented, making her longtime friend all but swoon.

"I should get Tsuna-kun to wear Iemitsu-kun's yukata too!"

They exchanged smiles before rushing in, claiming the kitchen as their grounds as they began to update each other on their lives and the lives of others.

I rolled my eyes as Kaede began to tell Nana something she had heard from Kiyoko-baa-chan, who had heard from Azami-san, who had heard from her neighbour, who had heard from her daughter, and so forth.

Toeing off my shoes, I stepped into the hall before ducking into the living room, waving half-heartedly at the three laying figures beneath the kotatsu.

"Good morning, Bianchi-san, Reborn-san, I-pin-chan." I greeted, taking a seat off to the side.

"Good morning, Yamaguchi-san." Bianchi hummed, offering me a box that was left over.

Over the terms, Bianchi and I had actually gotten pretty well acquainted with one another. We weren't _friends_ , but we shared the common interest of cooking, and let me tell you, Poison Scorpion Bianchi is an _amazing_ chef. Her cakes were my personal favourite, because, once you got past the poison, they were _delicious_. Always so soft and moist, it was almost ridiculous!

Sure, I had to keep my Sun Flames in constant activation when eating her dishes but that was a price I was willing to pay.

Giving the osechi a once over, I accepted it once I saw no hostile ingredients in this dish.

"Thank you."

"No worries. Nice yukata." She responded, turning her head to face me.

"...Thank you."

Obviously feeling my dislike for her last statement, she turned her head back and feel into an open-eyed sleep, just in time for Tsuna to open the door.

"Ah, it's so cold-huh?!" He stumbled, pausing as he took in the scene before him.

"What's this? The Three Days are about to be over and you're just rolling around?"

"We're full. Go somewhere else."

"That's because you're taking up two spaces! Open one up, I wanna have breakfast."

His eyes trailed over the decimation that was the table, his face falling as he realised the fate of the food.

"You ate it _all_!?"

"Reborn-kun ate it all." Bianchi corrected, lifting her head slightly.

"Well, what am I supposed to do now?"

"There's still some left." She offered, presenting the young Vongola with a box of purple, fuming goods.

"Some that I made. Enjoy."

"I'm not going to eat that and die at the beginning of the year!"

A loud sigh left me, making the young Vongola snap his head around, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Y-Y-Yamaguchi-san!?"

"Good morning, Sawada-san."

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Why!?

Why is Yamaguchi here!?

"Good morning, Sawada-san." The older boy greeted, withdrawing his chopsticks from his lips.

"G-good morning." The young Vongola squeaked out, looking ready to take a step back in caution.

Tsuna froze as a loud noise rang through the room, vibration ringing through his body as everyone slowly turned their heads to face him. His face flushed red as he tried to remember if the Mafia in his house had given him enough leniency to allow him to get to his dinner last night, his shoulders sagging when a negatory came to mind.

"Come, sit here Sawada-san."

The young Vongola turned at the call, blinking when he saw Yamaguchi tapping the ground beside him.

"Huh?"

"Sawada-san." He said again, his voice more clipped and warning.

"Y-yes!" Tsuna squeaked, dropping down on his knees next to him.

"Here, eat this. I've already had my breakfast for today." The blue haired boy breathed, handing his junior the osechi box.

"Thanks." The young Sky breathed, taking the box in his hands before pausing.

The chopsticks...Yamaguchi used these chopsticks!

His head snapped to the side to see the elder boy, wide eyes watching as he fiddled with his phone nonchalantly. He was obviously in a lot less distress about the situation as compared to Tsuna, the young Vongola clutching the wooden sticks tightly.

"Ah..." He gulped, wondering if he should bring it up.

"If you don't want it, I'll take it back."

"No! No, It's just-" His throat caught against his will, something stopping him from continuing the sentence.

"Nevermind, I'll eat!"

Taking a dramatic breath, Tsuna pinched some rice with the Yamaguchi Chopsticks and shoved them in his mouth.

 _"An indirect kiss."_

Oh my God!

"Ah, Reborn-san, welcome back to the waking world." The blue haired second year greeted, waving slightly.

"And what's this about an indirect kiss?"

No! _Hush_! Say _nothing_ , Reborn!

"Nothing.

Oh, thank the Lord.

"Speaking of Japanese New Years-"

"We weren't speaking about Japanese New Year's." Yamaguchi commented.

"We have to do that!"

"You're going to do something that will put Sawada-san through the grinder again, aren't you." The blue haired boy sighed, rubbing his face.

"Oh? Whatever made you think of that?" The baby hitman asked a gleam in his eye.

"I have absolutely _no_ idea." Tsuna's upperclassman exclaimed, rolling his amber-earth eyes.

"By 'that', do you mean..." Bianchi asked, sitting up.

"Yeah, I mean..."

Tsuna glanced up at Yamaguchi, biting his tongue when he saw the sheer deadpan that painted his face.

"Really? Are they _really_ doing- Jesus Christ." He sighed, placing his hand over his face.

"Ah, Yamaguchi-san, I don't mean to be rude, but why are you here?" The young Vongola asked, working up some courage.

"Hm? Oh," The older boy looked down at the shorter before responding. "Apparently you called me and the others here, but I think that it was Reborn-san who masterminded this whole shenanigan. I hope you're ready for it."

"Haha, I hope I am too." The young Sky laughed pathetically, his sentence dying down.

"Keep eating, Sawada-san, you'll need the energy." He instructed, guiding the younger's hand slightly.

"O-oh, yeah!"

Oh God, if he realises, I'm dead!

"Is something wrong? You're eating it quite slowly." The older boy asked, leaning slightly to look at the box in Tsuna's hands.

"No, no! Nothing is wrong!" The Decimo squeaked, freezing up rather than moving away.

"Let me try." Yamaguchi breathed, reaching out and taking the wooden utensils from littler hands.

A barely auditable choke left the young Vongola as the elder boy fed himself, holding the ends of the sticks in his mouth as he pondered the flavours.

"It's fine, eat." He declared, handing back the chopsticks to the frozen teen.

"I-i-i-"

"What?"

Indirect kiss!

"I will!" The young Vongola managed out, replacing the rice packed ends in his mouth.

I'm gonna die young, I know I am!

Looking up at the elder boy out of the corner of his eye, the small Decimo took the chance to analyze his house guest.

He looked...really nice in traditional clothing.

Tsuna chewed on the sticks of wood in his mouth as he fought down a flush, letting his eyes trail down the clothing of various shades of grey. Yamaguchi's hand was quietly tapping away at his phone, the other resting on his knee, legs folded under him politely. Straight back and squared shoulders made him seem larger than he perhaps actually was, forcing the young Vongola to tilt his head back slightly when addressing him.

The sudden snapping of the elder's head yanked Tsuna from his musing, the alert expression setting him on guard as amber-earth eyes seemed to look through the walls of his home.

"Is something wrong, Yamaguchi-san?" He asked carefully, watching him as bright orbs darted around.

"...Lambo-kun's doing something stupid again. Pardon me, Sawada-san." The baker's son excused himself, standing and briskly walking out of the room.

"A-ah, I'll come with you! Wait up!" Tsuna called, scrambling to his feet and chasing after the larger boy.

Falling in step with Yamaguchi, Tsuna glanced up at him, finding his expression pulled into one of careful neutrality, but his eyes were snapping around as if taking in details that evaded the young Vongola's own.

"He's gathering quite the crowd." He hummed, grabbing the handle of the front door and swinging it open.

"Hahahaha! Lambo-san will take those otoshi-damas!" The little calf exclaimed loudly, drawing attention to himself.

Oh God!

Tsuna felt the dreadful stabbing of embarrassment when he saw the toddler standing on his wall, screaming at passersby for money.

"Oh no you don't." The familiar bass of Yamaguchi's voice sounded, drawing him out of his pain.

"Lambo-kun, that's enough."

The elder boy strided forwards, plucking the child away from his latest hussle and apologised to the couple, a certain grace to his actions that made both of them flush.

"Oh, it's no trouble!"

"Yes, yes! It's to be expected of children this time of year!"

"Thank you, kindly." He smiled, before gesturing for Lambo to apologise.

"Hmph," The child pouted, before conceding. "Lambo-san's sorry for yelling at you."

The blue haired boy then turned the child in his hands, giving him a quiet scolding as he moved them back into the house, leaving the young Sawada standing out in his front garden, staring blankly at the place he once occupied.

"Tsuna-kun! Come back in, you need to get dressed!" His mother called, waving at him from the door.

"Dressed?" He asked, jogging over to her.

"Well yes! You saw Kaede-chan and Daiki-kun's clothes! They're all dressed up, so we should too!"

The young Vongola Decimo let out a squawk of surprise as his mother grabbed him and towed the two of them up the stairs, calling for their two house guest to follow.

" _Kaa-san, what are we doing exactly?"_ He heard Yamaguchi ask.

" _We're going to help Nana-chan and Tsuna-kun get changed into their kimono and yukata!"_

" _Pardon me- What?"_

"Daiki-kun, help Tsuna-kun into his yukata! Heaven know's the last time he wore one!" The lady Sawada ordered, all but pushing the two boys into the young Sky's room before bolting with her high school friend.

Silence flooded the room as the door clicked shut, leaving the boys alone with each other. Tsuna fidgeted unsurely, glancing around his room, more often than not, bringing his attention back to the taller teen beside him.

"A-ah-"

"Where is it?" Yamaguchi suddenly asked, cutting him off.

"It?"

"Your yukata. Where is it?" He repeated, looking down at the young Vongola out of the corner of his eye.

"O-oh! It's on the top...shelf..." Tsuna trailed off, a flash of dread hitting him.

The top shelf. The one he couldn't reach, being as vertically challenged as he was.

"Can you go get it?"

"..." A flush hit the smaller boy's face as he shifted his weight.

"What was that?"

"I can't...reach it."

Silence again reigned in the room, making the young Sky look up from his feet to see Yamaguchi's face smoothed into one of mild amusement, a faint raise of his halved eyebrow making Tsuna want to stomp his foot in indignation.

"Okay then, show me where I'm going." He breathed, gesturing to the room's space.

Pouting slightly, the young Decimo led the larger boy to the shelf, pointing up at the cloth that evaded him, even when he gave an experimental jump.

"The...orange one?" He asked, pausing when he saw the colour.

"...Yeah."

"Careful, you sound like you're whining, Little Fish." The blue haired boy chuckled, reaching over the smaller to grab the clothes.

Tsuna's head snapped up when he heard the title, stalling when he came face to face with Yamaguchi's stomach as he stretched to reach up. From what the little Sky could tell, the elder boy hadn't realised that he had just used the time old nickname, making a mixture of relief and disappointment slither through his mind.

"Okay, here we go. Can you do this on your own?"

"Ah..." When was the last time he had put one of these on?

"I'll take that as a 'no', then." The blue haired Sun sighed, guiding the Sky to the centre of the room.

Tsuna stood, unsure of what he was expected to do, glancing around and grimacing at the mess that was his room.

"Well?" Yamaguchi hummed, still holding the cloth.

"Huh?"

"You gonna undress, or what?"

"Huh!?"

Whoa-What!? Undress in front of _Yamaguchi_!?

As if sensing his distress, the older boy rolled his eyes and gave a loud sigh, shaking his head.

"Sawada-san, it's nothing I haven't seen before, trust me. I hardly care about what you have under those clothes."

...Ouch. That hurt more than he expected it to.

"And besides, you're not taking your underpants off, so nothing essential is going to be seen."

With his pride a bit bruised, the young Sky pulled the light blue hoodie over his head and dumped it on his bed, removing his pants next. Fiddling with his hands in front of his chest, he glanced up at Yamaguchi, breath hitching when he saw amber-earth eyes focussing on his bare body.

"Okay, now, let's get started." He hummed, stepping forwards.

Tsuna let the elder boy manipulate his body into the traditional clothing, following the instructions given to him immediately, brain too muddled to do anything else.

"Can you hold this here, Little Fish?" He asked, pinching the two parts of the yukata itself.

"A-ah, sure." The young Sky answered, grabbing the material.

13.

That was the thirteenth time they had made skin on skin contact through this activity. Every time, Tsuna's heart would hit a pothole and bounce around uncontrollably for a few seconds, leaving him shaken and the air in his lungs thin.

"Alright, now for the obi." Yamaguchi muttered, dropping onto his knees in front of the smaller male.

It took all the self discipline that Tsuna did not have to stop himself from stepping back in surprise, large hands coming to pull him closer after a moment of fiddling with the material in them. His body was jostled gently as the sash was tied, the occasional "too tight?" tossed in his direction, which he'd answer with a negatory.

"Kay, all done. Let's go show your mother." The taller boy hummed, looking up at the Sky from his knees.

"Sure." Tsuna breathed, still dazed from the whole experience.

As they padded down the hall, the young Sky glanced up at his older companion, fixing his body to mimic that of the young Yamaguchi's.

"Kaa-san, we're done!" The Sun called, stepping into the living room where the two mothers were fussing over accessories.

"Oh, Tsuna-kun!"

"Waa! So handsome!"

Tsuna pretended not to notice Yamaguchi bring his sleeve to his mouth to cover the quiet snickers that fell from it as the two women circled him. The young Vongola jumped when he felt a hand come down on his shoulder, forcing him to stand straight.

"Spine straight, shoulders back. You look good in this, wear it well." He felt whispered into his ear, warm breath moving around his neck.

Following the hushed instructions, the young Sky moved, tucking his hands in his sleeves and opening his shoulders. He felt himself flush when his mother beamed with pride, something he hadn't seen in a long time.

The doorbell going off brought the four people out of their musing, the lady of the Sawada house calling down the hall as she and her friend went to answer it.

Almost immediately, Tsuna's attention was turned to Yamaguchi as he stepped up in front of the younger boy, reaching out and fixing little things with the Decimo's appearance. The Sky held down a shiver as he tried to smooth out fluffy hair by running his fingers through, repeating the action multiple times when only little ground was made. A hum of dissatisfaction left the taller boy as he bent his knees to see from eyeline with the Vongola heir, frowning when he saw no change.

Tsuna bit his tongue when he noticed how close their faces were, dropping his gaze to the floor in hopes the warmth in his cheeks would die down.

"Well, that seems like the best I can do for that fluffy mess." He sighed, reaching out and tucking a tuft behind the Sky's ear absentmindedly.

"Sorry," The young Decimo laughed quietly. "My hair's always been a bit of a trouble."

The Sky flushed happily as the two shared a smile, slight laughs leaving them.

"You two! Come say hello!" The Decimo's mother called, drawing their attention.

"Ah, coming!" He called, glancing back at his older companion.

Another wave of heat hit him as he was flashed another smile, before the young Sky found himself gently pushed forwards towards the doors. Tsuna felt his jaw unhinge when he witnessed their latest arrival, the sight of one Sasagawa Kyoko decked out in a pale pink kimono too much for his already flustered mind to handle.

His heart stumbled in its beating when her face lit up, polite smile widening in joy. A rush of glee hit him as his crush took steps towards him, arms out for what could very well be a hug.

"Ki-nii!" She cheered, wrapping her arms around the elder boy's neck.

What...?

God damn it! That's not fair!

Tsuna openly pouted at the scene of the two people hugging, Kyoko's sunny smile pointed up at Yamaguchi as he gently brushed his fingertips over the ornament in her hair.

"Ah, Tsuna-kun! Happy New Year's!" She cooed from within their upperclassman's hug, bowing her head as well as she could.

"Happy New Year." He breathed, a bit of glee coming back as she turned her attention to him.

The young Vongola fought down the desire to puff his cheek out childishly when the blue haired boy raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nii-san said that this would be the first time he's come over to your house! He's really excited!"

"Don't you mean 'extremely'?" Yamaguchi laughed, making Kyoko giggle.

"Oh, I see." Tsuna hummed, before yelping in surprise. "Nii-san!?"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Oh God, my ears.

The young Vongola shrunk down as the elder Sasagawa boomed out his new year's resolution, only turning his attention away when Yamaguchi threw his arm over the other's neck in greeting.

"Tenth! Happy New Year!"

Oh no, there's more.

"Tsuna-san, happy New Years."

"Yo, Tsuna-san!"

The Sky openly gaped at the array of people surrounding him, his mind already settling on the mastermind of the whole event.

Reborn, when I get my hands on you- I'll probably be able to do nothing...God damn.

A movement caught his attention, making him look to it through the animatedly chatting crowd.

Yamaguchi didn't look pleased.

He was scanning the crowd with an expression of dislike layered with thin panic, his hands were clenching by his sides as he shot the door of the Sawada house venomous looks.

The whole gang's here.

Tsuna looked back to the tallest member.

Including Yamaguchi Daiki...

God damn it, Reborn.

 **|S.T|**

* * *

God damn it, Reborn.

I tried my best to hold back the scowl that threatened to bloom forth instead turning my attention to the fast approaching Rain, a loud call of greeting leaving him as he all but jumped on me.

"Happy New Year, shujin-kun!" He laughed, letting his legs drop back to the ground as I straightened back up.

"Argh, happy New Years, Takeshi-kun, everyone." I sighed, bringing on arm up to wrap around his waist to support the young Yamamoto as he rocked a bit on his feet.

"Hahi!? Shujin-kun!?" Haru yelped, staring at us with wide eyes.

"Oh yeah, Haru-chan doesn't know you yet does she? Haru-chan, this is Yamaguchi Daiki, my fiance!" Takeshi laughed, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Actually, Takeshi-kun, I already am acquainted with Haru-san. She's a regular at the bakery." I corrected, smiling when he flushed a little.

"Ah, we'll that's great!"

"So, Tsuna-san, did you call us all here to play?" The Rain asked, leaning back against me to look at the confused Sky.

"A-ah, I don't recall inviting anyone for New Years." He tried, looking lost and scared.

A slight tilt came to my lip and my grip on the young Yamamoto's waist tightened as the ground shook and split, revealing a cosplayed Reborn sitting on a raising pillar.

"Reborn-san, what convenient timing! Almost as if you were sitting under there for the past five minutes, waiting for your cue!" I laughed, finding a certain pleasure as Tsuna choked on his spit.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Yamaguchi-san." The baby hitman hummed, waving his little green fan at me warningly.

"I see you're all assembled." He then said, turning to the rest of the group. "Good, because we're about to begin the official Vongola Ceremonial Family New Year's Battle."

This...This is familiar.

A frown touched my face as Tsuna stepped forth to ask what the hell the baby was going on about.

If it's familiar, then I'm guessing that I don't want to be around for it.

"Hey, your opponents are here."

Shit.

We all turned to the incoming party, instantly recognising the suited men and their blond leader, riding in on a truck that had seen some shit.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! Everyone, hop on!" Dino called, waving his hand.

As the car came to a halt beside us, I took steps back to show I wasn't part of the attending party, pointedly ignoring the look Takeshi sent me when I released my hold on him.

"Ah, Yamaguchi-san, was it?" The blond boss asked when he noticed our exchange.

"Yes, that's me. Dino of the Cavallone, correct?"

"Yep. Are you gonna get on?" He asked, throwing a thumb over his shoulder.

"Hm, I don't thi-Shit!"

I gave a yelp of surprise as Ryohei reached out and yanked me in, a laugh leaving him as he slammed his hand down on my back good-naturedly.

"C'mon Daiki-kun! It'll be EXTREMELY fun!"

"Sometimes, Ryohei-kun, I hate you." I sighed, pulling myself to my feet.

"A-ah, if you really don't want to come..." Tsuna started, only to be cut off by my sigh.

"It's fine, we're already moving and I'm already here. I just _won't_ participate." I pointed the last part at the baby hitman, making sure he heard me above the wind and engine.

From his smile, however, I don't think he gave a damn.

 **...**

As we split into two groups by the river, I made sure to keep some space between myself and the rest of the Vongola party. My efforts, however, were thwarted when Takeshi noticed the distance, closing it instantly and seating himself in my crossed legs. The ruckus he produced, called the attention of the others, drawing them over and once again, making us a unit.

God damn it, Takeshi.

"So, this is your Family." Dino hummed, looking at each of us.

"I see there are some new faces. This year's official Vongola Ceremonial Battle will be interesting."

Why is the name so long? Can't they abbreviate it? Make an acronym, or something? VFB doesn't sound too bad.

"Question!" Tsuna called, raising his hand slightly. "What is the Vongola Battle?"

See? There we go, Vongola Battle, nice and short.

"It's a battle between allied families, a Vongola tradition which shows each other's enthusiasm for the new year. A representative from each Family will compete in New Year's themed events to win points for the overall win."

"Ah," I breathed quietly, memory clicking in place of this particular episode.

"Oh, it's just a game!" The Vongola Sky breathed, a part of him looking unconvinced.

"Yes, but the losing Family has to pay a 100 million yen fine."

 **...**

"Well, that escalated quickly."

In my lap, Takeshi let out a loud laugh, closely followed by Ryohei, the two of them leaning on me as they continued on.

"Oh shit," I said, looking between them then up at the standing Mafia. "I said that aloud didn't I? Sorry, 'bout that."

"It can't be helped," Reborn shrugged. "It's tradition."

"Which Boss thought of that?!" Tsuna whined, slinking over to squat beside his heaving Rain.

"Okay, okay you two. That's enough, it wasn't that funny." I sighed, patting the Rain's cheek slightly.

"100 million yen sounds nice, even if it were just a dream." Kyoko giggled to her female friend, sparking Haru's own call of enthusiasm.

"They all think it's a game." Tsuna sighed, making me almost feel sorry for him.

 _Almost_ , not quite, though.

"Don't worry, just have fun. Even _you_ do your best when you enjoy something." I tried, resting my hand on his slumped shoulder.

His eyes brightened with his smile, the Sky looking hopeful for a moment, before it all dropped into a suspicious, narrow-eyed expression.

"What do you mean, 'even you'?"

"Exactly how it sounds, Little Fish. Now, go stand with Reborn-san, you're starting."

"Ah! God!" He yelped, jumping up and dashing back to the podium.

"You and Tsuna-san seem to be getting along, now."

Looking down, I let a small smile come to my face when I saw the puff of Takeshi's cheek, a miffed expression on his face.

"He's fun to get a reaction out of, sometimes." Came my answer, hand coming to gently knead behind his ear.

Blowing his cheek further, the young Rain burrowed his nose into my shoulder, grabbing my free hand in his own. Smiling a bit more, I gently pressed a kiss to the exposed nape of his neck, giving a quiet laugh when he jumped.

"First kiss of the New Year." I mumbled, feeling him smile into my shoulder.

Jesus, if I knew I'd become such a sucker...

"We'll begin. I'm the judge." Reborn declared, waving his fan.

"Win or lose, no grudges, Tsuna-san." Dino hummed, looking all too ready to take on the dazed looking Sky.

"Why did this happen?" He whimpered, turning away from the cocky look.

I blinked when Reborn reached behind him, pulling out a large shell horn out of the hammerspace that seemed to follow him around.

"The first round is fortune slips!"

"Fortune...slips." Tsuna said slowly, looking at the baby hitman.

"That's right, over there." He answered, gesturing to the river.

The rest of the attending people followed the green fan, varying expressions coming into play when a crocodile surfaced from the water.

For those who did not understand, let me repeat. A _crocodile_.  
Like, full on, crikey mate, Steve Irwin would have tackled it, crocodile.

"Sure. Why not? When you have the money and the damn, why not just import a Fortune Slip Crocodile from the waters of Italy. I mean, it's only natural."

"You're really not having any of this, are you?" Takeshi hummed, looking up at me.

"What are you talking about? This is completely normal, Reborn-san is a completely normal individual, what, with his shapeshifting lizard-"

"Leon-kun is a chameleon, thank you."

"-Chameleon, sorry. This isn't strange at all. I have no reason to be shocked or confused by what is taking place- and you have no reason to be laughing at me, Sasagawa Kyoko."

The dainty girl continued to giggle hysterically into her sleeve, pausing only when Haru gently pat her on the back.

"Sorry Ki-nii, it's just, I haven't seen you this miffed since you kept dying in Nii-san's game!"

"That mushroom thing was a _menace_. It didn't die, no matter how many times I shot it." I scowled, pushing Ryohei over when he let out a chuckle.

"Go on, sunspot, grab your team a bunch a luck."

"EXTREME! Leave it to me!" He roared, getting to his feet and interrupting the exchange between the Vongola Sky and Reborn.

"So, you're terrible at first person shooter games."

"Hush, Takeshi-kun."

"I don't believe in fortune slips! Because you chose your own destiny!" Ryohei roared, sending his fist into the croc's open mouth.

I managed to keep my face blank as the animal's jaws came down on the Sun's arm too gently to do real damage to human flesh.

Good lad.

"EXTREME!"

Ow. That...That looked like it hurt the crocodile.

"My teeth hurt." I mumbled, rubbing my jaw as the flecks of calcium stabbed the sand.

"Why so many slips?" The young Vongola Decimo asked, Ryohei slamming down the fistful of fortunes.

"My goal is to get as many points as possible." He stated, looking confident in his decision.

Reborn fanned them out and held them up to read, a blank expression on his face.

"Very bad fortune. Very bad fortune. Very bad fortune. Bad fortune. Very bad fortune. Very bad fortune. Very bad fortune. Bad fortune." He listed, lowering eight of the nine fortunes.

"Very good fortune."

Smiles lit up the faces of the Vongola team, the last fortune being the turning point.

"Negative 14 points."

...Or not.

"Yay Ryohei-kun, you got a good one." I smiled, clapping against Takeshi's hand since my other was occupied.

"Next Cavallone."

Dino simply looked to his right hand, the moustached man nodding and walking to the fortune crocodile. The animal opened its mouth easily, allowing the man to take the slip, handing it over to the day's judge.

"Better fortune. 1 point." The hitman hummed, before turning to the masses.

"1 point versus negative 14."

Well then, could be worse, I suppose.

"Japanese Battledore is next!"

By the Lord-!

I stared openly at the large, metal bat that had impaled the solid ground, pursing my lips as I withheld my comments.

"Ooh, my turn!" Takeshi cheered, freeing himself from his little cradle and taking up the paddle.

"E-eh?! Yamamoto-kun, can you lift that!?" Tsuna yelped, watching as the slab of steel was lifted from the ground.

"Yeah! They're only 50 kilos, right? About the same as the bat I use for swinging practice." He laughed, giving it an experimental swing.

"Takeshi-kun, you be careful with that, remember what I told you." I warned, crossing my arms.

"Yes, yes shujin-kun!"

Ah, the splutters of confusion and shock that left the once stoic, suited men was music to my ears.

"T-ahem!" Dino coughed, thumping his chest.

"Then on our side, _Brutus_!" He called, dropping the suffix to address the Italian man.

 _"Okay, Boss."_

"Don't run away, boy."

Ah, so he can speak Japanese. His accent could use a bit of work, though.

"Game face: activate." Ryohei whispered harshly into my ear, pointing at the young Rain who smirked up at the giant.

"Jesus Christ, Ryohei-kun." I laughed, trying to smother the laugh that left me with my sleeve.

"If you drop the shuttlecock, or knock it outside the court, you lose." Reborn announced, the two proxies getting into their spaces.

"So, it's like badminton." Takeshi hummed, bending his knees in preparation.

"The game will be three points, and the winner will receive 20 points. Let's start."

The cosplaying hitman brought a whistle to his mouth, blowing it to release a long, shrill note.

The Cavallone proxy was the first to serve, easily tossing the 20kg shuttlecock up and smacking it down to the Rain.

"Take tha-Ah!"

Brown eyes widened as the steel ball ricocheted off the paddle, the young Yamamoto obviously not realising just how much strength he'd need to change its course. His hand released the slab of metal, letting it fly back and slam into the ground a hair's width from my folded legs.

Looking up, I raised an eyebrow at him, meeting panicked eyes as they slowly calmed, instead, falling to sheepish as he threw an apology to me.

"Sorry, shujin-kun!"

"That could have ended badly, be careful." I hummed, plucking it from the ground.

50 kilo's hey?

I flipped it in my hand, getting a feel for the paddle, before tossing it one-handedly at the batsman. He stumbled as he caught it, wrapping two lithe hands around the handle and jogging back to his square.

Resting my jaw on my hand, I continued to watch, snickering at Tsuna's expense as his face was inked by his home tutor. The gasp of effort and the sound of metal striking metal tore my attention from the comical scene, Takeshi's body hitting the ground and sliding up beside me.

"Shit, you okay? That looked like it hurt." I asked, sneaking some Sun Flames into him as I helped him to his knees.

"Yeah, thanks." He grinned, no doubt feeling the rush of warmth that came with the healing.

"Alright! This is getting fun!"

Of course, it is.

I sighed as he ran back into the court, hollering reassurance at the Vongola party.

"Baseball get's really exciting after two strikes."

Oh, shit! Takeshi, this isn't baseball!

"The shuttle look's like it's standing-!"

"Shujin-kun! Do _not_ home run!" I shouted, letting the title slip through.

The Vongola party let out yells of success as the shuttle buried itself in the far corner of the Cavallone court, winning them their first point.

"Shit, did I just call Takeshi-kun 'shujin'?" Came my mutter, bringing my hand to my mouth in surprise.

"2 to 1, Cavallone wins." Reborn announced, making any happiness they felt, drop in a second.

"Shujin-kun!"

"Gah!" I yelped, falling back as the young Rain caught me in the stomach.

"You called me 'husband'! For the first time!"

"W-well, New Years and all. The time for new starts, they say." I laughed pathetically, heaving as he tried to strangle me with a hug.

"Vongola Family: negative fourteen points. Cavallone Family: 21 points."

"Wow, that's a full 35 points. Have fun getting tha-Mmph!"

"Baseball freak! Stop kissing the fucking giant and apologise to the Tenth!" Gokudera yelled, waving his fist at us from above.

"A-ah, Gokudera-kun, I think you should leave them alone." Tsuna laughed awkwardly, pulling his raised arm down.

"The next battle is over carta!" Reborn declared, waving his fan as suited men laid out the game.

"Takeshi-kun, get off me." I grunted, patting him on the back as he continued to nuzzle my shoulder.

"Don't wanna."

"If you don't, I'll get Ryohei-kun do drop on both of us. You'll be crushed."

"I'll be crushed onto you, that's a win in my books."

I rolled my eyes, giving up on trying to rid myself of the partner, instead focusing my energy on sitting back up, allowing the Rain to straddle my lap.

"Turn around at least, so you can watch the games."

I felt him pout, before he manoeuvred himself to rest his back against my chest, grabbing my hands and entwining his fingers with mine with practised ease, much better than compared to when he first tried.

"I'm gonna do my best, Tsuna-san!" Haru called, smiling brightly up at the Sky.

"O-okay."

Jeez, Tsuna, try to reign in your excitement, why don't ya.

"I'll be reading the cards, if you win, it'll be 30 points."

"Let's do it!"

"Before we start, let's have a drink of tea."

"What?!"

Oh God.

I rolled my eyes as the wait began, turning my attention to the Rain sitting in my lap to pass the time. Dropping my chin on his shoulder, I began to fiddle with the smaller hands in my own, absentmindedly tracing the lines on his palms.

"So, what's your New Year's resolution?" I hummed quietly, the atmosphere feeling like one that needed as little noise as possible.

"Hm..." He thought, leaning back further. "To finally use tongue with you."

"..."

I blinked slowly at the sly grin on the batter's face, before noticing his slight lean and flicking him on the nose.

"You're gonna grow up to be like Shamal-sensei at this rate, shujin-kun."

Biting back laughter, I watched the young Rain bounce in glee at the title, a faint red hue coming to his cheeks.

"Could you two please stop, you're making me sick." Gokudera scowled, glaring down at us.

"Aw, you're just jealous, Gokudera-kun." Takeshi laughed, smiling at the Storm.

"Why would I be jealous of you and the fucking giant!?"

"Okay, let's start." Reborn announced, cutting into the exchange.

"Ugh-Ah!" Haru exclaimed, falling forwards into the cards.

"It's no use! My legs fell asleep!"

"Vongola, one member out." The Sun Arcobaleno hummed, watching Haru crawl from the carpet.

"Damn it! Hey, Lambo-kun, I-pin-chan! If you lose, I won't let you off easy!" The young Storm warned, leaning towards the infants.

"I think you struck a nerve." I hummed to the Rain, bringing a hand to fiddle with my earlobe.

"Oh, did I?" He replied, sinking into my lap, allowing me to see over his head.

"Most likely, you saw the way he responded to your jab."

"You think he's actually jealous?" The Rain asked, looking up at me, the top of his head pressing against my sternum.

"Hm, maybe. But you _have_ always been popular."

"Well, that's too bad then isn't it, I've already been claimed." He laughed, reaching up to thread his hand into my hair.

"Eh, did I claim you? I recall you suddenly declaring me yours."

"When did I ever do that?" He asked sarcastically, free hand moving in a theatrical manner.

"11:45pm on the 28th of April, six years ago." I answered easily.

"Wow," He muttered. "You actually remembered that?"

"Yeah," I shrugged. "'Cause, why not?"

"Aw, you're so cute!"

We turned our attention to the call, sheepish smiles coming to our faces as Kyoko gushed at us, a faint flush on her fair face.

I looked up as an explosion went off, the visage of Lambo flying off into the stratosphere greeting me.

"So, that leaves I-pin-chan, then." Came my hum, looking down at the small child.

"I'm sorry. I-pin-chan is not good at reading hiragana."

Never mind, then.

"Cavallone Family: 51 points. Vongola Family: negative 14 points."

"What do we do? At this rate, we'll really lose!" Tsuna whimpered, looking paler than he usually was.

"I'll go next."

I paused and looked at Tsuna's face, biting my tongue when I finally scanned it.

How did I not notice that face before? Oh my God, Tsuna!

Letting out hissed breaths of laughter, I dropped my forehead onto the Rain's shoulder, my own shaking as I tried to reign myself back in.

"I will definitely reverse the situation and meet your expectations."

"I'm counting on you, Gokudera-kun." He responded, only a little done with the situation handed to him.

"Leave it to me!"

 **...**

"Well..done?" I tried, turning my head and squinting slightly.

"I'm sorry. I lost."

"And you lost in such an odd way!"

I gave the Storm a slight smile as he dropped down beside us, looking put out after his failure.

"Cavallone Family: 81 points. Vongola Family: negative 14 points."

"Ah, it's no good! At this rate, I'll be 100 million yen in debt!" Tsuna cried, drawing his family and I towards him as he fell to his knees dramatically.

"I'm sorry Tenth, it's because we're all so worthless." Gokudera apologised, looking rather distraught.

"No problem, the real fight starts now." Ryohei hummed, looking sagely.

"That's right! We should hit a come-from-behind, game-winning homerun!"

"Okay." The young Sky breathed, looking only slightly hopeless now.

Reborn turned his head to the kneeling Vongola, flashing him the gleam in his eye that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"We have one more game. A test of strength. The person will have to plank for as long as they can, with two, 100-kilo slabs of concrete on their backs. The one who stays for the longest will win."

I blinked.

That sounds neither New Years like, nor Japanese-ey.

"Test of strength? Who do we have left to go?" Tsuna asked, turning back to the group.

There was silence for a moment, before eight sets of eyes fell on me, each their own level and version of pleading.

"I'm not participating."

"Please, Yamaguchi-san! I don't want to have to work for my whole life!"

"You're Japanese, you'll have to anyway! And besides, one game isn't worth enough to win the whole thing!" I responded, trying to pry the Sky off me.

"It is worth 95 poin-"

"That is complete and utter _bullshit_ , and you know it." I scowled, pointing at the passive baby as he looked off towards the river.

"95 points!? That'll make us tie!" Gokudera cheered, before rounding on me as I continued to try and shake off the young Vongola.

"You have to do this, fucking giant!"

"Say's who?"

"C'mon shujin-kun, it'll be fun!"

"EXTREME DAIKI-KUN! BRING US THE EXTREME VICTORY!"

I let my jaw drop as they psyched each other up, completely disregarding my attempts to evacuate the immediate vicinity, if not, the country.

"If Yamaguchi-san is your pick, then we'll use _Damian_." Dino hummed, turning as his proxy came forth.

I let my face fall deadpan as the brick wall with limbs came stomping towards us, muscles bulging as it nodded in greeting to its boss.

 _"Understood Boss._ I'll crush this brat."

Ooh, English! Haven't heard that in a while.

"Uh huh, great. Well, I'm going home now, bye!" I waved, turning on my heel and preparing to _sprint_.

They seemed to be having none of it, however, as three sets of hands grabbed me from various points and threw me back into the game area.

I glared openly at all who made eye contact with me as I loosened my obi, dropping the tops of my yukata to reveal an undershirt. Pointedly ignoring Takeshi's groan of annoyance, I went into position, threading my fingers together just ahead of my nose.

"We will now place the first slab on."

Bracing my muscles, I took the weight with relative ease, shifting occasionally to fix any discomfort. The bull of a man beside me gave nary a grunt as the second was placed along with mine, making me frown.

"Now, for 95 points, we wait." Reborn hummed, pouring himself another cup of tea.

I hate the Mafia.

 **...**

"How long have they been there?" Tsuna asked, drawing me out of my musing.

"Fifteen minutes." I-pin answered, sitting cross-legged beside the rest of the Vongola Family.

"Ryohei-kun, I'm bored." I called, looking up for the first time since the slabs were placed on me.

"Hm, let's play Fly Trap." He hummed, laying in front of me, offering his finger to my hands.

Releasing my fingers, I waited for him to bring the pointer closer, slapping my hands shut in attempts to catch the digit.

"Too slow."

"Shut it, sunshine."

Being the simple people we were, this entertained us for a good long while. The rest of the Vongola unit came forwards to watch the minigame between us, quietly observing as I caught and missed the Sun.

"Okay, we have to stop." I breathed, giving myself another mental boost of energy as I threaded my fingers back again.

"H-h-heh! Is the l-little boy getting tired!" The man next to me panted, his arms shaking.

"You're in an arguably worse situation than I am, sir." I responded, watching my hands.

"L-like hell! Do you even lift!?"

"Yes, roughly 300 kilos every morning for the past 9 years. And you?"

The wide-eyed expression I caught out of the corner of my eye was more than satisfying as I heard the man scramble for a good response, the sounds of my schoolmates laughing at his expense forcing a smile out of me.

 _"Fuck you, kid."_ He scowled, the English words coming out.

 _"I'd rather you didn't."_ I hummed lightly, responding to my mother language with ease.

There were three things that followed that exchange. First the sounds of the wall-man choking on his spit, then, the heavy _'boom'_ of 200kgs worth of solid concrete hitting the ground, and finally, the Vongola's cheers of relief as Reborn blew the whistle.

"Shujin-kun! You won!" Takeshi hollered, dropping down next to me.

"That's great and all, but get this thing off me! I'm about to die!" I heaved, the only thing keeping me up was the dislike for my opponent.

"Okay! Ryohei-kun, help me out!"

A loud breath of relief left me as I dropped without the weight, rolling my shoulders and doing all the stretches I could while laying on the floor face first.

"Yeah, that's all from me. I'm _done_ for the day." I sighed, letting my fellow Sun pick me up off the ground and wrap me in a bone breaking hug.

"YOU BROUGHT US AN EXTREME VICTORY!"

"Cavallone Family: 81 points. Vongola Family: 81 points." Reborn announced, waving his Leon fan as his eyes gleamed.

"Vongola and Cavallone tie."

Ah...this...wasn't supposed to happen, was it?

Oh, whatever, it's just a filler episode anyway. I just wanna go to sleep.

"Wow, that's some serious manpower you've got there, Tsuna-kun." Dino laughed, strolling up to us.

"Ha-aha, yeah." The Sky laughed nervously, glancing back at me.

"300 kilos, you said, right? Man, your dad must be a monster!"

My eyes narrowed slightly, Ryohei tensing up beside me as Takeshi and Kyoko stepped up from behind.

"I wouldn't know, haven't seen my father in quite a while. From memory, however, I can guess that he wasn't part of the equation." I hummed, clipping my tone to show explicit hostility to shut the conversation down.

"Oh? Well, my apologies." He smiled, looking all too pleased with himself.

 **...**

I sighed as I turned the page of the thick book I was reading, closing it when I decided that I wasn't going to take in anymore knowledge that night. Tossing it to the foot of my bed, I turned my attention to the window, blinking when a bird shot past.

Ah, yeah. I should do that.

Reaching for my bedside table, I grabbed my phone, flipping it open and selecting the number I wanted.

 _To: Cloud_

 _Happy New Years, birdy._

There was a pause, then a buzz.

 _From: Cloud_

 _Happy New Years, handler._

A slight smile touched my face as I closed the device, leaning back against the headboard.

Almost 16. Almost 16 years of being Yamaguchi Daiki.

* * *

"Uh, hello?" I yawned, laying back down in my bed as I balanced my phone on the side of my head.

" _Shujin-kun! Let's go on a date!"_

"Hm, okay, sure. Where to, Takeshi-kun?"

" _The zoo! It'll be fun! Reborn-san's already got us tickets, isn't that cool!"_

"Okay, when should I come pick you up?"

" _In half an hour! The park's only just opened, so we wanna get in before the crowd strikes up."_

"Will do, see you then."

" _Kay, love you!_ "

"Yep, love you too."

I blinked sleepily at the far wall as my phone slid down my face, the talking jostling it off balance. It was warm in my bed, and the slight condensation on my window was less than inviting.

Half an hour he said, Namimori Animal Park is rougnly a fifteen minute bus drive from the stop down the road from TakeSushi. It's a ten minute walk between the bakery and the sushi restaurant, so that gives me...five minutes to get my ass out of bed, tell Kaede, eat and all that jazz.

I sighed and looked to the clock, my eyes widening and my jaw dropping.

I had spent fifteen minutes working that out…

"Fuck!"

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

He was late.

"Come on Takeshi-kun, give him a break. He's only three minutes late, better than I was when I was dating your mum." Tsuyoshi laughed behind the counter, sending his knife flying easily through a slab of fish.

"But he's late," Takeshi muttered, crossing his arms. "To our first date of the year."

"Wasn't it going with you and the others to the river?"

"It was with the others, it doesn't count."

There was silence for a moment, before the Rain's father put down his knife and looked at him fully, a sober expression on his face.

"Takeshi-kun, I've been wondering," He started, making his son turn to him. "Are you serious, with Daiki-kun? I mean, I hear you go around calling him husband."

"Yep." Takeshi answered easily, smiling at his father without restraint.

"He's even higher on my list than baseball! And guess what? He called me _'shujin-kun'_ at the river!"

The sushi chef watched in silence as his son acted like a schoolgirl with a crush, kicking his long legs as he squealed loudly.

"So, you plan on staying with him?"

"Of course, I plan on staying with him for as long as I live. And after too!"

Despite the jovial laughter in his voice, he meant every word he spoke. The young Rain wouldn't have spent six years refining their relationship if he wasn't serious about being with the older boy. The idea of leaving him hurt more than he'd care to admit to someone other than the source.

"And what will you do if Daiki-kun decides to move on?"

A strike of panic hit the young Yamamoto before worry dulled it down, making him quiet and frown slightly.

What _could_ he do if Daiki decides to end it? As far as he was aware, nothing short of chaining him up, but even then, he'd no doubt be able to free himself, and as a result have a rather strong dislike for the young Rain.

 _"Sorry, I'm late!"_

Both of the Yamamoto men looked up as their subject of conversation burst into the shop, panting from the run he had made.

"Shujin-kun!" The young Rain called, leaping from the bench and wrapping his arms around the elder boy's neck.

"Good morning Takeshi-kun, morning Tsuyoshi-tou-san."

"Morning Daiki-kun, cutting it pretty close today." The chef laughed, leaning against the counter.

"Sorry, Lambo-kun set kaa-san's flowers on fire so I had to put them out." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

The young Rain watched the exchange with a light hearted smile, thoroughly enjoying the way the two men addressed each other.

"Almost your birthday, isn't it? Are you going to have a party? You didn't last year." His father hummed, drawing the youngest out of his musing.

"Yeah, what do you want for your birthday?" Takeshi asked, grabbing hold of the other's hand despite the loud cough that left his father.

"I don-"

"If you say that, I swear to God, I will buy you either a ball gag or a collar." He warned, already anticipating the cursed response.

"Wha- _AHEM_!" Tsuyoshi heaved, thumping his chest as Daiki let out nervous laughter.

"A-ah, don't do that." He tried, looking genuinely frightened as he glanced at the fiery-eyed father.

"Then tell me!"

"Um...We'll figure it out at the Animal Park! Let's go before we miss that bus! Bye, Tsuyoshi-tou-san!" The blue haired boy yelped, gripping his fiance's hand tighter and running out of the shop, closing the door behind them just in time to let a knife thwack against the wood.

"I swear," Daiki sighed as they boarded the crowded bus. "It's like you _want_ your father to kill me."

"Oh, don't be silly. Tou-san loves you!" Takeshi laughed, shifting slightly as someone passed to get off the bus.

"He threw a sushi knife at me."

"Only because he cares."

The Rain laughed as his partner rolled his eyes in exasperation, stepping forwards again as another needed to move to the front doors.

"Jeez, this bus is cramped. I thought you said by taking the early bus, we'd miss the crowds." The taller boy hummed, drawing the smaller closer as another group of people squeezed on.

"I said we'd miss the crowds at the park, never mentioned the way there. Besides, it's not that bad."

The blue haired boy rolled his eyes as his younger partner dropped his head on his shoulder, using him as balance. The Rain hummed slightly when Daiki put one of his earphones in his ear, placing the other in his own, quiet jazz acting as their background music for the bus ride.

"I see you still like to listen to elevator music." He breathed, digging his fingers into the elder boy's arm as the bus came to another jolting halt.

"Oh hush, don't judge my music, I won't judge your's."

"My music is great, thanks."

"You listen to Youtube baseball remixes."

"And they're great."

The young Rain blinked when the smile on the taller boy's face suddenly dropped, amber-earth eyes sharpening as it locked on something just behind his shoulder. His breath hitched when the elder boy turned his attention back to him, tipping his head until their foreheads touched.

"Hey, swap places with me." He whispered quietly, swiping his eyes to the side as if keeping watch on something.

"Huh? Why?"

"No time, swap now." The elder boy responded, placing a hand on his waist and in a surprisingly swift motion, placed Takeshi's back against the door and his own against the crowd.

The Rain's eye too sharpened when he saw his partner's arm disappear behind him, and a man standing just past paling beyond healthy as he tried to pry away his wrist.

"Hands to yourself, isn't that what our teachers always told us?" The taller boy hummed down at the smaller white collar, his smile too sharp to be friendly.

" _We are now in front of Namimori Animal Park. We are now in front of Namimori Animal Park."_ The automated voice crackled, making Daiki release the man.

"C'mon shujin-kun," Takeshi laughed, watching the man splutter. "It's our stop."

"Coming, shujin-kun." He responded, making his partner flush as they stepped off.

"You have to call me that more often, now." The young Rain hummed, linking hands with the other.

"It does seem to make you happy." He commented, handing in their tickets to the girl at the front, who giggled with her co-worker when they spotted the connection.

"Have fun on your date, you two!" They cooed, making Takeshi laugh loudly.

"So, where do want to go first?" Daiki asked, the two of them standing in the lobby as they grabbed a map.

"Hm...Let's go see the bats."

"..."

Takeshi didn't even try to fight down the smile that threatened to tear his face as his fiance slowly turned to him with the most done face he had ever seen.

"What?" He laughed, taking a step back in caution.

"... _Fine_. Let's go see the _bats_ , Takeshi-kun." Daiki smiled, the edges sharp as he grabbed hold of his partner and all but towed him to the nocturnal section.

 **...**

The Rain watched his husband-to-be as the older boy stared down a bat, the night-dwelling creature refusing to respond to its playful companion and instead focus all its wide-eyed attention on the human watching it.

"Daiki-kun? Do...Do you want to move on now?" He asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I will _win_."

"Sure."

...

The bat blinked.

"Ha!" Daiki laughed, standing back straight as the bat seemed to sulk.

"Okay, now we can go." The baker's son nodded, walking further down the tunnel.

"Bye guys. You'll do better next time." Takeshi cooed, waving at the pouting nocturnal, before following after his victorious partner.

Reaching out, the younger boy snagged hold of Daiki's hand, linking their fingers as they continued walking through the mostly vacant section, pausing occasionally to peer into enclosures.

"Oh my God, is that a platypus?" Daiki suddenly asked, snapping his head to the side.

"A what?"

"It's a platypus!" He squealed, dragging them over to the submerged enclosure to see a swimming animal.

Takeshi squinted at it in incredulity, the weird creature paddling around the water happily.

"What the hell is _that_?" He asked, placing his hand on his knees to lean forwards like Daiki to see it better.

"A platypus, it's native to Australia."

"That...can't be real."

"Why not? It's right in front of you! Look at its cute little flippers!" Daiki cooed, wiggling his pointer at the four feet.

"That's why it can't be real!" The Rain exclaimed, mimicking his partner's point.

"It has the beak and feet of a _duck_ and the body of an _beaver_!"

"It also lays eggs and produces milk." The other continued, laughing when the alien _thing_ twirled for them.

"Monotremes, my dearest Takeshi-kun. Echidnas and spiny anteaters are the only others that fit into that part of the kingdom. Can only find them in Australia. Aw, it's waving to you!"

"I don't want it to wave at me! I want it to make sense!" Takeshi pouted, narrowing his eyes when the egg-laying mammal tapped the glass with its...beak.

"Also, why do you know this?"

"Hours of the downwards spiral that is the internet."

"Huh." The Rain hummed, before following his partner in watching the platypus dance.

"After you get over how it defies the laws of nature and normality, I guess it does get pretty cute."

"The males are also venomous."

"What!?"

"Let's go see the elephants!"

"Wait, Daiki-kun, they're _venomous_!?"

…

"So," Takeshi hummed as he took another lick of his ice cream, despite the chilling wind. "The opposite of 'nocturnal' is 'diurnal'?"

"Yep, and the term for animals active during twilight is 'crepuscular'." Daiki responded, catching a drip trail with his tongue.

The two boys had been to the entire southern part of the animal park, and were taking the opportunity to rest, replenishing their stores through partaking in some ice cream. They had agreed on getting two different kinds, Daiki green tea and Takeshi vanilla, so that if either preferred the other, they could exchange.

"Why do you know this stuff?" The Rain laughed, finding the amount of information stored in his partner's head ridiculous.

"I remember stuff that will in no way further my life. It's a curse, really."

The young Yamamoto paused when he saw the older boy go in for another taste, before letting a less than innocent smile come to his face. Moving before the Yamaguchi boy could react, he dove in and licked away a small chunk of the green tea flavour, not-so-accidently sliding his tongue up beside the others'. As he retracted, he gave the stunned boy a self-satisfied smile.

"Tastes good."

He fought down laughter as the blue haired boy gawked at him, mind visibly crashing as his ice cream tipped dangerously in his loose grip.

The young Yamaguchi didn't stall for long, it seemed, for he suddenly sat straight, cone back in safe territory. He turned fully to the smirking Rain, his own humoured one showing.

"You've made a mess of yourself, sweetheart." He chuckled, making the Yamamoto reach up, flushing when he felt the wetness of green tea ice cream on the corner of his mouth.

With his attention turned to the messiness of his face, the Rain didn't notice the other encroaching in on his space until he felt a calloused hand on the opposite side of his face. He didn't even get a chance to turn, before his hand was removed and a warm muscle replaced it, cleaning away the pale green cream.

Takeshi gave a loud yelp as his partner pressed the pad of his thumb into his sensitive side, allowing the other's appendage to slip inside. The Rain wondered how long he could last before his brain would shut down from the waves of heat hitting him, the winter not seeming quite as cold as he remembered it.

It didn't last that long, however, for the baker's son only ghosted past the other's tongue once with his own, before pulling back and giving the Rain a simple peck on the lips.

"All clean now." He hummed, before returning to his watering, frozen treat.

The young Rain open and closed his mouth silently, brain too high on dopamine to form their common language. An airy breath left him as he gave up trying, instead, moving till there was no space between his and Daiki's bodies, their hands threading together on the older boy's lap.

"Fine, you win that one." He muttered, pouting as the blue haired boy bent to nuzzle into the crook of his neck.

"Of course I do." The Yamaguchi son hummed, making the younger involuntarily shiver from the vibrations.

"And hey," He breathed, tilting his head to look up at his smaller partner. "New Year's resolution, complete."

"Aw yeah!" Takeshi fist pumped, a grin on his face.

The two boys laughed, before scrambling to save their dripping sweets, fingers and palms sticky from the melting sugar.

"Ack! Brain freeze!"

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

I leaned against the railing of the crocodile enclosure as I waited for the young Rain to return from the bathroom, watching the green scaled reptile lazily sunbake on its manmade bank.

"Daiki-kun!"

Looking away from slitted eyes, I raised my hand when I spotted the approaching Yamamoto, letting it wrap around his waist when he all but collided with me.

"Where to next?" I asked, pulling the folded map out of my pocket.

"Actually, we're meant to meet up with Reborn-san now. The others are around the zoo, so they'll be there too! C'mon!" He laughed, grabbing my wrist and towing me towards the lion enclosures.

A frown tugged at my lips as the familiar sounds of explosions reached my ears, a loud groan following as even more familiar roars came after. The Rain seemed to be enjoying the impending chaos, however, as he picked up his speed.

 **...**

We slowed slightly as a small group came into view, a wave of confusion hitting me as I squinted at the horizon.

"Are those lions Gokudera-san is carrying?"

"Wow, I think so! Cool!"

"Oh look, he fainted."

"Haha, Bianchi-san must be here, too! Yo!" He called, coming to a halt as we reached the gathering.

"You guys are wildly playing around again, huh?"

I sighed in sympathy for the young Vongola as the others appeared from the woodwork, the boy's expression becoming more and more alarmed.

"You're all here!? Why in the world!?" He yelped, throwing his head back and forth.

"What do you mean 'why'?" Bianchi asked, standing from her immobilised ingredient. "We've all come for your sake."

"I called them here." Reborn called from the side, drawing attention to him.

I bit the inside of my cheek as my eyes landed on him, donned in his Master Pao Pao get-up and riding...

"He's riding a hippopotamus. Why is he riding a hippopotamus?" I asked, squinting as if it'd change the scene before me.

"Why are platypuses venomous?" Takeshi shot back, still not believing the pieces of information I had given him that morning.

"It's an evolutionary trait," I responded, before pointing at the strange duo. " _That_ , is not an evolutionary trait."

"Ciaossu!"

"Reborn-san!"

"Master Pao Pao!"

Ryohei, Ryohei, you sweet, innocent child, why are you still fooled by that disguise? He literally has a watering can on his head.

"I thought you should have a partner-pet like Leon or Enzo." The baby announced, looking up at his student.

"D-don't tell me that it's going to be that hippo."

Oh yes, of course, because Nana would absolutely love to have that in her house.

"No. This is my new friend, Saizo-kun the hippo."

I wonder, was Reborn like this when he had an adult's body? Because if so, I may just laugh myself to death. Imagine that? A fully grown Reborn walking up to you with a watering can elephant hat as a disguise.

A snicker left me before I could hold it back.

"I asked everyone to pick out an animal that suited you."

"Don't do this kind of thing when it's convenient to you!" Tsuna exclaimed, looking more than a bit aggravated.

"It wasn't really convenient." Haru chirped, drawing attention. "Our schedules didn't match, so we took the time to meet here."

As the young Vongola's heart was crushed, I turned my focus on my younger partner.

"Hm, what animal do you think suits Sawada-san?"

He blinked up at me before humming in thought.

"Uh… A tuna!"

I couldn't help the amazingly attractive snort that left me as the words hit my ears, Takeshi's whining and gentle thumps on my shoulder barely registering as I heaved quietly.

"Shoosh, or they'll ask!" He hissed into my ear, pulling my arms to try and hush me.

"Yamaguchi-san." A quiet call came, making me look down at our feet where the cosplaying Reborn stood.

"Hello, Master Pao Pao." I smiled, snickers still slipping out.

"In a moment, I would like you to do something for me. I think you're the only one with enough muscle power to do this."

I listened to his request, nodding in acceptance as he turned and jumped into his companion.

"You seemed much more dependable!" Kyoko announced, a bright shine in her eyes.

"So, moving on."

Stepping up, I grabbed hold of the lion that laid on the ground, lifting it up and carefully draped it over the Vongola's shoulders, sparking a rather amusing reaction.

"I don't need it! I don't need it, I say!" He yelped, just barely auditable over the other's laughter.

"Wait, if the only thing that was broken was the lion's cage. Then why is the hippo here?"

I blinked as Reborn and the large animal began communicating, tilting my head as the baby hitman responded to its grunts with ease.

"Am I the only one confused by this?" I asked, glancing around at the other teens.

"Nope." Tsuna responded, blinking as well.

"Hi, by the way."

"Ah, yeah, hello Yamaguchi-san."

"Oh, you didn't know? Reborn-kun is actually the authority on animal and insect language." Bianchi hummed, placing a hand on her hip.

"And I can speak alien and subterranean."

"Really?!"

"No, I lied. But knowing the animal and insect language is true."

I pursed my lips as I listened to Reborn recount the events of the day, slowly turning my gaze to Lambo as the fact that he was the one to free the animals came to light.

"So, it's Lambo-kun's fault!?"

"I-I have to be somewhere...Bye-Oops!"

"Lambo-kun." I warned, looking down at the little cow after he bounced off my legs.

"A-ah, Daiki-san!" He gulped, before reaching into his afro and pulling out a bright pink grenade.

"You can't see me!" He yelled taking out the pin.

My eyes widened and I threw myself back, crossing my arms in front of my face to stop any shrapnel from hitting me. A scowl came to mar my face when the smoke cleared to reveal an empty space, showing that Lambo had made a run for it, taking I-pin with him.

"Yamaguchi-san!"

"Shujin-kun! Are you okay!?"

"Yeah, just a few abrasions!" I called back, dusting myself off.

"The animals are at the amusement park, this one was left behind because he was too slow." Reborn announced, standing next to a king cobra.

"The amusement park!?"

On cue, screams hit our ears at once, the sounds of utter chaos reaching us all the way from the park next door.

"That's the amusement park!" Kyoko gasped, worry clear on her face.

"We need to get the animals back in their cages." Tsuna yelped, looking just as panicked.

"That's your job, Dame-Tsuna." The baby hitman responded.

"Why!?"

"Oh, come on!" I growled, taking off in the direction of the park.

Lambo and I-pin are in there probably causing more trouble than there needs to be, I need to get them out before any of the more deadly animals find them.

"There you are!" I snapped, coming to a halt in front of the two TYL teens.

"Okay, while you two have _some_ sort of restraint, get yourselves out of the park and somewhere safe."

"But, the noodles!"

"Now, I-pin-chan! Lambo-kun, get her out of here!"

"Okay, Papa." He nodded, grabbing his peer by her hand and running the two of them out of the gates.

With the main problem gone, I turned my attention to the next most pressing matter, scowling as a penguin tottered over my foot.

Why, oh why, did Lambo have grenades!?

"Yamaguchi-san, where are Lambo-kun and I-pin-chan!?" Tsuna called, coming to a halt behind me.

"I've sent them on to somewhere safe."

"Ki-nii! We need to catch the penguins!" Kyoko piped up, scrambling to try and herd the black and white birds.

Shaking my head in aggravation, I turned and ran to the loudest source of noise, groaning when I saw a bunch of meerkats burrowing into the sandpit, children reaching out from their parents' arms to try and touch the cute looking animals.

"This is going to be a long day." I sighed, rolling up my sleeves.

My attempts to catch them were similar to that of whack-a-mole, the burrowing creatures ducking into their tunnels when my hands came close. After a few minutes of making a fool of myself, I gave and caved in the fragile network, bundling up the five creatures in my hoodie before chasing the fleeing animals out of the park.

Dropping the meerkats back into their enclosure, I shook out my jacket, little hairs and sand coming loose from the dark blue fibres. With one last look around, I nodded when I saw all the animals rounded up into their places, and jogged up to the zoo gates.

"Daiki-kun!"

Looking over my shoulder, I slowed to allow the young Yamamoto to catch up with me.

"Hey, I saw you riding an elephant back there." I laughed, glancing up when I saw the familiar visage of a flaming Tsuna.

"Yeah! It was so cool! But thank God the platypus didn't get out. How bad is their venom, exactly?"

"Their venom?" I repeated, before smiling. "Oh, it can kill you."

"Jesus!" He yelped, his steps faltering slightly.

…

"Well, how was that for a zoo day?" I hummed, tucking my hands into my pockets as I looked over the younger teens.

"I'm beat." Tsuna groaned, clad in a Namimori Zoo staff uniform.

"It's good that the staff were nice enough to give you some clothes, hey Tsuna-san?" Takeshi hummed, stepping up beside me.

"Yeah, I guess."

I blinked when a flash of red caught my attention, making me look down at my feet. My face fell deadpan when I saw the famous red panda sitting at our feet, Reborn happily perched atop his head.

"Uh...Guys? We have a problem." I called, pointing to the duo.

"Aah! We have to give him back!"

Patting the young Vongola's back, I gave him a sympathetic smile as the others laughed, the boy drooping in defeat.

Poor kid.

Wait, where was Ryohei?

* * *

 _Boom!_

A loud yelp left me as I fell from my bed, loud vibrations rocking the room from below.

"What the hell?" I mumbled, rubbing my face.

Did an explosion wake me- _Explosion!?_

Grunting, I pulled myself to my feet and dashed into the hall. Skipping steps at a time, I dropped and flung the living room door open.

"Lambo-kun! If you've blown up my cactus because it pricked you, again I swear to God I'll-"

"Happy Birthday!"

...

What?

"What?"

"Happy birthday, shujin-kun!" Takeshi hollered, leaping off the couch and flooring both of us.

"Oh God, ow." I groaned, rubbing the back of my head.

"Birthday? Wha-Oh."

Blinking, I looked over at the calendar, squinting through sleep blurry eyes as I read the number.

Oh, January 21st...

"Ew, I'm 16."

"Happy birthday, my little man!" Kaede cheered, all but floating into the room, arms open to hug me as I pulled myself and my partner to our feet.

"Kaa-san, is everything alright? Did Lambo-kun blow something up?" I asked, spinning her around to check for anything above an abrasion.

"Ah, sorry, that was me." Gokudera grunted, crossing his arms from beside the young Vongola.

"Why are you all here?" Came my question, looking down at the small...okay, not so small group.

"Happy birthday!" Came varying volumes and enthusiasms.

I stared blankly at the sizable number of people crammed into my living room, the entire Vongola squad- so far- and their adult companions sat or stood in the space, their expressions matching their characters.

"Uh..thanks? What time is it?" I asked, turning to the clock.

"Why the hell is it 1:42 in the afternoon!?"

"Kaede-kaa-chan wanted to give us time to set up for you, so she let you sleep in! We actually didn't know you'd sleep for so long, what woke you up?" The Rain laughed, pulling me over to the couch.

"The explosion that shook my room." I responded, giving the hurricane bomber a side eye.

"Haha! That sounds like fun!"

"It really wasn't, I had a heart attack."

"Now that the guest of honour is here," Reborn chirped from his position on the opposite couch. "We can begin the presentation of gifts."

"Wait, so you guys are having my birthday party?"

"Yeah!" Takeshi laughed,

"How did you even know the date? I didn't tell, like, three-quarters of you."

"Sasagawa-san and Yamamoto-kun." The chorused, making the two boys smile sheepishly.

"Of course." I sighed, slumping slightly.

I shifted myself into a comfortable position on the couch as people went to collect their surprisingly brightly wrapped boxes, raising an eyebrow as Takeshi dropped down next to me with a rather strange and large looking parcel in his arms. Once the others were seated again, offerings in their laps or on the floor in front of them, Kaede and the lady Sawada came back into the living room, a camera positioned in her fingers.

"Kaa-san, Nana-san, are you recording this, or taking a picture?"

"Recording, there's a gift we really want to see your reaction to, and be able to play it back numerous times."

Giving a yielding sigh, I turned back to the group, accepting the small parcel from Bianchi, trying not to be awkward.

"Thank you, Bianchi-san."

And failing miserably.

"No problem."

Gently prying the purple paper open, I tilted my head when I saw a small vile of yellowed liquid, the bottle no bigger than my palm. Holding it to the light, I tried to figure out what it was, before scrambling to catch a small slip of paper that fell from the bottom.

"Cobra Venom!?" I yelped, shifting my grip from full hand to two fingers and laying the bottle back into its padded box.

"Yes, the cobra's venom contains postsynaptic neurotoxins that-" Bianchi started, only to hush as I accidently let my tongue fly.

"That spread through the blood and cause respiratory failure, and ultimately death, in as little as 30 minutes."

"That is correct. If incorporated into your baked goods, it would do well for an assassination or hit. Happy Birthday." She nodded, not seeming the least bit miffed by the cutoff, waving off my sheepish apology.

"Hm, that's a good idea, Bianchi-chan." Reborn hummed, making the young Vongola squeak in alarm.

"Next is me!" Shamal sang, appearing behind me and draping his arm over my shoulder, hand hovering dangerously close to a no-zone.

"Happy birthday, Yamaguchi-chan!"

Oh, that little- _WHAT!?_

"What is this BDSM bullshit!?" I yelped, dropping the R18+ magazine like it burnt.

"You're a _growing boy,_ Yamaguchi-chan. You're gonna start feeling certain urges, and as your devoted school nurse, I'm providing you the relief of pain from any _build up._ "

I pursed my lips, nodding slightly as I rolled up the unnecessarily thick erotic literature. Spinning around, I packed strength into my arm and let the glossy paper collide with the older man's face, finding satisfaction in the noise that resounded as he hit the wall.

"What's BDSM? Is it EXTREME!?" Ryohei roared, getting to his feet and reaching for the paper in my hand.

"Nope! Bro, you sit your ass down and remain the innocent ray of sunshine that you are." I responded, pushing him back into the floor beside his sister who looked equally as clueless.

"Ki-nii, is it something bad?" Kyoko asked, blinking up at me.

"Yes." I answered simply, before dropping back down on the couch, shoving the magazine under my cushion. "We've finished that conversation now, continuing on!"

"I'll go next, then, Happy Birthday, ya fuckin' giant." Gokudera scowled, tossing his gift at me.

"I don't really know you well enough to know what you'd want, so I just grabbed something random from the store. Don't complain!"

Catching the little paper bag, I upturned it and caught the textured present in my palm. The dark, wooden bead bracelet was light in my grip, a soft perfume scenting them pleasantly. Gently pinching the wooden orbs between my fingers, I rolled the beaded string carefully before slipping it onto my wrist, doubling it over to make it fit.

"Thank's, little one. It's lovely." I smiled, already feeling the habit of rolling the beads on my wrist forming.

"Pfft, whatever. You're too easy to please." He puffed, crossing his arms.

Bringing the gift to my nose, I inhaled the smell, trying to place where I had scented it before. It was familiar in an older fashion, past this current life, and reaching past the plains of this world. When no hints came to mind, I let a small smile slip past me, nostalgic in its outward appearance, but somehow sad underneath, a part of me finding it better that I couldn't connect it.

"Eh? Does it smell good?" Takeshi asked, crawling over to my side slightly and pressing his nose flat against my wrist.

"Haha, what are you trying to smell like that?" I laughed, withdrawing the limb slightly to give the air some space.

"Oh wow, it's really nice!"

"I know, right? Gokudera-san's got a good eye for last minute gifts."

The two of us snickered as the said boy flushed a little at the attention, scowl coming back to life as he called for the offering ceremony to continue.

"EXTREME BIRTHDAY, MY EXTREME BROTHER!"

I deny ever jumping at the yell, to the day I die.

"A-Ah, thanks Ryohei-kun." Came my response, holding my hands out to accept the metre by metre box.

Tilting my head, I tried to figure out what was contained within, placing my ear on it and giving the cube a shake. The heavy and slightly metallic noise that emanated from inside didn't really help me, the main hint coming after I pouted at it.

"Give it 'ere, it can't be that hard to g- _God and Jesus!_ " Gokudera yelped, his hands hitting the ground with the box pinning them easily.

"Heavy! Heavy! Heavy!" He shouted, prying his fingers out from under and shaking them.

"How much does that weigh!? 300 kilo's!?"

"No! An EXTREME 400 KILOGRAMS!" The Sun declared, fire in his eyes.

I narrowed my eyes at the box, before lifting it up onto my lap with the expected trouble, making the more emotive people in the room choke on their spit. Having enough of the guessing games, I tore through the brightly coloured paper and revealed the gifts inside, feeling just about ready to kick myself when I saw the contents.

"Weights! Of course, I'm so dumb!" I barked, slapping my forehead.

Reaching in, I pulled out the biggest weight, flipping it to read the little white font on the side.

"Damn, 200 kilos." I hummed, flashing back to the Vongola Family Battle.

"Yep, you've gotten stronger so we need to EXTREMELY step up your work load!"

"Sounds about right, thanks Ryohei-kun." Responding to the high-five offered to me.

A vibration in my pocket made me jump, my hand flying to the device and pulling it out to display the message on screen.

 _From: Cloud_

 _Happy Birthday, Chattering Herbivore._

 _I can't be bothered getting you a gift._

 _I just won't bite you to death today._

I couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled out of me, Takeshi smiling into my shoulder as he read over it.

 _To: Cloud_

 _Thank you, birdie._

 _How very thoughtful of you, I'll be sure to cause as much mayhem as I can today._

 _From: Cloud_

 _Just try it._

 _I'll bite you tomorrow if you do._

"Sorry 'bout that, Hibari-san was just wishing me a happy birthday, please, continue."

"Time for Sawada-san to present his EXTREME present!"

I blinked at the declaration, before shrugging and turning to the startled boy, accepting the oddly shaped parcel.

"U-uh, I didn't really know what to get you so- I asked Sasagawa-san what you might like and..."

"Hahahahaha! Oh my God, why!? Hahaha!" I heaved, clutching the black, fluffy, nocturnal thumb-sized doll in my hand.

"Ah, w-was it a bad idea?" Tsuna whimpered, backing away as I held the bat up to my eyeline, brown pins staring back at me.

"No, no, it's just an inside joke. Thanks Sawada-san, damn that gave me a laugh." I chuckled, giving the boy a grin.

He gave me a sheepish smile, looking a bit more comfortable than he had before, finally settling in his seat beside the pale haired Italian teen.

We all turned our attention when Haru jumped from her seat on the floor, stepping up in front of me and shooting a smile that made Takeshi shift from beside me, a less than sociable on on his own face.

"Happy birthday, Yamaguchi-kun!" She cooed, handing the wrapped item to me with both hands.

I took it graciously, tapping it with the tips of my finger as the Rain looked over my shoulder, a hand noticeably on my thigh to boost him up.

"Ah! A romance book!" He commented, taking it out of my hands and reading the blurb quickly, the hand on my leg gripping the pants tighter.

"Thank you, Haru-san, I'll be sure to read it as soon as possible." I hummed, pinching it back and yanking the supporting arm out of under the young Yamamoto, making him fall across my lap.

"Okay, Takeshi-kun, give Daiki-kun your present!" Kaede giggled from behind the camera, Nana practically bouncing on her feet.

"Yeah! Here you go, shujin-kun!" He nodded, sitting up and handing me the suspiciously shaped item.

Taking it in my hands, I found it ridiculously light, meaning it wasn't solid like Ryohei's gift. The brightly and brutally wrapped gift was easily the largest one out of the haul, and seemed to have organic shape, rather than sharp angles and edges. A gentle squeeze showed it was soft all the way around, and gave easily under pressure but had a certain firmness, that hinted to well compacted insides similar to cloth or stuffing.

"You can tear the paper to shreds, by the way. It's already pretty-what would you say?- crude?" The Rain laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

With the green light given to me, I gave no hesitation to hook my blunted nails on a kink in the brightly coloured armour, and use it as leverage to rip a long rivet through the layer.

"Yes!" I all but shrieked, grabbing the Rain and practically crushing the poor soul in my arms.

"You gave me a _giant platypus_! By the Gods, I love you!"

Releasing the heaving boy, I snapped up the fluffy creature and bodily wrapped myself around it, tucking my chin atop its head with the most content of expressions on my face.

"What is that?" Tsuna yelped, looking at the creature within my limbs with an expression of mild terror.

"A platypus." I hummed, eyes still narrowed in satisfaction.

"I take it you like it?" Takeshi laughed, breathing steady now.

Giving the Guardian no warning, I snagged him by his collar and planted my lips on his, just barely aware of the flash going off on the mother's camera. It lasted for only a short while, but the joyous expression on his face told me it had done its job of transferring my current emotion over to my partner.

"Haha, okay lucky last!" Kyoko cooed, still a giggling mess from the scene before.

Grabbing a particularly thick parcel from behind her, she handed me it in the same paper Ryohei used, for obvious reasons.

Reaching around my _platypus_ I took it carefully, thanking her as I opened it with much more grace than I did for Takeshi's tilting my head when I saw the English word " _Photo Album"_ printed at the front.

The first few pages were filled with pictures of things that I didn't even remember happening, a laugh bubbling out of me when I saw my six year old self shoving a rather large chunk of ice down the front of Ryohei's pants.

"Thank you, imouto-chan." I hummed, pressing my lips to her temple, making her laugh and push me off gently.

Placing the book in the middle of our crude circle, we all began flipping through the images dating from when I first met Ryohei to the current day, one image including Ryohei preparing to leap at me from the ceiling fan in preschool.

"Haha, I remember doing that! I was EXTREME even then!"

"You were BATS crazy! The fan was _on!"_

The giggling that burst from the two young girls in the room made us pause, their hands covering their mouths politely.

"Haha, it seems like Ki-nii has got his own catchphrase now!" Our younger sister breathed through her fit, looking up at me with a certain light in her eye.

"Shit!" I yelped, realising what I had said.

"Yamaguchi Daiki." Kaede warned, crossing her arms.

"Sorry, ' _sugar_ '." I 'amended', somewhat censoring myself.

The two mothers nodded before filtering into the kitchen, tittering about sharing the video and accompanying photos.

" _HAHAHA! LAMBO-SAN WILL EAT ALL THE BIRTHDAY CAKE AND ALL THE SWEETS!"_

The screech made us all look to the window sill, where I-pin was just barely keeping Lambo from bulldozing into the kitchen where the food was no doubt stored.

"Lambo-kun will not eat the Yamaguchi cake!" I-pin tried, pushing him from the sill and onto the floor.

"Ah! I-pin-chan is sorry!"

"Gotta...stay...calm! Waa!"

My eyes widened as a familiar purple firearm was pulled free from the hammerspace that the boy's afro contained, others sharing more vocal reactions as the gun was sent flying. Giving a scowl, I grabbed the young Rain and bodily threw us off the couch. A grunt escaped both of us as we hit the ground, my eyes widening in shock as I saw the bright yellow platypus plush disappear into the barrel of the TYL bazooka.

"My platypus!" I squawked, watching as a plume of smoke consumed the space.

Helping Takeshi to his feet, I pulled the firearm off the toy, blinking when I saw something actually there.

"Damn, Yamaguchi-san, you actually kept the thing for ten full years." Gokudera whistled, pausing his abuse to the cow's afro.

Humming in response, I picked up the dulled and worn plush, noticing how the plastic doll eyes had been exchanged for scratched buttons. The thing looked like it had seen better days, the sunny shade turned to a greenish-yellow mixture with patches of random cloths to fill tears and holes. A rough texture made me flip the toy to the back, the stitching that followed the seam.

I sat back on the couch, barely aware of the others coming to crowd around me to also view the little time traveller.

Absentmindedly, I traced my finger along a very familiar characters, letting it trail down to glance over the ones that were listed beneath.

"Hibari Kyoya, Yamaguchi Daiki, Rokudo Mokuro, Sasagawa Ryohei, Yamamoto Takeshi, Gokudera Hayato, Sawada Tsunayoshi, Dokuro Chrome, Lambo Bovino." The young Rain read, following after my pointer.

"That's us!" Tsuna gasped, pressing his face closer to the article.

"But, who's Rokudo Mukuro and Dokuro Chrome?" Gokudera asked, leaning over my shoulder to read the purple threads better.

Why...Why were their names stitched into my doll?

"Ah! That's my needlework!" Kyoko chirped, reaching around me to point at her little insignia beneath the dark yellow 'Sasagawa' stitch.

"Haru-chan knows those buttons!" Haru exclaimed, pressing her fingers against the buttons, following the faint floral design etched into them. "That's from my favourite dress!"

"I-pin-chan sees patch on arm! That patch part of I-pin-chan's baby blanket." The child chirped, pressing her little hands against the embroidered square that dominated the once brown flap tail.

Then...

I glanced over my shoulder to cast my gaze over the group.

They've all had a hand in keeping this alive?

I couldn't help the small smile that came to my face, blasted human nature forcing me to show outward expression to the warmth in my gut. Fingers digging into worn fibres as I shoved my grin into the musky plush, Ryohei's laughter making a heat hit my cheeks.

"Shut up, sunshine." I grumbled, shifting as Takeshi threw his arms around me and my doll as best as he could.

"That means we all stay connected in the future!" Tsuna yelped, a blissful grin coming to his face.

"Yeah, I guess we do." Came my response, the two of us sharing a smile.

Shamal took that moment to stroll up to the mass, giving the busted old doll a once over before a lazy grin came to his face.

"Man, you must really like this thing if you kept it for so long."

"Ah, that's great! Tou-san said it was a good idea too!" Takeshi laughed, reaching out to play with the drooping bill.

I blinked as a sharp scent hit my nose, making me recoil, before I began searching for it again in curiosity. A moment later, I found a slightly damp patch that seemed to be the origin, the concentration of the smell letting me know what it was.

"Someone spilt alcohol on my platypus." I stated, wondering what kind it was.

"Huh, alcohol?" Tsuna asked, drawing closer to the dark space.

"You should be celebrating your 26th birthday in the future. You might be drinking." Reborn theorised, swallowing a mouthful of pecan bread.

"Hm...maybe." I responded, grabbing a napkin and dabbing at the stain.

It was a clear stain, so the alcohol wasn't pigmented, so not something like red wine.

"I think it's vodka." I commented, placing down the spent tissue.

"Why is that?" The baby asked, actually pausing his snack.

"It's clear and little to no smell, I think the Americans used to advertise it as a sneaky way to get tipsy back in the day."

"Why do you know this?" Gokudera asked, standing beside the Vongola.

"Daiki-kun knows a bunch of stuff!" Ryohei laughed, slamming his hand down on my shoulder.

A sudden heat emanated from the doll, making me instinctively let go and toss it slightly. Sighing in relief, I watched as it went up in smoke, the plume disappearing as its brightly coloured original hit the ground with a hollow thud.

The five minutes must have passed.

Snatching up the large doll, my jaw dropped when I saw dark, scribbles staining the material, matured yet clumsy handwriting creating messages from my future and the people in it.

"Gokudera-san has a shrine of Sawada-san."

"What the hell!? I do not!" The bomber screamed, spitting out his drink as I read out the sentence.

"U-uh...Gokudera-kun...?"

"No! Tenth! I don't, I swear!"

"Ooh! I get to read this one!" Ryohei laughed, snatching up the plush.

"List of EXTREME drunks! Tsuna-san is a serious drunk! Takeshi-san is a sleepy drunk! Gokudera-san is an emotional drunk!"

He paused to jump out of the way of the attacking hurricane.

"Hibari-san is a flasher drunk! Ryohei-kun is an EXTREMELY HAPPY drunk! Daiki-kun is a flirty drunk!"

"Hush!" I snapped, leaping off the couch and flooring the flailing Sun.

"We shall leave that for whatever batty future is waiting for us. Not now, my friend."

"Talking about 'batty', one of these says: ' _I'm batman'._ "

"Whoever wrote that, can go to hell." I responded, scowling as the Sun gave booming laughter.

I pried the doll from the shorter boy's hands and gave the doll a once over, rolling my eyes at the sheer amount of vodka and other liquids soaking the plush, checking the tag to find that, yes, it was machine washable.

Thank God.

"Oh hey, Ryohei-kun, I didn't know you knew how to pole dance." I hummed, noticing the scrawled just above.

"Huh-HAHAHAHAHA!" Gokudera gasped, wrapping his arms around his stomach.

"Imagine the turf-top working the pole! Haha!"

"No, thank you." I responded, closing my eyes as I tried to burn the image from my mind.

I looked at it for a moment, before shaking my head, a small smile on my face.

"I'm gonna throw this in the wash, hopefully, this stuff'll come out after a bit."

The round of nods that came back let me flee to the laundry, the large plush just barely crumbling in on itself enough to fit.

As I padded back into the room, I gave the chaotic scene a smile, finding a certain joy in the way they seemed to liven up the usually vacant room in a way it hadn't for a long time.

"Hey, shujin-kun! Come blow out the candles!"

Following the order, I suffered through a terribly choppy 'Happy Birthday' that the young Rain apparently put through Google Translate, before letting out a wall of air that knocked out the flickering flames.

"What did you wish for?" The Rain asked, all but bouncing.

"That the ink comes out of the plush." I responded easily, cracking a smile when he puffed his cheeks.

"Daiki-kun!" He whined, crossing his arms.

"Guess you'll just have to wait and find out." I shrugged, before walking off with my piece of cake.

 _I wish that they remain safe._

* * *

 **Clarification:**

The Three Days:

 _Three days of celebration in which families spend time with each other. Everything is closed this time of year_.

Osechi:

 _Traditional Japanese New Year food. Kinda like big bento?_

Otoshi-damas:

 _Pockets of money given to children on New Years_


	14. Chapter 14

**Word Count: 11,457**

* * *

I hummed as I leaned my forearms on the window sill of Hibari's office, enjoying the chilled air as it carried the laughter and shouts from the playful Mafia folk down in the snow below. Rolling the beads on my wrist absentmindedly, I gave a greeting-like grunt as the skylark stepped back into his nest, not so much as giving me a glance before he dropped on his couch, a long sigh leaving him.

"Why are you here, Chattering Herbivore?" He asked, throwing an arm over his eyes.

"And close the window."

Following his request, I stepped back and sat myself on the armrest by his head, looking down at the tired Cloud.

"The baby summoned me to Nami-chuu, promising punishment if I did not show. I'm here, he cannot complain." I hummed, letting my hand float just above his face before brushing the very tip of my finger over the point of his nose, making the skylark jump.

"Don't do that." He grouched, whacking the appendage away.

"I'm painfully bored, though." I sighed dramatically, draping myself along the back of the couch, resting my cheek on my arm.

The Cloud gave a dismissive grunt, opening one eye slightly to look up at me before sitting up. His hand suddenly caught me by my collar, dragging me down to his level and off my station. With a sharp toss, I was thrown onto my back on the cushions, a scowl finding its way to my face as my head cracked against the other armrest.

"Ow! The hell birdy?" I hissed, reaching around to press a hand against the throbbing piece.

"Quiet, Chattering Herbivore." He grumbled, dropping his body onto mine.

A woosh of air left me when he head hit my chest, one of the skylark's arms draping over the edge as the other wedged itself between the cushions and my back.

"Wow, Hibari-san, dude. A little warning would've been great, ya know." I breathed, filling my lungs and making his head rise.

Has Hibari gotten heavier? Now, this could either be due to him working out more or…

I glanced down at him, suddenly very aware of the closeness of his knuckles to my chin. Sighing, I dropped my head back and looked to the ceiling.

Guess I ain't moving for a while.

…

"What the actual hell is that?"

Hibari and I stared out the window blankly as the huge body of a familiar looking turtle eclipsed Namimori, mutual astonishment being shared between us.

"Is that a giant turtle?" I asked, helping the skylark off me.

"Hurry up, Chattering Herbivore." He grouched, breezing out the door easily.

With a curse on my tongue, I followed sluggishly, already dreading the encounter with the others that was no doubt going to happen. Giving a huff as we reached the snow, I watched the exhalant turn to mist, before glancing down as something rammed into my foot. Tilting my head, I gave the little Leon-car a less than pleased expression as it beeped its little remote horn at me, driving in a little circle around my right foot in greeting.

I actually have no idea why he likes me so much, probably because I give him crumbs whenever Reborn comes to the bakery.

Scooping the lizard turned car up, I brought it to eye level and raised an eyebrow, moving it slightly to show the unamused Cloud.

"Huh? Hibari-san!? Yamaguchi-san!?"

Oh look, there's Tsuna.

"What is that?" The Skylark asked, turning the vehicle in my hand.

"And what is that giant turtle?"

"No! Uh-" Tsuna yelped, getting to his feet. "Why are you here on a Sunday?"

I watched the exchange continue further, before lowering Leon to the ground and taking steps back, intent on vacating the area before anyone else could get their claws into me and make me stay.

"A-ah, Yamaguchi-san-"

I glanced over my shoulder, the call making me think fast. Turning my attention to the Cloud beside me, I flashed my teeth and unzipped my jacket, exposing my neck, before taking off, the challenge already expressed and engaged.

"Wait, Yama-AH!"

Not deviating from my course, I fled the scene, the sounds of metal unsheathing and snow crunching alluding to the DC head in pursuit.

Sorry Tsuna, but I think I've had a bit too much exposure to you this week.

"Chattering Herbivore."

"Ah, shit!"

* * *

I hate the Mafia.

"Ah, I don't remember that mountain. I must be getting old." Kaede laughed, piping bag in her hands.

"No, no. I don't think it's you." I responded, gazing out of the window with a deadpan face.

At least I wasn't dragged along this time.

* * *

"Where's sensei!? We were promised EXTREME dodgeball!"

I looked away from my classmate, waving as he jogged back to his friends before turning to the shouting Sasagawa.

"He went to the staff room, something about permission slips."

The class was restless, a start session of yoga had gotten us loose and ready for action, but with the lack of teacher and instruction, we were left with little to do. There was a trio of boys that were running around causing some chaos, nothing past pantsing some of their friends, but it was enough to cause a stir in the room.

"But I wanna do some EXTREME pegs!" Ryohei whined, stamping his foot in a childish manner.

"I'm sure you do, but we have to wa-AIT!"

Those boys, while they were dumb and childish, they were as sneaky and as organised as ninja when they needed to be. The trio ran at me full speed before breaking off, one scrambling to grab my right foot and anchor it to the ground, while the other two pulled the yoga mat I was half standing on, separating my feet and bringing me crashing to the ground.

"Hahaha- _Holy shit!_ Yamaguchi-kun, what the hell!?" One of the boys screamed, looking at me with wide eyes.

"I should be saying that to you! Dicks!" I responded, before noticing the sudden roar of noise.

We were actually a pretty small PE class, so news spread fast, and was this _news._

To me, especially.

"Shit! Yamaguchi-kun can do the splits!"

"Whoa!"

"Ack! That looks like it hurts! Damn!"

"You know," I called, quieting the ruckus. "There is a slight problem with that. The problem being: _I can't do the splits._ Ryohei-kun, help!"

The Sun suddenly grabbed hold of my arms and hauled me to my feet, supporting me as I held my hamstrings in pain.

"Sunshine," I laughed, old habits dying hard. "Go play dodgeball."

Giving the boxer a ball, I pointed at the slowly panicking trio, patting his back before he ran off, grin of glee on his face.

"Yamaguchi-kun, you okay there?"

"Yeah, just dandy." I breathed, lowering myself to the ground and curling into fetal position.

Ow...I'm in pain.

* * *

"I'm beginning to feel sick." I muttered, wrenching open the window to air out the bakery's kitchen.

"Oh, come now Daiki-kun." Kaede tisked, placing the last of the chocolate mix into shape tins.

"It's the day of love!"

"Also diabetes, cavities and self-devaluation." I responded, working the chocolate out from under my nails in the sink.

"Hush, let us have our joys."

I rolled my eyes but smiled as my mother all but floated around the kitchen, decorating the ready cakes with shades of red and pink.

"Dry your hands and start making those fondant flowers the girls are so fond of!" She urged, throwing the bag of marshmallow fondant on the table.

As I shaped the slightly hard mixture, I listened as the lady of the house turned on the radio with her elbow, hands caked in flour and the likes. There wasn't much playing at 4am in the morning, but there was enough, it seemed to make my mother squeal and jump in excitement.

"Daiki-kun! Daiki-kun! This is my wedding song! Oh, it was like a dream!"

The small flower I had sculpted was suddenly deformed in my hands, a small curse leaving me as I scrapped it and began again. I listened closely as my mother hummed the song, spinning through the kitchen as she moved from station to station.

"I expect a lot of chocolates to be brought home today, my little man." She suddenly cooed, coming up behind me to smile over my shoulder.

"Kaa-san." I laughed, shaking my head as she giggled and danced away, pressing her face to the oven to check on their progress.

"Don't try to deny it, sweetheart. You've got your father's looks, so girl's will come running."

"I'd rather they didn't, they're terrifying when they want to be."

"Ah yeah, _you're_ waiting for White Day, aren't you?"

 _Son of a-_ Weren't you just at the oven!?

"W-what do you mean?" I stumbled, the sentence suddenly clicking.

"Takeshi-san, my dear." She hummed, before spinning to return to frost another cake.

"So, what do you plan on giving him? You only have a month left, and these sort of things need thought!"

"..."

"What was that?"

I scowled as she laughed, myself finding this sort of thing awkward to talk about, but easy to do..

"I said: "I might give him a bunch of white fondant flowers". You happy now?"

"Very. What do you think he'll give you?"

"I don't know," I responded, arranging the finished vermillion flowers and buds atop the chocolate cake. "This is the first time we've agreed to do a White Day trade."

"I'm sure he'll find something lovely, if not, then his father will."

* * *

I sighed as I dropped my blazer from my nose, deciding that, yes, I did smell of chocolate.

" _Yamaguchi-kun!"_

Looking to the call, I snatched the incoming, airborne object out of sky without a second thought, blinking when I saw what it was.

"For being a great friend, thanks!" My classmate called, waving before she ran off with her other buddies.

"Thank you, happy Valentines!" I responded, making her wave again.

Friends? Good. This is good. I can handle this.

Shoving the small box in my pocket, I continued on my way to Nami-chu, catching couples out of the corner of my eye.

" _Oh no! Help!"_

Looking up, I started when I saw the young Vongola scramble to catch a shower of oranges. The next moment, however was less relaxed, as the owner of the produce took a tumble, her elderly body moving over the steep stairs at quite the speed. Giving a curse, I dropped my bag and rushed forwards, catching the woman before she could have in impromptu meeting with the road.

"Yamaguchi-san!?"

"Are you okay, miss?" I asked, ignoring the Sky's yelp of surprise.

"Yes, thank you. You're quite strong, young man." She cooed, finding her feet as I lowered her back down.

"Ah, you caught my oranges, thank you." The woman thanked, turning to the Vongola heir.

"Oh, um, no problem." He stumbled, before smiling at her.

"Sawada-san," I called, drawing their attention.

I flashed him my watch, and watched as he paled.

"Bye, miss. Get home safely." I smiled, before giving the Vongola a push to get us moving.

"Run, Sawada-san, run. We have three minutes."

"I know! Ah, why!?"

A breath of relief left us as we sprinted through the gates, the Skylark sparing us a glance before returning to his duties.

…

"Daiki-kun! Daiki-kun!"

"What? What?" I responded, looking up at the Sun Guardian from my seat.

"Here!" He roared, dropping an armful of chocolate boxed on my desk.

"Ah..." I coughed, pausing for explanation.

"I went down to the junior level see our Imouto, and a bunch of girls asked me to give these EXTREME gifts to you!"

Jesus… What do I do now?

"Here, Yamaguchi-kun." One of the girls laughed, throwing a paper bag at me.

"You obviously weren't prepared."

"I didn't think I'd get any more than, like, two." I shrugged, placing the small, palm sized boxes into the bag.

" _Ha! Two, he says!"_

"Oh hush, it's good to be humble. Unlike you."

Ryohei let out booming laughter, before snagging me by the arm, hauling me to my feet and out the door before I could let go of the bag in my hands.

"Wait, where are we going?" I yelped, trying to find my feet on the stairs.

"To see Kyoko-chan, we have to see if she's given chocolate to anyone!"

"Shouldn't you know already?"

"She EXTREMELY refused to answer!"

We came to a sudden stop in front of class 1-A, just barely stopping myself from ramming into the Sun's side. Not seeming to care about my blunder, the boxer ripped open the door to the room, his lungs full and ready to holler out the call.

"Kyoko-chan! Your EXTREME brothers are here!"

Lord save me.

"Nii-san! Ki-nii!" The young girl chirped, jumping up from her desk and prancing over to us.

"Hey, Kyoko-chan." I breathed, planting my hand on her head of soft hair.

"Imouto, have you EXTREMELY given chocolate to anyone yet!?" Ryohei roared, drawing attention.

"Nii-san, no need to scream it out!" She cried, cheeks reddening.

"And no, I haven't yet!"

" _Daiki-kun!"_

The call made the three of us look, a sardonic smile finding its way to my face as I pointed at the shouter.

"Ha. He's being mauled."

The young Yamamoto brushed off my comment to gently split through the ring of girls surrounding him, stepping up beside his female classmate to join us by the door.

"Happy Valentines!" He greeted, before letting his eyes fall to the bag in my hand.

"Ah, you got a lot of chocolate!"

"Same to you, and from the looks of it," I hummed, looking at the fiery eyed girls. "You've got plenty already.

"Haha, they're just obligatory chocolates."

Wow, break their hearts why don't ya?

"Y-Yamaguchi-senpai?"

The call made me blink, not used to the title added to the end. Turning my head, I looked to the small first year girl, barely familiar. The poor girl was fidgeting wildly, unable to keep her hands still despite them being clasped behind her back and her eyes were downcast.

"Yes, that's me." I answered, turning to her fully.

"A-ah...Please take this!"

Scrambling to catch the box pressed to my chest, I watched in surprise as she sprinted down the hall before disappearing into her class.

"Well then..."

Gently removing the gift, I placed it in my bag, its heart shape not really fitting with the system I had made, but didn't really bother me. When I straightened, I blinked at the face the Rain was pulling, a jab of amusement hitting me.

"What's wrong now, Takeshi-kun?"

The expression on his face only intensified now that it had been called out, a sharp glint in his eye taking place.

I guess joking about it was okay, but actually seeing it was enough to trigger a reaction.

Rolling my eyes at his behaviour, I bent at the waist and did the only thing that would satisfy him at the moment, glancing past him to watch the reactions of his female friends.

Hana and Kyoko seemed to be having a hoot about the situation, phones out and cameras clicking as they giggled to each other. Ryohei, long used to this sort of thing, merely stood there, a dazed expression on his face a he thought about new workout regimens.

I would have let the kiss continue, the Rain wrapping his arm around my neck, is if weren't for the sudden prodding at the seam. Alarmed by the invasion, I pulled back before quickly softening my expression at the panicked one that the young swordsman wore.

"Daiki-kun, we gotta grab our bags, last bell's gone." Ryohei urged, nudging my shoulder.

"Hm, okay." I responded, planting a quick peck on the Rain's lips before following my fellow Sun.

" _Yamamoto-kun!"_

" _You're in a relationship with a senpai!?"_

" _Oh God, yes! Real Yaoi!"_

* * *

I yawned as I turned the corner, different students walking their respective ways home, those who were familiar despite the clashing colours mingling.

" _Ah, Yamaguchi-san!"_

Turning to the familiar voice, I smiled and waved at the incoming Shoichi, pausing to let him catch up.

"Shoichi-san, how have you been?"

"Pretty good, and you?" He responded, giving a small smile in reflection of mine.

"Same, same."

"I see you got chocolates today. Man, I wish I got some." The bespectacled boy laughed lamely, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, I didn't expect this many, actually." I hummed, opening the paper bag slightly.

"You didn't get any? That's kind of a surprise, actually."

"Surprise!? What do you mean?" The red haired teen squawked, falling in step with me as I continued to walk.

"Well, I guess I expected you to attract at least a few individuals. I suppose, you appeal to a niche crowd, they might find your quirky. And that appeals to certains kinds of people." I shrugged.

"Really?" He breathed, looking down at the road, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Anyway, don't worry. Chocolates aren't everyone's thing, there might be someone who's gonna try getting your attention through other means, or they're too shy." I comforted, resting my hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe, but I won't get my hopes up just yet." He laughed, before parting with me as the intersection.

* * *

I sat on the couch, bodily wrapped around my platypus as I gently running my hand through Mephisto's fur as I watched the television flicker between frames, not really taking in what was put before me.

"Daiki-kun, you got chocolates delivered to you!" Kaede suddenly called, bursting into the room with the small box in hand.

"Huh? From who?" I asked, turning to take it from her.

"An elderly lady, she said you saved her from a bad tumble earlier today. Aw, such a good little man your father and I raised you to be!" She cooed, before returning to her space.

Holding the box in my hand, I remembered the woman, a slight frown coming to my face.

She wasn't meant to fall, was she?

* * *

 **|FUUTA|**

Ranking Fuuta heaved as he hid around a corner, the small team of Mafioso's sprinting past as they called for his head. His relief was short lived, however, as one skilled member turned their head at the breath, zeroing in on the child.

"There he is!"

"Oh, no." The boy breathed, taking off on the opposite direction.

The telepathic boy had been running for a long time, however, and the distance he could put between himself and the men was slowly closing.

In a split second, his mind made a connection to the ranking star, something it only did when he was in danger.

Turn left is ranked 3rd of 3 in places to run that would lead to safety.

Forwards is ranked 2nd of 3 to run that would lead to safety.

Turn right is ranked 1st of 3 in places to run that would lead to safety.

The boy turned right, eyes widening in glee when he saw two teens jogging in the early morning air, laughter being exchanged between them.

"Help! Please!" Fuuta called, drawing their attention.

The two solid boys looked to him, then to the men following him, both having immediate reactions. The short, pale haired one roared and bounded forwards, bowling over three of the five men with a shoulder charge. The other, tall and blue haired, narrowed his eyes and looked between them, shocking the ranking child by giving an expression of recognition.

"Come here!" He called, urging Fuuta forth just in time to dodge a hand.

The towering boy leapt forwards, engaging the men in a brutal fist fight with his companion, both of them working in choppy synchrony

Fuuta tilted his head as another wave of signals reached him as he wandered, the air distilling around him.

They were both upper-middle class fighters, but given time, they would climb the ranks. His glazed eyes trailed over to the eldest of their trio, widening slightly.

" _Yamaguchi Daiki, ranked 18th out of 86,182 of people able to hide their identities."_

Dropping to his knees, the boy scribbled his finding in his ranking book, looking up only when shoes scuffed the concrete before him.

"Hey kid, what was going on there?" Yamaguchi asked, kneeling before the book and boy.

"The Mafia is chasing me." Fuuta answered easily, closing his tome.

"Ah...I guess you're after Sawada Tsunayoshi, the 10th Vongola?" He hummed, helping the young one to his feet.

"Yes, do you know where he lives?"

"Yeah, walk with us, we need to pass it on the way."

"Okay, thank you. I'm Fuuta." The ranking boy greeted, still grasping the elder's hand as he was led to the grinning other.

"I'm Yamaguchi Daiki, nice to meet you, Fuuta-kun." He smiled, making the small boy blink.

"You have a very nice smile."

Fuuta watched the face fall into a blunder of emotions before falling to bashful, the teen thanking him.

"Anyway, this is Sasagawa Ryohei. Ryohei-kun, this is Fuuta-kun, we need to take his to the Sawada's."

"Nice to meet you, Ki-nii, Ryo-nii." He greeted, bowing his head slightly.

The eldest boy looked a bit startled by the suffix, but the soft smile that followed showed Fuuta that he was okay with it, allowing the child to clutch the elder's hand tightly as they began walking.

"So, Daiki-kun, I've decided that our new project for the month is to get you to be able to do the splits! Like full, crotch to floor, splits!"

"Sunshine, never say that word again. And how do you expect me to do the splits? I nearly shredded my muscles in that stunt last week."

"Practice! We'll force you to go further each day!"

"God damn it."

Fuuta smiled as he watched the two of them talk, deciding they ranked high in people he liked.

 **| FUUTA |**

* * *

"Stop! Stop! You're gonna kill me!"

"Just a bit further!"

I let my hands hit the floor to try and stop my legs from parting any further, Ryohei's hands on my shoulders pressing to do the opposite.

"Come on, Daiki-kun! You can do a bit lower!' The Sun roared, pushing more weight and forcing my deeper into the splits.

I'm gonna _die!_

Gritting my teeth, I bent my elbows to allow the lowering, feeling the stretch and loosening with breaths.

"Okay, stop. That's as far as I can go today." I gasped, falling back and closing my legs as the boxer released his hold.

"Good job, Daiki-kun! You've only got a couple centimeters to go until you've done a full split!" He cheered, sounding more excited than I was.

A groan left me as I pulled myself to my feet, the boxing club members shaking their heads in amusement and astonishment at us. It had taken them a little while to get used to our new activity, the members usually pausing their workouts to glance over at my progress and either grimace or gape.

"Anyway, I need to tell you that I'll be busy tomorrow morning, so I can't go jogging with you. That's fine, yes?" I asked, turning to the now pouting Sun.

"Aw, fine. I'll do enough EXTREME running for both of us!"

"Okay, well, see you tomorrow sunshine." I waved, grabbing my bag and limping over to the door, members ducking out of the way.

I gotta walk home like this...Owwy

* * *

A yawn worked itself out of me as I ripped off my apron, running back up the stairs and throwing on my uniform. Moving quickly to get things done and wake up Lambo at the same time. Shoving my bento box into my bag, I stuck my head into Kaede's room and informed her of my departure, before tossing Mephisto his chew toy and exiting the bakery.

Waving at Nana from the road, I listened to the familiar sound of Tsuna screaming as I ran past. A sudden buzz in my pocket brought me to a screeching halt, hand flying to the device.

 _From: Sunny Boy_

 _Hey bro, I may have gotten myself into some trouble._

A sudden weight dropped in my stomach, something ringing in the back of my mind.

 _To: Sunny Boy_

 _Where are you?_

Fuuta is here, what came after that?

 _From: Sunny Boy_

 _Namimori Central Hospital._

 _To: Sunny Boy_

 _I'm coming now._

…

"Pardon me, I'm here for Sasagawa Ryohei." I said, looking at the man sitting at reception.

"Another Namimori Middle student?" He asked, tapping away to find his room.

"Yes."

"Okay, here's the room." He hummed, writing the number down and sending me on my way.

Resisting the urge to sprint, I came up to my friend's room and opened the door harshly, giving the nurse inside a fright.

"Explain." I ordered, stepping aside as the woman bustled out quickly.

"Not even a hello?"

"Hello, now spill."

Dragging a chair over to beside his bed, I dropped down in it, tilting my head slightly as I took in his bandaged body.

"You look like shit, brother."

"Thanks. Same to you." The Sun responded.

"I ran the whole way here, what did you expect? A pantene commercial?" I responded, turning when a flash caught my eye.

Reaching past my fellow Sun, I grasped hold of something I'd much rather not see, the object being the thing that kicked open a door of memories, plot points falling into view after years of collecting dust.

"This is..."

"Oh that, I heard they found that on my chest when they found me."

Oh God.

"Man,, that guy's punch was something! Almost as good as that one you did that sent me flying into a wall! How did you do that, by the way?"

"I pushed myself." I muttered in response, still gazing at the small pocket watch in my palm.

"Did you see who did this?"

"Yeah, a middle school student. Really liked to stick his tongue out." Ryohei nodded, poking his own muscle out to illustrate his point.

Definitely them. Mukuro and his pals are here. Already.

I knew things would start to happen with more frequency as time went on, but I...I thought I had more time to just be friends with them before the death battles happened.

As the boxer continued to sing praises about the one named Ken, I clutched the watch tighter before dropping it on his lap, fishing out my phone and dialing up the Skylark of Namimori, hushing my companion.

"Morning Hibari-san, it's me. You're aware of the attacks on Nami-chuu students yes?"

" _Yes, that's right."_

"Sasagawa Ryohei is their latest target, I'm currently in Namimori Central Hospital with him, so you'll have to excuse him from school." I supplied, waving my hand at my fellow Sun when he tried to grab my phone and talk to the Skylark.

There was a pause, faint mumbles coming through, before his voice came back.

" _Very well. You're both excused. Don't make this a habit."_

"No worries, we won't. Thank you, birdy."

"EXTREME HELLO, HIBARI-SAN!" I let the Sun roar into the phone, both of us letting out a laugh when the Skylark immediately hung up after.

"And now, for Imouto."

"Don't...Don't tell her what happened. She's already worried enough as it is by boxing."

I looked up from my phone, before sighing and giving a nod of acceptance.

"Very well, I'll do the best I can. What story do you want to feed her?"

"Putting like that..." He grimaced, before breathing heavily. "Just tell her I did something dumb, like 'he climbed the bathhouse chimney', or something."

"Will do." I responded, before pressing call.

 _Flower Crown: Calling…_

" _Ki-nii? Why're you calling me just before class? Where are you and nii-san?"_

Taking a deep breath, I quickly planned my sentence, before letting it flow with painful ease.

"We're in the hospital, Namimori Central. Ryohei-kun, the little idiot, decided that scaling the bathhouse chimney was a good idea and took a tumble. He sprained a bunch of stuff, so he's taking it easy in bed over here. Doc wants to keep an eye on him incase he gets worse, but you know him, nothing can keep him down for long."

" _He did what?! Oh no, I'll came immediately! Can you look after him until then, Ki-nii?"_

"Yeah, Hibari-san's given me the green light to jig for the day. And don't worry too much, he's not in that bad a state."

" _If you're sure... tell nii-san I'll see him in a bit. Bye, Ki-nii."_ She breathed, before hanging up.

"She'll be kicking down your door in a couple minutes, best get your liar's lips on." I hummed, placing the device down on the side table.

Watching him give a heave and slump further into the mattress, I let my gaze follow the bandages wrapping his body, a slight frown on my face. I wanted to heal him, but I doubt the even Namimori doctors would let a phenomenon leave them without watching it further.

"Rest, you'll need it."

* * *

"I win again, sunshine." I hummed, throwing down my full house on top of his two 4's.

"What the EXTREME hell!? That's the second one this game!"

"What can I say, I'm gifted." I shrugged, all too happy with crushing him in cards.

" _Big brother!"_

I jolted when I heard the young Vongola spit out the title, followed closely by a confirmation of the Sun's health.

"I'm fi-"

"Broken bones and multiple fractures, as well as a bruised pride." I cut off, making the Sky yelp in surprise.

"Yamaguchi-san!"

"Yes, that's me."

Snatching my phone off the desk, I stood from my seat and flipped open the buzzing mobile, holding it to my ear as the Sky and his to be Sun interacted.

"Hello?"

" _Chattering Herbivore. Get out here, we're going."_

"Wait- What?"

I groaned as he hung up, shoving the device in my pocket before turning back to the three Mafia.

"Ryohei-kun, sorry but I've been summoned. I'll leave you in Sawada-san's care. Can you ask Kyoko-chan to drop my bag home? I don't think I'll have time."

"Ah," He breathed, looking a bit downtrodden for a moment. "Sure. Have fun."

Nodding, I jogged out of the room, weaving through the crowds of Namimori students. Pausing when two DC members intercepted me, I blinked when they began to talk to me, drawing the attention of the curious teens.

"Yamaguchi-san, Hibari-sama has called for you. He's waiting down at the gate."

"I suggest you hurry, he'll only wait for so long!"

Nodding, I took that as a green light to start running, stopping at a window on the first floor and flinging myself out of it. Stepping up beside the Skylark, I rolled my eyes as he immediately walked off, obviously expecting me to follow.

"Care to tell me where we're going, birdy?" I asked, catching up with him easily.

"To the people intruding on my territory." He answered easily, giving me just enough information to stop in my tracks.

"Then why am I here?"

I wasn't going to step to Mukuro. No way in hell.

"Because I said so." The Skylark hummed, looking at me over his shoulder.

"Aren't you a Skylark? Flying solo?" I asked, trying to disengage the situation fast.

"Shut up and come."

"But- Fudge!" I yelped, stumbling forwards as the older boy grabbed me by my tie and towed me onwards.

"Stop chattering, herbivore." He scowled, leading on towards the abandoned amusement park.

Why?!

 **...**

"Chattering Herbivore, go handle them." Hibari ordered, pointing to the wall of Kokuyo students.

"Fine, birdy." I groaned, loosening my tie after the dragging.

I gave the boys in green an apologetic smile as they ran at me with raised fists, around sixteen teens in total. They obviously weren't fighters, nor were they used to cooperative combat, some of them nearly crashing into each other.

It was surprisingly easy to render them useless, little knocks to the head and fists in their stomachs dropping them to the floor and allowing the Skylark to stroll through.

"That happened because you flocked together." He almost laughed, not so much as sparing them a glance as we continued on.

I hummed when I saw the decrepit building in which Mukuro and his company resided, shattered windows and the wild's revenge being the decor. Not even bothering to blink, I listened to Hibari bat away a would-be attacker, sending him crashing at the feet of the famed pineapple-man.

"Hello. Thank you for coming." Mukuro called, silhouetted dramatically.

"I've been looking for you for a while. Are you the one behind this little prank?" Hibari asked, looking less than pleased by his reception.

Deciding that it was best to not get between these powerhouses, I took a step back and just watched from behind the Skylark.

"Something like that." The Mist breathed, completely at ease.

"I am also the new order of your town."

"You must be talking in your sleep. This town is in no need of two orders of discipline."

I bit the inside of my cheek as I continued to watch the exchange, instinctively gearing up to either flee or defend when they go at each other.

"I completely agree. You are unnecessary." Mukuro hummed, a sharp smile on his face.

That seemed to be the kicker for the Cloud, his tonfa's spikes activating and he fell into a stance.

 _"Kamikorosu."_

"Hibari-san." I warned, remembering the beating he got.

"Quiet, Chattering Herbivore." He hushed, before stepping forwards, advancing on the seated Mist.

"Do you plan to die while sitting?"

"You really are funny. There's no need to stand, that's why I'm sitting."

"I'm going to stop talking to you." Hibari stated, looking unimpressed by the responses he was getting.

"So as you wish." Mukuro shrugged, unfazed.

"But unless you take the opportunity now, you may never speak again."

I resisted the urge to bristle at the threat, shifting to clasp my hands behind my back and part my feet, forcing my face blank. A sudden spike in Flame activity almost made me tense, my eyes falling shut as I summoned forth the visage of the Cloud and Mist in front of me.

Something was wrong with Hibari's Flames...Something off.

There!

Toeing as close as I dared to the Cloud Flame, I looked and spied the faintest of indigo outlines. The paler purple bordering Hibari's Will, rendering him under the influence of a Mist, wisps of Flame trailing back to Mukuro's body Flame.

So, I thought as I opened my eyes back to the world, Mukuro's got a hold of Hibari. What's he making the Skylark see?

"What's the matter?" The Mist cooed, laughter evident in his voice.

"You seem a bit sick."

"Shut up." The Cloud scowled, swaying on his feet slightly.

"Hibari-san, are you-" I started, taking a step forwards.

"Stay out of this, handler." He scowled, making me step back into my previous position, lowering my head to avoid falling to Mukuro's illusion.

"You should be kinder to your friend, he's only trying to help."

"He has nothing to do with this, and would do well to remember that."

I rolled my eyes, but didn't make any other move, listening to the exchange without anymore interference.

"You must not have realised who you had picked a fight with. I was surprised too, to think that a first-rate hitman like Trident Shamal was all the way out here."

Closing my eyes, I resisted the urge to frown as I saw the border on Hibari's Flame thicken, obviously showing the influence Mukuro had over him strengthen.

"His speciality, using mosquitos that have various untreatable illnesses to kill. Trident mosquitos."

That seemed to peak Hibari's interest, the boy making a noise of recognition.

The Cloud Flame in my sight started to waver.

"Now, get a hold of yourself. I'm over here."

Careful, Hibari. Don't push yourself.

"The illness you were infected with is called Sakura-kura. It's an illness that makes the victim become unsteady around sakura."

The Skylark was breathing heavy now, the sounds auditable from where I stood.

"I rushed to get these ready for you. These beautiful sakura."

Ooh, that didn't look good.

Hibari's Flame was entering dangerous territory as the border glowed brighter, almost as if feeding off the Cloud Flames.

I clenched my hands behind my back as Mukuro's body Flame advanced on the subdued Cloud, the two meeting and the canon beating starting. The Mist seemed to be having way too much fun with the situation, little mocks falling from his mouth as he kicked and punched the floored Skylark. I began to roll the beads on my wrist as the sounds grated numbly on my ears.

"How about you, Mr Strong & Silent? Aren't you going to help your friend."

"Hibari-san?" I hummed, asking permission to step up.

"Stay...out."

"As he says." Came my final answer, finding myself surprisingly apathetic to my forced helplessness.

"Suit yourself. If you want to follow orders like a dog, I won't stop you."

The impact sounds continued for a few more moments, before the Mist called for one of his men, instructing for him to take the Skylark "down there".

When the sounds of Hibari's body being dragged faded, I still didn't move, instead, making myself very aware of Mukuro's location in the room in relation to myself.

"So sorry, I've been ignoring you in favour of my other guest." He hummed, stepping up in front of me.

"I take no offence." I responded, still not opening my eyes to view the face that was uncomfortably close to my own.

"Why're your eyes closed, Mr Strong & Silent?" The boy laughed, stepping to circle me.

"I thought you might turn me to stone." I joked, listening to the younger boy's movements.

"Hm, funny. So, what's your purpose here? Come to fight me as well?"

He was directly behind me now, viewing my now loosely clasped hands.

"No, nothing like that. I only really came because I was asked."

"Do you always obey every order?" The Mist asked, moving again.

"Only when they come from Hibari-san, pain usually rewards disobedience, and I don't really fancy that."

"Why don't you just beat him? I'm sure you're plenty capable."

"Hm, two out of three times, he will win."

"Oh? So you go toe-to-toe regularly do you?"

"Often enough for him to let me off the hook for certain things." I responded, resisting the urge to step back when I felt the edge of my shirt be lifted so the Mist could view my brass.

"These don't look like they have seen much action, a pity." He hummed, trailing his nail across the shine.

"Quite the opposite actually, it means I've been left alone by less than savoury people" Came my hum.

"You dislike fighting?"

"I wouldn't say that." I breathed, honestly.

"So you like to fight."

"Wouldn't say that either."

I could hear the boy's smile as he stepped back, leaving me with my own space.

"Get him."

Tensing, I prepared for an attack, only to automatically flare up my Flame, tendrils of Mist Flames coming at mine with hostility. They swayed like snakes, rearing up in a threatening manner, as I brought my Flame to another level, letting it bend to loom over them. Neither of us showed any outwards to the exchange, making Mukuro's men fidget nervously around the borders of the room.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you targeting Namimori students? Specifically our top 12 fighters?" I finally asked, watching his Flame flicker as it began to take on a cautious curl.

"I'm looking for someone, but they're harder to get a hold of then I thought. But maybe you can help me?" He responded, again stepping into my space.

Resisting a flinch, the younger boy moved my fringe to expose the scar on my temple.

"I doubt I'll be of much help."

"And why would that be?" The Mist hummed, gently prodding the mar.

"Because I don't think I'll be telling you anything."

Acting on the sudden spike of hostility in the Mist's Flames, I threw myself out of the way of an attack, a flash of dread coming when I heard the metallic crash of his weapon against the concrete floor.

"Do you plan on fighting me with your eyes closed, Mr Strong & Silent?"

"I'd hoped I wouldn't have to fight you." I answered truthfully, stepping out of range of his weapon.

I probably would have been impaled already, if it weren't for the spark of his Flames that flashed on the end of his three-pronged weapon just before he struck, giving me an idea of where it was. If he stopped doing that, however, and just went for a normal melee attack, I was going to be in trouble.

My breath hitched when he thrust what must have been his trident at me, while at the same time throwing an illusion, making me stumble as I halved my attention. The motion of swiping at the tendrils made my body unconsciously follow, my arm flying out and batting away both the wisps and the flash of Mukuro's trident.

"Kufufu-"

"What the hell was that?" I cut him off, just barely keeping the snicker out of my voice as I heard his own.

"What?"

"Sorry, I just haven't heard a laugh like that in a while." I apologised quickly, actually quite grateful for the break in the barrage.

"Ah..." He breathed, perhaps a bit stunned by the call out.

"Carrying on."

Jumping to the side, I fled from the sharp prongs launched at me, running straight through a fragile illusion placed as a tendril glanced over my outer tongues.

"Careful, you're getting sloppy."

"I've been up since 4, so you'll forgive me."

"I might, but you won't."

Having enough of the invasive wisps, I gritted my teeth and threw my own back, intertwining our Flames and giving the Mist Flames in front of me a rush of activity, its stability going to shit as it spasmed with random bursts of energy.

The grunt of discomfort he gave was auditable from where I stood, his body stumbling as his Flame fell into a peak of chaos, before settling as I released my hold, feeling a bit drained myself.

"Are you okay there? You don't sound too well." I asked in mock concern, tilting my head.

"Oh, I'm fine, just a bit of a stitch." He responded nonchalantly, but the tension was obvious even to our little audience.

"Ah, a stitch? Maybe sitting down earlier was a bad idea."

Ha, ha!

My perspective snapped to the right side of me as I felt a Sun jump at me, forcing me to drop to the floor or risk hitting the stairs.

"Mukuro-san, let me deal with this!"

As they made a quick exchange I made the connection between them. Ken of the Kokuyo Gang.

"So your name is Mukuro, nice to formally meet you. I'm Daiki."

"He doesn't need to know the name of a dead man!" Ken shouted, charging at me.

Now, I said I wasn't going to fight Mukuro, but I had no problem roughing up his pals. With Ken's smaller Flames, it was harder to follow him, so opening my eyes was unavoidable.

Letting my pupil become a pinprick as light flooded in, I swerved out of the way as Ken's fist came flying through, my knee coming up to bury itself in his gut, doubling him over. Bringing my arm up, I let the bones of my knuckles crack against his cheek and propel him off my knee, throwing until he rolled and hit the wall.

"I apologise, Mukuro-san, but I won't be as gentle with your friends as I was with you." I hummed as I watched the blond experiment pull himself to his feet, cradling his cheek as he scowled at me.

 _Especially_ when he's the one who targeted Ryohei.

He shoved his hand in his pocket and rummaged around until he pulled free as set of false teeth, alarms ringing in my mind as he plugged them into his jaw.

"Now you've done it. _Kong Channel_!"

I blinked as he changed his appearance in an instant, his stance and overall persona morphing to suit one of a primate.

"Wow, you bulked up, Gameboy."

"Stay still and let me crush you!"

"I'd much rather not." I hummed in response, leaping out of the way as he slammed his fists down where I once stood.

Dodging swipes left and right, I winced when a claw grazed my shoulder, making me turn and run, plan in mind. Switching directions when I had no more room, I ran at the ape boy and hit the floor, sliding under his as he rammed face first into the wall. Finding my feet quickly, I grabbed him by the back of his stretched blazer and lifting his bulking body clear off the floor.

"What the hell!?" Ken shouted, muffled slightly by the large fangs in his mouth.

"What? You can change your physique in a flash, but me lifting you off the ground is too far?" I laughed, spreading my feet before I tightened my grip and slammed his body into the ground, winding him and letting his head crack against the concrete.

"Ow, sorry. That sounded like it hurt."

He growled at me, wobbling as he tried to stand.

"Stay down, Gameboy. I'd rather not fight you more than I have to-!" My voice was cut off as a sharp pain pierced my shoulder, muscles seizing up.

"Who-!?" I hissed, stumbling to the side as I looked over my shoulder at the new opponent.

"Ken-kun, you're taking too long. They're here." Chikusa grumbled, coming out of the shadows.

"Kufufu, good, good. Ken-kun, take Daiki-kun down to rest. Be gentle with him, he seems a bit stiff." Mukuro piped up after a while of silence, a pleased expression on his face.

"...Yes, Mukuro-san." Ken grouched, disengaging his channel and grabbing me as my legs began to shake, poisons flowing through my system.

"C'mon, bastard."

I grunted as I was yanked out of the room, just barely staying on my feet.

"Bye bye, Daiki-kun." The Mist cooed, purposefully grazing his Flame against mine, laughing when I did the equivalent of pinching him.

The halls were confusing, random turns and stairs leading to a random room that looked the same as all the others we had passed, most definitely a different part of the building to where Hibari had been placed.

"Mind telling me where we're going, Gameboy?" I sighed, rolling my shoulder carefully.

"You don't need to know, so shut up." He responded, pulling open another door and bringing us to a stop.

"You're pretty good at fighting." I hummed, watching in stiff helplessness as he removed my brass knuckles, shoving them in his pocket before grabbed a bunch of metal out of a drawer.

"Of course I am, Mukuro-san wouldn't settle for any less." The experiment scoffed, grabbing my wrists and slapping the equipment around them behind my back.

"You just have handcuffs lying around?"

"For guys like you." He responded, showing no sign of possessing a key.

"Well," I breathed, a small laugh escaping me. "Thanks for the fight, Ken-kun. It was pretty fun."

Leaning forwards, I gave the young blond a kiss on the forehead, pulling back with a chuckle when he flailed wildly.

"Fucking weirdo! I hope Mukuro-san keeps you in here for years!" Ken roared, kicking me in the shin before bolting out the door, slamming it behind him.

"He can try," I hummed, letting a wide grin of excitement split my face, one of Ken's hair pins in between my teeth. "But I don't really like the decor."

I was in a different part of the building, probably deeper in if the lack of windows is any indication, so the probability of anyone finding me before shit hits the fan and things start going bat shit crazy is on the low end.

Waiting is out of the question, I'm going have to be my own knight in shining armour then.  
(Like pretty much always. Like when I had to become one for Kaa-san's sake and sanity.)

Taking a breath, I turned my attention to my own body, frowning as my muscles spasmed from whatever poison that had laced the needle Chikusa had tossed at me. With no knowledge of the poison, I could only flair up my Sun Flames, activating my white blood cells and speeding up the production of the said cell.

I panted as I stopped the flood of fire, dropping to the floor as my Flames flickered carefully.

I haven't done this sort of thing in such large quantity. With Bianchi's food, I focused my attention on my stomach, but with this, I had little idea of what to do, so no doubt some of my efforts were wasted, but I didn't know how much.

"This is going to take a while." I breathed, preparing for another flair up.

 **...**

Taking a deep breath, I gave myself another once over, smiling in victory when I felt stable on my feet for the first time since I was trapped in here. Not the greatest, but the best I could do at the moment, a visit to Shamal was definitely needed after this, though.

Dropping back to the floor, I pulled the chain around from under my legs, bringing my hands to my front after only a few seconds. Plucking Ken's pin out of my teeth, I broke it in two before bending them into shape and proceeding to quietly pick the lock on my wrists, moving onto the other when one was released. With the handcuffs discarded on the ground, I rubbed my wrists before moving to the door, taking up the pick again when I found it locked.

"Alright." I breathed, the door swinging open.

 _Boom!_

"Ah, Gokudera-san and the others must be here. But I'm still lost."

Stepping out of the room, I grimaced as I tried to remember the way back, hours of divided attention not helping my memory.

 _"Midori tanabiku namimori no! Dai nake shou naku nami ga ii!"_

Is that...Oh my God, yes.

Thinking fast, I opened my mouth and continued the song that the Skylark insisted on burning into all of Nami-chuu's memory.

"Itsumo kawaranu sukoyaka kenage. Aa... tomo ni utaou namimori chuu."

Seconds after I finished the verse, a little yellow ball came whizzing around the corner. A smile split my face as the puffy bird actually had the guts to land on my pointer, dwarfed by my larger being.

 _"Asa tsuyu kagayaku namimori no! Heihei bonbon nami de ii!"_ It continued to sing, making me laugh at its high pitch.

Hibird flapped his wings wildly and jumped on my hand, urging me to carry on with the only thing it knew, other than its Mama bird.

"Iitsumo kiowanu sukoyaka kenage. Haha... tomo ni waraou namimori chuu." I sung, before gently patting its feathers with my other pointer.

"Can you take me to Hibari-san?"

"Hibari? Hibari!" It chirped, before flying off my finger, singing the anthem to guide me through the darkened halls.

 _"Kimi to boku to de namimori no! Atarimae taru nami de ii!"_

"Itsumo issho ni sukoyaka kenage. Aa... tomo ni ayumou namimori chuu." I responded, following it quickly.

Another boom went off, much closer than before, hinting to the distance between me and the bomber.

Restarting the song, I chased the bird as it led on, the sounds of combat becoming louder with each turn. At the last corner, Hibird ceased singing and fluttered on the spot, bringing me to a pause.

"Hibari! Hibari!" He chirped, before flying off.

 _"How uncool."_

Peeking around the corner, I narrowed my eyes as I saw both Ken and Chikusa standing at the top of a staircase, smirking down at the slope. Pained grunts were escaping from the void, familiar in note and supplying me the identity of the source.

 _"Beaten! Beaten!"_ Hibird chirped from within, alerting me to the situation at hand.

There was a pause, before the song of Nami-chuu rang out.

 _"Midori tanabiku namimori no! Dai naku shou naku nami ga ii!"_

"Heh, does he still plan on fighting?" Ken laughed, both he and his companion stepping down into the basement.

The resounding boom spoke of the Skylark's release, jovial jabs following as debris fell.

"Haha! So this half dead guy is supposed to be your reinforcement?"

 _"I could have gotten out myself, but this works."_

 _"Midori tanabiku namimori no! Dai naku shou naku nami ga ii!"_

 _"Ha, he tamed Bird-san's bird!"_

 _"Midori tanabiku namimori no! Dai naku shou naku nami ga ii!"_

 _"Okay, now that's getting real annoying, why won't it shut up?"_

 _"Midori tanabiku namimori no! Dai naku shou naku nami ga ii!"_

Letting out a sigh, I stepped to the top of the stairs, smiling slightly when the bird flapped and opened its beak.

 _"Midori tanabiku namimori no! Dai naku shou naku nami ga ii!"_

"Itsumo kawaranu sukoyaka kenage. Aa... tomo ni utaou namimori chuu." I sang in response, barely holding back a sharp grin as the boys in green spun around, five sets of eyes landing on me.

"Yamaguchi...Daiki?" Gokudera groaned, laying flat on the ground.

"Daiki! Daiki! Hibari! Hibari!" Hibird chirped, fluttering around the Skylark's head.

"Hey birdy, you've seen better days." I hummed, dropping down the step, giving the cartridge user a sharp smile as he looked to my free wrists.

"How did you get out!?" He growled, stepping towards me.

"I have you to thank, Ken-kun." I smirked, showing the thin pieces of metal between my teeth.

His eyes widened as his hand flew to his fridge, obviously remembering my stunt back in the room, his friend rounding on him in confusion.

"Bastard!" Ken roared, charging at me.

Giving a not-so-apologetic smile, I raised my leg and kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing back down into the basement, his head cracking against the floor by Chikusa's feet.

"Sorry, Gameboy, but I'll be taking these back." I hummed, bending to retrieve my brass as Hibari mercilessly beat the yoyo user.

For the first time in a while, I slipped on the matching weapons, the weight giving me a rush I may have been embarrassed to admit. Clenching my fists to get a feel for them again, I turned to the groan of Gokudera, giving him a sympathetic smile as he tried to pull himself to his feet.

"Chikusa-san, Shamal-sensei, and Ken-kun all in one day, huh?" I hummed, reaching for the Storm before picking him up clear off the floor.

"Put..me down, fucking giant." He scowled, obviously not liking bridal.

"I don't think you're in a great state, right now." I responded, before turning to Hibari.

"Either of you."

"I'll be fine." The Skylark scoffed, before walking off.

"Ah, Hibari-san, you'll need this." The Storm called, tossing a white package at the Cloud.

Remembering what it was, I brushed off the action and merely watched the Skylark take the Sakura-kura antidote. Sighing, I followed after him, the three of us quickly finding our way with the sounds of Tsuna's screaming our lighthouse.

"Put me down. I don't want Tenth seeing me like this." Gokudera pressured, swing one of his legs out of my grip.

Lowering him, I slipped a tongue of sunshine into his system, giving the Storm a boost that would last him some time. The two made their entrances as I stepped back, allowing myself to be obscured for the most part.

I would have healed them both, not really caring what they thought, but having Hibari in a good state would give Mukuro an edge he _really_ shouldn't have.

"Sorry, we're late."

 _"Hibari-san! Gokudera-kun!_ "

My lips remained in a firm line as I watched Hibari expend the last bit of his energy to floor Mukuro, before he himself dropped, causing the young Vongola justified concern. I fought to remain apathetic as Tsuna's face fell into one of trauma as the Mist lined the barrel of his gun with his head, pulling the trigger with an earsplitting bang.

Words were exchanged as I closed my eyes, almost jolting when I saw Mukuro's Flame abandon his body, slipping past the Vongolas and drawing close to Bianchi's Storm Flame. I watched with morbid interest as the Mist consumed the red Flame, a faint vermilion glow within lilac.

So, that's what it looks like...Cool.

 _"So, you finally beat Mukuro-san."_

 _"Aneki?"_

I resisted the urge to smile as Tsuna's Flame stood on end, his little Vongola instinct going off in warning as his Right Hand neared something rather dangerous.

 _"Gokudera-kun! Get away!"_

Thuds and words later, the Vongola was made aware of the situation. It was moving faster than one would have expected, but then again, there were no dramatic camera shots and repeats.

 _"I still have something I must do. So I've returned from hell."_

But we still have dramatic dialogue.

Crossing my arms and leaning against the wall, I kept my eyes and mouth shut, watching the fight through a much different perspective than last time. It was easier to keep track of who was possessed this way, Mukuro never leaving my sight as I jumped to a sort of bird's eye view.

 _"You're the first to realise I've possessed someone after just one glance, Vongola Tenth."_

Eh-hem!

Looking back to Bianchi, I found interest in the ever so faint ember of lilac nuzzled beside her Storm Flame, showing the connection between her and Mukuro was still very much present. Resting my head against the wall, I listened with half-hearted interest as Reborn fell into more exposition. My once useless mind filling in the blanks with once useless information.

Watching carefully, I watched Mukuro strolled up to the unconscious Cloud, implanting a flare of his Mist in him, establishing the bond. Abandoning Gokudera's body, the younger boy jumped into Hibari, moving the body with trouble.

 _"To fight with a body like this...What a fearsome man."_

Damn right.

The Mist Flame wriggled out of its meat suit before breaking off into four, shooting in varied directions to find suitable hosts.

 _"Careful, he'll possess either Gokudera-san of Bianchi-chan."_ Reborn cautioned, sounding fairly serious.

I think he's after more than the siblings, Reborn.

As two pieces of Mukuro stepped up behind me, I showed no outward reaction to address them, letting them come closer until their breaths were auditable. When they hovered, I gestured for them to go ahead with the hand closest to them, allowing them to walk around me.

"You aren't going to help the Tenth?" Mukuro asked with Ken's voice.

"Sorry, but I don't think he'll need it." I hummed, giving a smirk as his Flame wavered for a split second.

"I think I'll come after you next."

"I'd rather you didn't."

He made a noise of amusement before joining his other parts in the main room, throwing the Vongola and his teacher into chaos.

Opening my eyes, I thought about his threat and decided to not take the chance. Pushing off the wall, I left the hall and walked into the open, sounds of explosions fading as I breached the outside. Rubbing my eyes against the afternoon sun, I walked until I reached a picnic area not too far away.

Sitting down on a bench, I closed my eyes and tapped back into the Flames, the sight faded from the distance, but still able to be seen. My range had gotten bigger since I had first started seeing, nights of practice and stretching my mind until I could see my entire block and some.

I clenched my fists as the Vongola party's Flames wavered, their bodies physically exhausted and damaged, but still being forced to move.

"They'll be fine. They'll be fine." I chanted quietly, watching as I gritted my teeth behind deadline lips.

The Mukuros gathered before the Vongola and Arcobaleno Sun, seeming to watch some sort of action taking place before another explosion sounded, the Flames scattering to distance themselves from the source.

I took a heavy breath when I saw Tsuna's Sky Flame waver and enter the dangerously low territory, the orange tongues letting of waves of an emotional pain. If I remembered correctly, then this was around the time he'd be seeing real-time rebukes from people close to him.

Pausing my track of thought, I shifted and glanced around as I wondered for a moment before deciding nothing would come of it, and opened my mouth.

"Sawada-san...Don't give up just yet." I spoke to no one, feeling a bit dumb.

"I haven't beaten you in your video games yet, so you can't go getting yourself killed."

A laugh left me when nothing happened, no change in the atmosphere or magical response. Rocking slightly, I clasped my hands and gave a hissed breath, looking to the tattered building.

"Best get swimming, Little Fish."

I couldn't help but physically jump when the shock wave hit me, Sky Flames of another kind wafting through the air to the point it made my ears buzz. Not the screeching of DWM, but a controlled hum, deep and constant like a voice.

"Hyper Dying Will Mode." I breathed, unable to fight the proud smile that hit my face, closing my eyes as I watched Tsuna's Flame burn brightly within his body.

"Go get 'em, Little Fish."

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Hurts. Everything hurts.

Tsuna grimaced as another wave of pain washed over him, Gokudera's bombs falling to ash around him.

 _I've had enough of being hurt. Of being scared._

 _"Ah! These clothes!"_

The Vongola heir winced as he opened his eyes, trying to locate the familiar voice.

 _"Tsuna-kun went out after making a mess again! I always tell him to become more independent and look after himself!"_

The visage of his mother standing in his mess of a room bombarded his mind's eye, faded around the edges as pain clouded his brain.

K...Kaa-san? Is this a dream?

 _"What's this? Sawada-san's test is in with the daytime duty journal! And he only scored two points."_ Kurokawa Hana sighed, standing in her home with the Sky's paper in hand.

 _"He really is a No-Good Tsuna, he needs to do better is he wants to get Kyoko-chan."_

Why am I hearing Kurokawa badmouthing me at a time like this?

"It seems like it's the effect of the special bullet." Reborn declared, forcing Tsuna's eye open again.

"What you're hearing is real time rebukes from others."

Rebukes? Why now?

 _Am I going to be No-Good Tsuna to the very end?_

 _"Ha-hi!? What's he doing!? Charging into the enemy's headquarters isn't the rational thing to do!"_ Haru exclaimed, fear and concern obvious on her face.

That's Haru.

 _"Hahaha! Haru-chan's crying!"_

 _"I'm not crying! I'm going to be a Mafia Boss' wife! This sort of thing shouldn't faze me! Tsuna-kun, do your best!"_

The scene changed and instead showed the Sasagawa siblings in Ryohei's hospital room.

 _"Don't worry so much, Kyoko-chan."_ The male tried, looking up at his younger sister.

 _"But Shamal-sensei said that Tsuna-kun charged in!"_

 _"Don't worry, I said."_

 _"But-"_

 _"Sawada-san's the strongest man I've ever crossed fists with, I won't forgive him if he comes back defeated."_

 _"You're right, He'll be fine. Tsuna-kun, come home safely."_

Kyoko...Big brother...

 _"Sawada-san...Don't give up just yet."_

Yamaguchi?

 _"I haven't beaten you in your video games yet, so you can't go getting yourself killed."_ The elder boy breathed, sitting in a familiar place that Tsuna's pained mind couldn't place.

 _"Best get swimming, Little Fish."_

Little...Fish.

 _"Don't make the same mistake I made. Protect your friends. Protect your family with your hands."_

Lancia...

Protect them.

"I don't think I have to voice my rebuke." Reborn hummed, looking all too pleased.

Time to get swimming, I suppose.

 **|S.T|**

* * *

I threw my head back and laughed loudly as the vibrations from Tsuna's Sky Flames made my body buzz in excitement, the familiar desire to get up and do something coming as my feet bounced on the seat of the bench.

The little fish was speeding around the room, completely destroying the escaped experiment's proxy bodies with a graceful ease. Sharp flashes of Will going off, allowing me to see what kinds of moves each of the opponents used. The Sky Flames were slightly unsteady, as expected for the first time, but they were still impressive, the hum almost lyrical at certain times.

My excitement withered, however, when Mukuro's Mist Flame took on a sickly shade, the tinder beneath his Will turning sludgy, almost like oil. As blackened as it was, it worked, all the same, boosting the vibrancy of the boy's Flame.

With the newly acquired fuel, Mukuro was able to hit Tsuna head on, sending him impacting against a far wall.

I tapped my foot as I felt the vibrations of the Sky's Flame kick up, proving that he was still in the game. The surprise showed through the Mist's own Flame, tongues flickering in caution. With Tsuna's Flame now emanating from three different places, I could follow his body easier, being able to see where his hands and head were as to compared to a single mass of fire.

Letting my leg bounce to reduce the amount of second-hand energy in me, I watched Tsuna use his flames to redirect and speed himself up, appearing behind the Mist user and force his Flames to spas in panic. The Sky sent his flaming fist forwards and let it collide with Mukuro, sending him spaces back and on the floor.

A frown came to my face as the Mist settled, seemingly grasping the situation at last and finding a way to turn it in his favour. The Flames remained in their positions for a few moments, tongues wavering in reactions to some sort of exchange.

"Probably talking about Mukuro-san's plan of WWIII." I hummed, leaning back on my hands.

The conversation wasn't long lived, however, because moments later the two of them were at it again, bodies flying as they traded blows.

I froze when three Flames stepped onto my radar, unfamiliar, but not hostile. It took me a moment before I let myself relax and remember who they were.

Vindice. Guess it's almost over, then.

Keeping my head down, I watched their Flames walk past me, not so much as sparing the kid on the bench a glance as they continued on.

Quickly returning my attention to Tsuna and his opponent, I held my breath in surprise as I saw the young Vongola go flying towards Mukuro's trident, only for his Flames to kick up yet another notch and propel him back, allowing him to grasp the Mist and singe the blackness away, leaving Tsuna to release his hold on HDWM.

Movement around them caught my attention, Ken and Chikusa's Sun and Rain Flames weakly dragging themselves towards Mukuro, Sky Flames wavering in confusion and shock. The three Vindice chose that moment to step in, dragging the Kokuyo members from the room.

Opening my eyes, I let a long breath out, a relieved expression on my face.

Kokuyo Arc is over, faster than I expected it to be, as well, with only the expected amount of damage done to each member.

"Well," I breathed, standing on the seat as I patted my pants down. "Best get going, don't want Sawada-san or Reborn-san seeing me here."

Plucking my little make shift lock pick from my pocket, I gave a small laugh before placing it on the table and stepping down, stretching.

"I'll be seeing you, Mukuro-san." I hummed, walking from my spot.

* * *

 **|S.T|**

The young Vongola groaned as he stood, the special Vongola Medical team Reborn promised finished attending to their patients and now sending them on their way. The party, exhausted in more ways than one, worked their way out of the park, pausing when their Boss stopped.

"Tenth? What's wrong?" Gokudera asked, watching the younger boy gaze at a bench.

That's...That's where I saw Yamaguchi...

Taking stumbled steps forth, the young Sky reached the table, blinking when he saw something flash. Taking up the thin pieces of metal, he examined them until it clicked.

"A lock pick..."

It's impossible, Yamaguchi wouldn't be here. He couldn't be mixed up in all this, I just probably dreamed up his rebuke. I doubt he thinks about me enough to have one.

"Tenth? Are you okay?" His Storm called, making the young Vongola turn.

"Yeah, I just thought I saw something!" He responded, shoving the pieces in his pocket before quickly rejoining his company.

 **|S.T|**


	15. Chapter 15

**Word Count:** **11,278**

* * *

Groaning, I slammed my hand down on my phone, fumbling for the correct button that would shut off the alarm. Wincing as I sat up, I pulled up my shirt and frowned at the bruises and red marks that dotted parts of my chest, the reason obvious to me.

"I need Bo-kun to stay in a different room at night, I can't keep wearing my binder all the time."

The aforementioned boy was over at the Sawada's, probably blowing out the Vongola's room with his guns. I had already taken his grenades off him after he freed the animals, only letting him have them when he went to Tsuna for the sake of plot.

" _Daiki-kun! Come and have breakfast!"_

"Comin'!" I responded, pulling myself out of my bed.

Grabbing my binder from the back of my closet, I yanked off my shirt and wiggled it on, pausing when it felt off. Moving slightly, I shifted around within the cloth. Twisting my torso, I felt a rock of dread drop in my stomach as a shallow breath left me, not enough room in my chest to take a full one. With wide eyes I placed my hands on the binder, giving tugs of disbelief before working it off and threw on a baggy shirt.

Walking quickly out of my room, I moved around the house and grabbed the measuring tape out of Kaede's sewing kit, before sprinting back up the stairs, ignoring my mother's call. Locking my room door behind me, I wrapped it around my chest, measuring my bust from the highest point of elevation, a hissed swear falling from my lips when I saw the number.

"I'm gonna need a new binder." I breathed, dropping down on my bed with a sigh.

"Kaa-san's gonna _love_ this."

A hollow laugh left me, as I dropped the tape beside the too small chest binder. Shaking my head, I grabbed the material before walking out the door, not giving myself time to psych myself up.

"Kaa-san?" I called, stepping into the dining room.

"Ah, finally! I called you down for breakfast a while..." Her smile faded when she saw the obvious bulge in my shirt, black binder hanging at my side.

"I need a new binder." I managed out, my voice dipping, almost as if to compensate for her as her eyes became glassy.

"Why would you need a binder?"

"This one's become too small."

"Okay, we'll see what we can do." She breathed, before turning back to her meal.

Taking that as my sign to leave, I walked out of the room, returning to my own and dropping down on my bed face first. The familiar tapping of Mephisto's nails tapping against the floor sounded as he trotted into my space, nudging the door closed with his nose.

Looking up from my pillow, I smiled when I saw him dragging over my platypus, recently named Bill. Moving over, I let the canine jump onto my bed before helping him haul up the child sized doll, curling myself around it and reaching around to let him take my hand between his teeth.

"ThanksMiphy." I muttered, the white dog giving a huff in response.

* * *

Placing down the last of the flour bags, I gave a breath of discomfort, the new gear not fitted to my shape just yet.

"Done in here, kaa-san."

"Ah, thank you, little man." Kaede smiled, a letter in her hands.

Blinking at it, I stepped up beside her and read the small kanji over her shoulder, blinking when I saw an unfamiliar name attached at the bottom.

"Who's Himura Daisuke?" I asked, frowning as she began to bounce in excitement.

"Your grandfather!"

"The yakuza one who gave me the brass knuckles?"

"The very same! Oh, you have to get ready! Go and change into some good clothes!" Kaede squealed, beginning to push me towards the door connecting the house and bakery.

"What? Why? School!" I yelped, not quite catching the situation.

"I'll call you in, your grandfather wants to see you today! You can't refuse! Get ready!" The lady Yamaguchi urged, finally getting me through the door and running around me.

"Of course! I've been hoping otou-sama would try to get in contact with you!"

Otou-sama?

"Daiki-kun, stop standing around and get ready! The car will be here to pick you up soon!"

I gave a strangled noise as I was pushed towards the stairs, letting a sigh escape me as I pulled off my apron and walked the rest of the way myself. Locking my door behind me, I stripped and grabbed the first things from my closet and pulled them on without really looking. Clipping on my brass, I grabbed my glasses and hung them from my collar just in case.

Spinning, I checked myself in the mirror, blinking when I saw my randomized outfit. Black slacks and a dark blue button up shirt, half tucked out of sheer laziness but showing off the hooks and links of the silver chain that held my brass.

"When and why were you in my closet?" I asked the clothes on my body, not remembering owning the items.

"Daiki-kun!"

"Ya, coming!"

Yanking on a pair of socks, I grabbed a jacket before running out, stuffing my feet into my shoes as Mephisto jumped around my feet excitedly.

"Be good. Do as you're told and be respectful." Kaede hummed, covering her mouth as if ready to cry.

"What's wrong now?" I asked, one hand on the wall to support myself as the heel of the only shoes that went with this style of clothing sank under my foot.

"You look so much like your father in those clothes."

"Sure I do. Anyway, be safe. Don't let strange people into the house- including children and don't let Lambo-kun play with anything purple. I'm going out, see you later." I listed, before walking out the door, jacket hanging over my shoulder.

Coming to a sharp stop, I blinked at the suited and sunglass-ed man standing leaning on a sleek black car, the idea that he was Mafia coming before logic knocked at my mind again.

"Yamaguchi Daiki?" He asked as I stepped forwards, keeping a carefully blank expression on my face.

"Yes sir, that's me."

"In the car, please." He grunted, putting out his cigarette and opening the door.

Fighting off the stun I got from the action, I nodded in thanks before sliding in, laying my jacket out on the seat next to me. Looking up as the yakuza got into the driver's seat, I saw him glance at me through the mirror from over his sunglasses, quickly averting his gaze when he saw me watching. Giving a slight frown, I looked out the window, holding back a wince when I saw people gawk at the shiney black, no doubt expensive, car glide past, out of place in the plain neighbourhood.

"So, where are you taking me, exactly?" I asked after minutes of tense silence.

"The Watanabe Family house."

"Ah...Can I know your name?"

"No."

Jeez, thanks.

Giving a sigh, I relaxed into the car seat, looking out the tinted window as I watched us go from the suburban area towards the more big city part of our prefecture. A frown came to my face as my phone buzzed in my pocket, the driver man's head moving slightly as he glanced at me.

Pulling out the device, I winced when I saw the name _Sunny Boy_ on my screen.

Ah yeah, I hadn't told them I'd be absent today.

Flipping the phone open, I held the item an arm's length away as the Sun's voice boomed through the quiet car, taking a certain joy in how the driver jumped.

" _YAMAGUCHI DAIKI, YOU PIECE OF STALE BREAD AND MOLD, WHERE THE EXTREME HELL ARE YOU!?"_

"Morning to you too, Ryohei-kun. I'm going to visit some relatives." I responded, a slight jovial tone in my voice.

" _And why didn't you EXTREMELY tell me you'd be absent!?"_

"I'm going to be absent."

" _BRO!"_

"That reminds me, I should probably text Takeshi-kun and warn him too. Bye-bye, bro." I hummed, hanging up before he could blow my speaker.

Selecting the Rain's text box, I typed up a message before hitting the send button, glancing up at the time and grimacing.

Shit, Ryohei called me in the middle of class!

 _To: Favourite Stalker  
Hey, just a warning so you don't kick in my door and give kaa-san a heart attack, I'm going to miss school today._

There was a short pause, my tongue between my teeth as I hoped he had his phone on silent or off. I wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or amused when he sent me back a text within two minutes.

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
You're not going to be here? Why not? Are you sick?_

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
And I didn't kick your door in._

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Miphy let me in._

A small smile came to my face as I read the barrage of texts, my phone buzzing almost non-stop from the sequence.

 _To: Favourite Stalker  
No, I'm not sick. I'm just going out of town to visit a relative. Trespassing is still trespassing._

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Oh hush, you were happy to have me there. You didn't kick me out._

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Visiting single relative? On your own? Out of town?_

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Do you know them well? 'Cause I don't remember you __ever_ _talking about your family beyond your parents._

What do you want me to say? Hey, Takeshi, my grand-daddy's a mobster! Fun!

Yeah, how about- NO.

 _To: Favourite Stalker  
There wasn't much to talk about. I've never met him before._

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
You know, shujin-kun, this sounds like the storyline to some sort of horror film. I might have to come save you._

 _To: Favourite Stalker  
Maybe, maybe not. But right now, I think you might want to get back to class._

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Don't worry. I'll make sure he will. Please stop texting your boyfriend while he's in class.  
-Yamamoto's teacher._

A snort left me when the message came through after a pause, shutting off my phone as I shoved it back into my pocket. Looking back out the window, I breathed when I saw the sign that showed we had just left the Namimori area, entering the outside world. I had never gone anywhere besides Tokyo and Namimori in this life, going between those two points via bullet train, resulting no interaction with the towns and places between.

Maybe, I should visit Australia at some point. After all of this is over.

"We're here."

I THOUGHT KAEDE SAID THIS WAS A SMALL GROUP!?

Fighting to keep my jaw closed, I stared up at the traditional building, the compound's walls going for a fair distance. A rather ominous gate stood between me and the yakuza's land, trees peering over the wood and stonework

I nodded mutely and reached for my door, only to have it swung open for me. Poking my head out, I held back the frown on my face when I saw three bulking men glaring down at me. Each of them were wearing clothes of varying classes, tattoos peeking out of their collars and sleeves.

"Good morning." I hummed, stepping out as I draped my jacket over my arm.

The trio gave grumbled responses, eyeing me up as I stood to my full height, gaining a few centimetres over the smallest. We stood in silence for a few seconds before they turned and gestured for me to follow, entering the compound as the gates opened for them. I pushed my hands into my pockets as I chased the men through main entrance of the building, walking down a hall lined with sliding doors. Within each room, there was a small company of people, each of them ceasing their activity to watch me go past, forcing me to fight to keep an expression of apathy.

It's just a visit to your grandfather, don't get too nervous. So what if he's a yakuza? You've talked back to a Mafia level criminal and Reborn himself! Just cool your head, this won't be too-

"He's in here." The tallest of the men grunted, making us stop.

Cool and calm. Nothing to get frazzled about. He's just your gangsta grandpa.

I nodded quietly, allowing the man to turn to the door and announce us.

" _Wakagashira,_ Yamaguchi Daiki is here."

Okay, now you can panic.

Second in command?! Shit!

" _Let him in."_

Holding back a look of utter horror, I entered the room, quiet swears echoing in the back of my mind.

Mum, why don't you tell me stuff I need to know _before_ I need to know them!?

Keeping my eyes down, I walked at a reserved pace over to the empty cushion before kneeling on it, laying my jacket beside me.

"Good morning." I greeted, unsure of how to address him just yet.

The man across from me didn't address me immediately, instead spent the first few moments drinking and renewing the contents of his cup. It was only when he finished the liquid in his crematic bottle, did he finally decide to save me from boredom.

"Yamaguchi Daiki, I expected you to be...taller." He hummed, making me deadpan at the space just in front of his knees.

I'm 183 cm, what more do you want from me?

"Oh, well, I'm sorry to disappoint." I responded, just managing to keep the sarcastic tone out of my voice.

The old man sitting before me had all the colouration of my mother, only more masculine and sharp edges to his face and body. Despite that, he was still quite small, only maybe up to my shoulders in height, and he had a slightly sickly look to him. Cheeks slightly sunken, showing off sharp bones, and partially darkened eyes made him ever so sinister.

"As you should be."

Wow.

"How old are you?" He asked, looking only mildly interested with a never changing face.

"16, as of January 21st." I answered with just as much expression.

"What grade are you in?"

"Third year."

"What's your best subject in school?"

"Both English and Maths."

"And the worst?"

"Geography."

"More sake." Himura suddenly called, breathing loudly.

I blinked in confusion, thinking it was an order intended for me, only to be corrected when a small, young woman shuffled in with a try of the cloudy liquid. As soon as she placed it down, she bowed and got out of the room with surprising speed, her eyes never leaving the ground. The second in command of the Watanabe Family took up his little saucer before shooting the alcohol back, sighing as he straightened.

"Do you drink?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm underage."

He took down another shot.

"Any tattoo's?"

"No."

"Do you smoke?"

"No."

"Do you ever skip class?"

"If I have a valid reason. But I always give some sort of notification to the school's committee."

"Do you fight?"

"I am in the boxing club." I answered, not really lying.

"What do you do in your spare time?"

"Study, train or sleep."

"Do you have many friends?"

"A fair few."

He let out a faint hum, downing the last of his liquor, before slamming his sucer down and looking straight at me.

"Good, you have the Watanabe eyes. Unlike your mother."

I managed to stop myself from bristling at the way he spoke, very much disliking the tone he took.

Watanabe eyes? For some reason, I don't think he was referring to the colouration.

"Do you have something against my mother?" Came my question, somehow keeping my voice flat line.

"Do I have something against her!? She's a failure! The child couldn't do anything right! The fact that she's a girl only adds to her list of disappointme-!"

I jolted when the old man fell into a coughing it, moving slightly to help him only to have Himura raise a bony, arthritic hand. It took him a moment, but my grandfather managed to collect himself.

"I am from the main family of Watanabe, the eldest son. And as such, I should have received the title of _oyabun_." He breathed, making me internally raise an eyebrow.

"With the Watanabe blood flowing through me, I still bear the name Himura. The name of my mother, the last oyabun's mistress, or sorts. A disgusting woman who laid herself out to any man of influence."

A bastard son?

"Her body, riddled with disease and imperfections, infected my own, leaving me with a fragile being. Sickly, weak and illegitimate."

Narrowing my eyes slightly, I spied his hands clenching against his clothes, veins bulging against withered skin.

"For a while, I had a chance to sit at the top. While being a bastard, I was still a direct blood relative to the oyabun. It only took him and his wife year to remedy that after I came to this house, popping out a healthy, strong and legitimate heir."

I'm getting very strong Xanxus vibes here.

"With Watanabe Tanaka on the throne, I was bumped down as a spare, going further and further as he continued to create spawn, but they were all female- all 6! - and otou-sama wanted a son to success the line. I had one chance left to prove myself to that man..." He paused, taking a deep breath.

"And that child ruined it! Twins! There were _twins_ in womb! A girl and a boy! I had hope!"

I gave the table an apathetic glance as it was flipped, crematic and spare sake hitting the floor.

"Then that _bitch_ goes and survives! She survives when her brother dies! My son! She killed my son! She killed my hope! My last chance, gone!"

Himura held his head as in his hands as he brought his breath down, actively trying to calm himself. Slowly, he rose, pointing his shaking, bony finger at me as he locked wide eyes on my face.

"But...But now I have you...You, the first boy in our line since my half brother! A direct descendant of _me_! _My_ blood will see the top!"

"All of your cousins are women! It's like some sort of curse has been placed upon the family!" He laughed, a smile of glee on his face.

"Letting that Yamaguchi man into the family was the best decision of my life! So what if it cost a small fortune!? He fixed fate!"

"Wait, what do you mean 'small fortune'?" I asked, not liking where this was going.

"The dowry, my boy! Do you really think anyone would marry that girl if not for the money that would come wither her!? That man's dream was to open a bakery of sorts, but he needed the money." He grinned, leaning forwards as if to tell me a secret.

"So, one day my little mistake comes home with a boy in tow. He's drunk on his feet and she's as giddy as a bitch. I offer him another drink, nothing else to do. That last cup seemed to be the boy's breaking point. Spent the rest of the night sobbing over some woman who ditched him, spluttering about how he still wanted to open the bakery they dreamed of."

I resisted the urge to grit my teeth, clamping down on my rather emotive Flames.

"And I think: I need to get rid of my kid, he needs money to fulfil his useless dreams, it's a win-win! I make him the offer, he accepts happily, the little sow couldn't stop crying and thanking me. They get married within the year, the bakery opens by the next month, and a year and a half later..." He finally stops to breath.

"I get a letter with a picture enclosed, that girl had _actually_ managed to give us a _boy!_ We had a boy!"

I tensed as he scrambled to his feet, grabbing me by my upper arms and grinning down at me.

"We had _you!_ Yamaguchi Daiki, _you_ will sit in the oyabun's seat!"

"Why would I do this? I have no reason to get involved with the yakuza." I responded, finding no benefit in this.

"But my boy, it's your birthright! Power, money, men and women!"

"None of which I am very interested in. I can achieve all of that myself, given time."

"Daiki-kun, think!"

I stared up at him passively, not showing the discomfort I felt in his grip. This was not what I had expected to happen when I came through those doors.

"I have no doubt a young man from our family could rise to the top of anything given time, but this is a shortcut of a grand scale! 16 years old and generations of wealth, connections and influence at your fingertips!"

"Now, come quickly! The highest ranking members and the young Master will be having a meeting today, we've been asked to attend." Grandfather urged, trying to pull me to my feet.

Standing through my own power, I looked down at him as he grinned up at me, placing his hands on my shoulders and arms.

"Well muscled, strong form. A bit on the thin side, but that's fine. Good face, too." He listed, looking me over.

"Is that a scar?" The old man suddenly asked, sounding way too excited about the injury.

"Yes." I responded, clamping down on the desire to flinch away as he let his hand come up and restyle my hair to reveal the mar.

"Show it off, boy! Battle scars are a source of pride! Where'd you get it?"

"I was helping a friend."

"Loyal as well! Oh, you'll do me proud!"

Grandfather took a breath, letting his face fall back into the stern expression I had been received by, his attitude doing a complete 180.

"What we talked about here is treason, don't let it leave the room. Am I understood, Daiki-kun?" He requested, sounding more like ordered.

"I have no interest in this, but I'll attend your meeting, if it will give you some closure."

"I'm sure you'll come around. But now, we must depart, the rest must have already gathered." He grunted, leading the way.

Following the elderly man, I kept a respectful distance, only to get ushered forwards so he could speak to me.

"You will refer to me as ojii-san from here on, keep reference of your mother to an absolute minimum."

Giving a muted frown, I breathed a tight breath as we turned the corner, a loud scream forcing us to stop. Looking up from the man's head, I held back a flinch when I saw a group of at least fifteen women staring at me, all of them young and bright eyed and most of all, they all looked similar.

"Who's he?" One of the younger girls asked, looking up at the one holding her hand.

"I wouldn't know dear, maybe a new grunt?"

"No...wait!" Another yelped, lifting the front of her kimono so that she could bound over to me.

"He's no grunt! He's got the same eye shape as us! Look!"

"Toru-chan, careful! You're going to poke his eyes out!"

I carefully grasped the pointy-nailed hand centimetres from my eyes and guided it away from my face, looking down at the smaller girl.

"You're...very good at finding detail." I hummed, releasing her as she fled back to her flock.

"Daiki-kun, these are all your cousins. Girls, say hello to your cousin, Yamaguchi Daiki." Grandfather huffed, gesturing to me.

" _Cousin!?"_

" _We have a guy as a cousin!?"_

" _Why did I not know of this!?"_

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." I finally spoke, bowing to the mass of female.

It took them a moment, but they all rushed together, a system apparently hammered into them. Standing in a certain order, they all bowed in synchrony, their voices coming to harmony as they greeted me.

Did I just say 'hi' to a bunch of girls or robots?

" _Him! I want him!_ "

...Pardon?

Both my grandfather and I blinked at each other as the crowd was split, a single girl barreling towards me with fierce speed. With wide eyes, I held back a yelp as my collar was grabbed and I was pulled down to her height, large grey eyes sparkling up at me.

"I want him! I want him! None of the boys at my school are as handsome as he is!" She squealed, looking over her shoulder at her many cousins.

"Cousin, we go to a girl's school."

"Ah, by want me...what do you mean, exactly? And who are you?" I asked, very worried about the situation.

"I'm Naomi and you're going to marry me, we'll have seven sons!"

…What?

"You're my cousin." I stated.

" _Second_ cousin, actually!"

"Means the same thing to me. And besides," I responded, a frown coming to my face. "I'm already in a relationship with someone back home."

A silence washed over the hall.

" _Ohoho?"_

" _Who is it?!"_

" _Who tops?"_

" _Have you done the do?!"_

" _Lady or laddie?"_

" _Should I be ready to buy you a wedding present?"_

"Ojii-san," I squeaked. "Help me."

The once refined ladies had swarmed me in an instant, desire for gossip on a relationship destroying years of breeding and training in less than a moment.

"It doesn't matter! Because you have to choose me! Tell me who she is, I'll send ojii-san's men to rip her ugly little head off!" Naomi shouted, stomping her foot.

Oh...Oh, God she's one of those.

But still, I could imagine Takeshi could take on a few yakuza grunts.

"I don't think my Takeshi-kun would be taken down by a few men." I smiled sharply, more than happy to flaunt my fiance when given the chance.

"Did you just say '-kun'!?"

"Yes! I knew it! A laddie!"

I held my breath as they all rounded on me, only one face contrasting against the rest.

"WE WANT TO MEET HIM!"

I guess the crazy is hereditary.

 **...**

Kneeling amongst my cousins, looking very out of place, I glanced around the room we had found ourselves in.

Aside from us, there were at least twenty other men in the room, each of them looking as rough and weathered as the last. They seemed to be sorted in certain groups, men in finer clothes and of more civil appearance on the furthest side of the room to me.

"You're new to this aren't you, cousin?"

Looking to the call, I blinked when I saw one of my older cousins smiling up at me. Black hair and the black eyes, she was pale skinned and lithe-bodied. She was a delicate sort of beautiful, her soft-spoken manner only helping the impression of a doll along.

"Yes, I will admit to being quite lost. Everyone's here right? Oyabun to the aniki's, yes?"

"Not quite!" A voice hissed from behind me, a head of bright blond hair popping around my shoulder, roots of black showing through.

"We're waiting for the young master now, cousin dearest. I'm Kaguya, pleasure ta meet cha!"

"Ah, Daiki, same to you." I blinked, not expecting such an attitude in a girl of her breed.

"Kaguya-chan, keep your voice down." The older girl breathed, glancing around.

"Oh please, Honda-chan, the young master won't be here for a while! You know how much he loves to make us wait!"

"No," Hinda hissed, looking stern this time. "That's not it!"

As if her words had flipped a switch, Kaguya and I suddenly became aware are the eyes digging into us. Distrust, disgust and interest lighting up eyes around the room.

Oh, shit.

"You are Yamaguchi Daiki, correct?" The man up front, the oyabun, asked, looking at me.

"Yes, sir." I responded, bowing my head slightly.

"How have you been all these years? You've managed to avoid dropping in for a visit for quite a while."

"I have been well, thank you." Came my answer, thinking quickly of how to handle this public exchange.

"I am sorry for my absence, I was unaware of your, apparently, open-door policy."

"Only to family, my boy. Only to family." He laughed, wrinkled deepening with his smile.

There was a moment of silence in which I noticed the oyabun's eyes jump to grandfather, before becoming narrow with from the large smile he painted across his face.

"So, Daiki-kun, tell me, how is your mother? I haven't seen our Kaede-chan for so many years."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw grandfather clamp down on his tongue, his shoulder's squaring as he glared at the floor.

Oh…

Looking at the family head's face, I kept my own when I saw the sharpness to his smile, mocking in his expression as he watched his half-brother squirm.

Well then, they seem to get along.

"My mother is doing very well, sir. She was very excited when I received the summons from grandfather." I hummed, giving my own smile.

The expression that slid onto his face made alarms ring in the back of my head, the razor edge that grew on the sides of his mouth and the gleam in his eyes.

"Always good to hear. And what of your father, Yamaguchi Yamada?" The oyabun asked, an amused ring to his tone.

"I wouldn't know." I responded eventually, showing no outward reaction to the jab.

My Flame tongued at the underside of my skin, the name of this life's father setting off instinctual habits.

"He has been gone for quite a while."

"Oh," My relative breathed, his smile not slipping from his face. "I hope he is good health."

"Hardly my problem if he is not. I'd actually rather that, actually." I smiled, letting a bit of bitter mirth enter it.

There was a ripple of muted reactions around the room, side eyes and frowns exchanged between the occupants. My cousins glanced between themselves, Honda and Kaguya looked to me with expressions of confusion and worry, only to drop them when I returned the stare.

" _Oyabun, the Young Master has arrived."_

In an almost Mexican wave like manner, the room straightened their postures, that also including my relative up front. The cousins surrounding me fussed over each other silently for a few seconds before falling into doll-like stances, faces pleasantly blank and eyes half-lidded.

With faint agitation still buzzing in the back of my mind, I didn't bother to look up when the door slid open, only snapping out of my internal cursing fest when Kaguya tapped the back of my foot.

" _Daiki-kun, you are to bow to the Young Master!"_

Oh shit!

Looking up from my staring match with the floor, I met the gaze of my flustered relative, his face turning an interesting shade of pale red.

"I am so sorry, Young Master. The boy is new to the house and our customs." He gushed to the boy sitting beside him.

Turning to look at the addressed male, I fought tooth and nail to keep my face blank as I recognised his painfully familiar face. Uniform clashing with the clothes here worse than mine were.

"Hi, birdy." I greeted, habit moving faster than common sense.

I think everyone in the room just died.

Wordlessly, the Skylark stood from his cushion, the room holding its breath as he stepped up in front of me. We remained in a sort of staring match, which really just consisted of me being mildly confused by the Cloud's presence. When it finally clicked in my brain.

"You're the 'Young Master', aren't you, Birdy?" I sighed.

"Chattering Herbivore, why are you out of school?" He breathed, hands disappearing into his jacket.

"I was summoned by my grandfather, my mother called me in absent." I responded, halving my attention between his face and hands.

"You are to tell me when you have a misadventure, handler." He stated, dropping his hold on the metallic weapon.

"Sorry, I'll remember to text you next time."

A loud spluttering made us turn from each other, the oyabun halfway to his feet as he stared openly at us, the rest of the room in a similar state. The old man slowly pointed at me, panic and confusion colouring his face.

"You know the Young Master?!"

Where did that dignity of your's go?

"Yes, he and I attended the same school. Though," I hummed, looking to the Cloud. "He should have graduated by now, which makes me wonder: Hibari-san, why're you still wearing your Nami-chuu uniform?"

"You cannot restrain me with logic. I choose what grade I am in" He scoffed, before his hand came out and snagged me by my collar.

"Birdy! What're you up t-!" I grunted as I was dragged from my cousins and forced onto the cushion he had once occupied.

The room rippled with disbelief that reflected my own as the older boy dropped down into my lap, glaring at the crowd before him as if daring them to challenge his decision to _sit on me in front of my family!_

This cannot be happening. Hibari cannot be that bad.

A snicker made me turn, and I grimaced when I saw Kaguya desperately trying to hold back hysteric laughter, her face going red as her body shook, Honda shaking her head at her in attempts to curb her mirth.

"Birdy," I sighed again. "If you continue to sit on me, I swear to God..."

He raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"I'll refuse all contact with you, that includes those orders of yours." I stated confidently, knowing his hatred of doing tedious and menial tasks himself.

The room stilled.

I smirked, ignoring the starry-eyed cousins on the other side.

"Anyway, why're you here? And get off me." I grunted, lifting the Skylark easily.

"Because I command all Yakuza in Namimori. And no."

"But we're outside the border."

"They're close enough that their activity carries on into my territory."

"This is very flawed logic, because the Yakuza in _their_ area will affect _them_ , which in turn will affect Namimori. This will start a chain reaction that won't stop until you've fought everyone and their grandmother."

He smirked.

Realisation dawned on me "You little shit. You absurd, ridiculously strong, little shit."

He grinned blood thirstily.

"Ah, Young Master? Would it trouble you to carry on with the meeting?" The oyabun asked wearily, looking between us with an almost greenish hue to his face.

"Keep doing as you are. My expansions?" The Skylark demanded.

"A steady incline of numbers, Young Master. Our influence over the area is growing as we speak."

My arms were beginning to show signs of fatigue as pain began to make itself known, the effort it took to keep the birdy airborne proving to be a bit too much at the moment.

At least Kaguya was enjoying the comedy/drama show.

The oyabun frowned at his tirade being interrupted, the grip on his yukata tightening.

"Hibari-san, do your business quickly. I'll spar with you as soon as you're done talking to the oyabun." I bargained, needing this meeting to end soon.

It didn't take long for the insensitive to kick in, the Skylark pulling up the first order of business as the room slowly came back from their daze. I didn't miss the looks my grandfather sent me, too busy rubbing my arms to sooth their tension to bother deciphering the glints in his eyes.

"Ah, is there anything else, Young Master?" The oyabun asked, glancing at me when I let my muscles tense, narrowing my eyes when they saw Hibari reach into his jacket.

"No, we're done here."

Move!

Holding back a yelp, I tossed myself back as the older boy pulled out his tonfa in a wide arc.

Giving a mildly apologetic look to the room, I got to my feet and dashed out, the last thing I wanted or needed being an audience. Not knowing the layout of the house caused me more than a few problems, the halls seeming a lot less organised now that I was being chased.

It took me a while, but I eventually managed to break out into the outside world, a whoop of success leaving me as I launched myself off the wood and onto dirt. The exit I had taken wasn't the main entry, but simply an opening into a garden of sorts. Traditional and classy in all sense, if I weren't being hunted at the moment, I probably would have taken the time to appreciate the landscaping.

" _Kamikorosu."_

But that sadly wasn't the case.

Throwing myself to the side, I let the blur of black launch itself past me, feet digging into the earth to bring himself to a stop.

"Hey Hibari-san, let's try not to destroy my relative's house, okay?" I tried, ducking under a rather fast swipe to my face.

"You promised me a fight, now I'm going to get one."

Both my arms flew up to protect my head from the dual tonfas sent at my skull, a cough leaving me as his foot buried itself in my unprotected stomach. With my body instinctively doubled over, the Skylark took the chance to send his knee into my face, only to collide me in the cheek when I turned in time.

Shaking off the rattling I got, I jumped over the tonfa-swipe sent at my feet, using my moment of levitation to kick the older boy in the chest, frowning when my foot met metal instead. When my feet hit the ground, I moved to the side as his tonfa stuck the air where I once stood, grabbing his arm and using his momentum to throw him a good distance.

I winced sympathetically when he crashed against a support beam, the edge digging into his back painfully. It didn't seem to be needed, however, as the boy was back on his feet in enviable time, advancing on me without any sign of injury.

Bringing up my arm to block another blow, I grabbed the arm, drawing his attention back to the limb, before letting my unoccupied fist bury itself into the Cloud's stomach, doubling him over my arm.

Giving the arm in my grip a sharp tug, I slammed the DC head into the ground, dropping my full weight onto the boy through my knee in his stomach, keeping him pinned. Grabbing the approaching wrists, I forced them to the ground, jolting back when he threw his head forwards to try and bust my nose.

"Wow, careful Hibari-san, that would have hurt." I grunted, forcing another wave of weight on his stomach.

The Skylark clicked his tongue in response, glaring as I gave him a grin, feeling more than a bit of pride, this being the first time I had won in a while.

" _Kamikorosu_ , right?" I laughed, digging my teeth into the boy's neck.

"Fine." He grunted, going slack, his tonfa falling to the ground uselessly.

"Oh don't pout, birdy. You won the last seven matches."

"And I will win the next."

Rolling my eyes, I got off the smaller male, offering him my hand only to be ignored once again. Bringing my hand to my chest, I gave the boy an exaggerated look of offense, smiling when he rolled his own slate eyes at my actions.

"I was not aware you were part of the Watanabe Yakuza." He hummed, tucking away his metal.

"Neither was I, until this morning."

I blinked when he suddenly smirked, looking way too pleased.

"What's with that face, birdy?" I asked carefully, ready to run if need be.

"That means I actually own you now, Handler."

…

"You can take that up with Takeshi-kun, birdy." I shrugged, giving my own smirk when his dropped slightly.

"Hn. I'll bite him to death."

"You'll have to deal with both of us then." I responded, giving a too sharp a smile to be friendly.

" _Daiki-kun."_

Looking away from the Skylark, I nodded in greeting to three of my cousins, all identical, raising an eyebrow internally when I saw them glance at Hibari carefully.

"Yes, cousins?" I asked, stepping up to the level of wood.

"Your grandfather says that your mother would be expecting you home around now, and that you will be called for again soon." One breathed, nodding when she finished conveying the message.

"Ah, well I'll be taking my leave then. Ah, can I know your names?"

"Yama." The furthest to the right responded.

"Mana."

"Kana."

...Shit, okay.  
This is just Huey, Duey, and Louey all over again,

"Triplets, yes?"

"Of course." Mana responded, nodding as Tama raised an eyebrow as if to say 'what else?'.

"Daiki, as you knew. Well, I hope to see you again soon." I hummed, giving a small bow before walking out of the building, perhaps too fast.

I sighed loudly as I tapped my shoes on, the day not going as I had expected it to. Now, i just needed to get home, and hope that Lambo hadn't found his more dangerous weapons that I had grounded him from.

" _Daiki-kun, my boy."_

Leave me the hell alone!

"Yes, ojii-san?" I responded, gritting my teeth as he smiled at me.

"Why didn't you tell me you were well acquainted with the Young Master?"

"Because I didn't know the birdy is also the 'Young Master." Dipshit.

"This is great! With the connections you obviously have, claiming the oyabun's seat will be easy!"

I frowned openly at the old man, watching the familiar fanatic gleam enter his eyes.

It really is hereditary.

"I suggest you keep your voice down when speaking treason, ojii-san. It couldn't be good for your health." I smiled a tad too sharply.

"Ohohoho, there's that loyalty of your's. Good, good. But you'll be coming around."

"I'll be seeing you, then. But please," I paused opening the door to look over my shoulder at the man, no longer bothering to act polite for a moment. "Stay the hell away from my mother."

* * *

"Daiki-kun, I can handle that myself." Kaede huffed, watching me as I moved things around the kitchen.

"Nah, it's fine." I responded, placing down the items before moving onto the next.

She puffed out her cheek and crossed her arms, watching me with a pout on her face.

"You've been very attentive to me as of late, did something happen?"

I paused, the memory of the Watanabe house coming back, before turning to her and shrugging with a blank look on my face.

"Guess I just want to. Why, would you rather I stop?"

"No no, nothing like that. It's just...Did something happen with otou-sama? You've been all stiff since you got back." Kaede asked, stepping up beside me.

"...No. He was fine. Don't worry yourself, I'll be fine."

"If you're sure." She frowned, before letting a smile touch her face.

"I'll get lunch started, if you could put the rest of this away, that'd be a great help."

I nodded as she walked away, shoving the items into their respective spaces. A loud noise outside made me pause, looking out the window, I sagged when I saw a DWM, boxer clad Vongola dash past, chasing after what looked like a delivery truck.

"What on Earth are you doing this time, Sawada-san?"

Whatever, as long as I'm not a part of it.

* * *

I yawned as I walked the path to Nami-chuu, students chattering to each other as they walked in pairs or more. Apparently, Lambo was meant to come back last night, but had crashed at the Sawada's instead, Kaede and Nana wanting to give him time to 'play' with Reborn.

It gave me a peaceful morning, so I wasn't one to complain.

" _Give me back my omlette!"_

" _Romeo-kun!"_

" _Ahhh!"_

...Spoke too soon, I suppose.

Quickly sidestepping, I blinked when Reborn flew past me on a propeller, followed closely by the Vongola, Adult Lambo and, of course, Bianchi.

"I'll take Bo-kun home after school. I think the Sawada's have had enough of him."

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Tsunayoshi stood in front of his school library, clutching the Elementary schooler's book in his hands as he slowly mustered up the courage to turn it in.

Grimacing, he wondered why he had borrowed it, he didn't even read it!

"How do I return it?" He muttered, looking around as he stepped into the library.

Looking for a way to slip the book into returns without being spotted, the young Vongola blinked when he saw a familiar face amongst the literature. A stone of dread dropping when she turned sharp eyes to him.

"Yo." Kurokawa Hana hummed, giving a small smile.

Her smile dropped when she saw the picture book in the heir's hand, a look of surprise replacing it.

"Ah! T-this is-Nothing!" He yelped, hiding it behind his back.

Kurokawa merely gave a huffed laugh, looking away with a knowing smile.

"It's like you're on your very first errand. Do you want me to hand it in for you?"

"Are you sure?" Tsuna asked, hope blooming.

"I can do that much." She shrugged.

"Ah! Thank you!"

The Vongola paused when he noticed the books beside the Kurokawa girl, reading the titles and internally grimacing at the level they correlated with.

"Wow, those look difficult." He muttered to himself, making the black haired girl laughed quietly.

"No, not really. Daiki-san recommended it to me, but he reads them in English so it's a bit different."

"Eh, Yamaguchi-san can read English!?" Tsuna yelped, not knowing this little piece of knowledge.

"Well, yes."

This book is hard in Japanese, trying to read it in English is just- Tsuna suddenly felt a little light headed.

"You're pretty sly, Sawada-kun. I saw you talking to a Midori Middle School girl on the street yesterday. Is she your girlfriend?" Kurokawa smirked, throwing the Vongola into a state of panic.

Yesterday? She couldn't mean...Haru!?

"No! No! We're just friends!"

"Are you sure?" Kurokawa asked, looking unconvinced. "It doesn't seem that way. You two looked really friendly."

"No, we're just normal friends!"

"Oh, you're turning red! So there is something going on!"

No, I'm not!

Tsuna felt his face in confusion, not feeling the familiar burn that came along with this kind of conversation.

"No, there isn't!" He pressed, starting to get miffed.

"I'll keep this from Kyoko-chan."

Oh, there it is.

"But in exchange, introduce me to that handsome friend of your's!"

"Huh?" Tsuna yelped, flinching back as she came in close quarters with him. "What're you talking about?"

"So, should I tell Kyoko-chan that you have a girlfriend, then?"

"I told you, she's not my girlfriend!"

"Then, I'll tell her."

Tsuna gritted his teeth as his imagination ran wild, a light sheen of sweat moistening his brow.

Even if it was a lie, if Kyoko learnt that version, any chance Tsua had with her would go down the drain in an instant. Moreover, Haru would find it as some sort of public recognition!

I don't think I could fix up that level of misunderstanding…

"And, who is this handsome man?" The young Vongola asked, still in a state of half shock.

"Yamamoto-kun? Gokudera-kun?"

In an instant, her expression crumbled to one of disgust, her hand coming to wave away to idea.

"I'll pass on guys our age, they're all like monkeys to me."

Monkeys?! She's treating the two most popular guys like monkeys?

"Besides, Yamamoto-san is already taken. I don't think Daiki-san would like you offering him up to people." She huffed, smirking at the look of fear that touched the young Vongola's face.

"The one I want is super handsome, quiet and surrounded by a mature sense of grief that just chills me."

"Who is that?"

They had someone like that?

"You were running around your house with him this morning, the one in the cow print." Kurokawa hummed, making the Sky gape.

Cow print…

"Adult Lambo!?"

Kurokawa let out a sigh as she leant against the desk, a dreamy expression on her face.

"What an unusual name, Otona. The name Otona Lambo is lovely."

How?

"Anyway," She snapped, her face twisting into one of determination. "You know what will happen if your don't introduce me to him."

Oh...God.

…

"Kaa-san?" Tsuna called, walking into the kitchen with Kurokawa close behind.

"Ah, who's this Tsuna-san?" Nana asked, turning from the stove.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kurokawa Hana." The girl greeted, bowing delicately.

What's with that act! You were blackmailing me before!

"Oh, such a well mannered girl."

"Anyway," Tsuna started, shaking off his surprise. "Is Lambo-kun here?"

"No, sorry. Daiki-kun came and took him home a few minutes before you got here." His mother breathed, placing a hand on her cheek as she watched him fall into a state of panic, Kurokawa giving him a side eye.

"But if you want to go see him, I can call Kaede-chan and tell her you're coming over!"

"No! No ne- _Hiee_!" Tsuna made a sound of fear as a black aura consumed the Kurokawa girl, her taller figure looming over him dangerously.

"Okay! Okay! We'll go to Yamaguchi-san's house!"

…

Tsun held his breath as he rapped his knuckles against the young Yamaguchi's bedroom door, his mother having sent them up after they announced themselves at the bakery's counter.

" _Yes?"_ Came the deep rumble from the other side, a faint creek sounding.

"A-ah, it's Sawada Tsuna and Kurokawa Hana. You're mother said to just come up so..." The young Vongola gulped, the black haired girl being him rolling her eyes.

"We're coming in, you better be decent." She declared, grabbing the handle and forcing the door open despite the Sky's shriek of shock.

The door opened to reveal the Yamaguchi boy sitting at his desk, an arm thrown over the back of his chair as he turned to look at the intruders, a raised eyebrow directed at them.

"Welcome, I guess. And what would you have done, Hana-san, if I was in a state of undress?" The blue haired boy asked, spinning to face them fully.

"No skin off my back, I've heard tell of the legendary six pack hiding beneath all those loose fitting shirts." Kurokawa hummed, walking in and dropping down on their upperclassman's bed.

"And tell is all you will get. Now, why're you two here?"

The black haired second year looked to the Sky, urging him to state their reason for invasion.

"Ah, well, things happened and now Kurokawa-san want's to see Lambo-kun."

The blue haired boy blinked in confusion, raising an eyebrow after a moment.

"Lambo-kun, are you sure?"

"Well, I really mean _Adult_ Lambo." Tsuna clarified, using his hand to gesture to the TYL's height.

"Oh, that guy." Yamaguchi breathed, pulling himself off the chair as it gave a groan.

"I'll see if I can grab 'im for you."

Yamaguchi get's it!? I thought he didn't understand what was going on!

Tsuna magically kept a lid on his shock as he stepped out of the way, letting the third year male breeze past him. Kurokawa flushing in excitement and barely holding back a squeal.

" _Bo-kun! Come here, please!"_

" _Huh? Whaddya want, Daiki-san?"_

" _Manners, Bo-kun."_

" _Wahhh!"_

" _Honestly, I_ flicked _you."_

 _BOOM!_

" _Papa!"_

Tsuna's face dissolved into one of utter confusion, drooping as his will to bother was drained from him. The creak of the stairs warned him of the incoming duo, the younger of them chatting animatedly at the third year.

"Oh, hey, young Vongola." Adult Lambo hummed, waving lazily at the short Sky.

"Lambo-kun, this is a friend of mine, Hana-san." Yamaguchi introduced, gesturing to the bowing girl.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kurokawa Hana." She breathed, and obvious redness to her cheeks.

"Ah! It's young Haru-obaa-san!" The teen laughed, pointing at the shell shocked girl.

"Bo-kun!" The blue haired boy snapped, rounding on the younger male.

"Ah! My apologies, I had no intention of causing offense!"

Tsuna blinked in surprise, recognising the formal and wordy way of speaking from when Yamaguchi entered uncomfortable or tense topics of conversation.

"Bo-kun?" He asked as Haru stepped forwards to talk to the 15 year old.

"Adult?" Was his response, a halved eyebrow raised at the little Sky.

"You first." Tsuna pouted, flushing a bit as he heard Lambo use an Italian word to woo the lady.

"It's what I call the boy at home, he only listens when I call him that." Yamaguchi shrugged, before nudging the Vongola to answer his side.

"Well, he's ten years from the future, so he's older and..."

"But he's only 5 in our time, so you and he are the same age while Lambo-kun is under the influence of the bazooka." He reasoned, making the fish droop under logic.

"But I guess it's too late to change his title now. The majority of your little family has got it in their heads."

"Yamaguchi-san, you know about the bazooka!?" Tsuna yelped, spinning to face the baker's son.

The older boy looked at him as if he had grown another head, or had asked the stupidest of questions known to man.

"Of course I do, I make it a point to know what's in my kid's black hole of a head." He huffed, pointing to a large box above his dresser, taped shut with at least three layers of duct tape.

"Ah, I was wondering about the lack of explosions lately. Wait, your kid!?"

"Lambo-kun might as well be my kid, I mean, I clothe, feed and teach him. Not to mention he sleeps with me when he has nightmares. I'm the one who finally got him to eat his vegetables at dinner. I have to make sure he has a bath every night, not to mention I have to _watch_ him to make him brush his teeth." Yamaguchi listed, before letting out a small laugh at the gape presented on Tsuna's face.

"So yeah, Bo-kun's like my son. Might explain why that one," He pointed at the smooth criminal in front of them. "Calls me Papa all the time."

"A-ah, that makes sense." Tsuna nodded, turning back to the duo.

"Shit, only one minute left. We've got to wrap this up." Yamaguchi sighed, glancing at his watch.

"And that's your job, Sawada-san."

"H-huh?! Me!?" The Sky yelped, a look of legitimate fear on his face as he saw how engrossed in the conversation Kurokawa was.

"Yep, now get." The blue haired boy responded, pushing the Vongola into the mess.

"Whoa! Ah-!" Tsuna bit his tongue as Kurokawa glared down at him, the boy having fallen between them.

"A-ah, um...Sorry, Kurokawa-san, but Lambo-kun needs to get going. Like now. Lambo-kun, go." He urged, giving the older boy a push.

"Oh come on, young Vongola, a little talk doesn't take that-" Lambo started, only to pause when he noticed the look the third year was giving him.

"Bo-kun, 15 seconds."

"Ah! See you soon, Haru-obaa-san! Young Vongola! Papa!"

And he ran out of the room, a faint trace of smoke fuming from around the corner.

"He left...Just like that..." Kurokawa breathed, stun clear on her face.

"Ah, I'm sure he was just busy!" Tsuna tried, but it seemed unneeded.

"Oh, that mysterious aura! His fleeting presence only adds to his charm! Though I wish our conversation lasted longer..."

Out of the corner of his eye, the Sky spied the Sun pick up the little Lightning, a snicker leaving him.

"Mysterious aura, you hear that, Bo-kun?"

"Lambo-san has the most mysterious of auras!"

Like his son, huh?

Guess that works.

 **|S.T|**

* * *

I looked up from my mixture with a start as the phone went off, Kaede turning the dial on the stove at the other end of the room.

"I'll get it." I called, washing my hands of my work as I grabbed the phone off the booth.

"Yamaguchi Bakery, how I help you?"

" _Hello Yamaguchi-san, it's Reborn. I was wondering if you'd like to attend a special cruise? It's a very rare opportunity, and I think you deserve a break after almost non-stop work. All of your Nami-chuu friends will be attending."_

Cruise. Cruise, that sounds familiar… Not taking _that_ chance then!

"Sorry, Reborn-san, but as you said, non-stop work. The bakery is our top priority, so I'll have to pass. Thank you for the offer, though. Send my wishes to the Nami-chuu's. Goodbye." I responded, placing the device back.

Nope.

…

I blinked awake as my phone buzzed to life, the screen's light bombarding my pupils. Slowly getting used to the piercing pain, I huffed as I opened the message sent from the preferred stalker.

"I should probably change his name soon." I hummed, before choking as the image attached popped up.

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
See! I have abs too!_

It took me a moment, but a laugh wriggled its way out of me as I caught the expression of fear mixed with utter confusion on Gokudera's face in the background, his body blurring as he scrambled to pull on his swimmers. Tossing my blankets off and unraveling myself from Bill the platypus, I flipped on the lights and grabbed the base of my shirt, holding it between my teeth as I lined up the shot.

 _To: Favourite Stalker  
That you do, but mine are better._

 _To: Favourite Stalker  
Tell Gokudera-san I said 'hi', and that he needs less eye catching swimmers if he wants to do something sneakily._

"Daiki-kun! You better not be sexting!"

My shirt fell from my mouth as I jumped, Kaede's voice slipping through the wall easily and shocking me enough to send me tumbling off my bed.

"No-Ah, shit! My head!" I yelped, pulling myself off the floor as I rubbed my skull.

"Which head?!"

"Kaa-san, _no_!"

Burrowing back under my covers to hide from her laughter, I opened the most recent of messages, smirking when I saw the camera focused on a flushing Gokudera, his arms thrust forwards as he displayed a double birdy.

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Gokudera says: Hi. And that they are ;)_

Another _bing_ went off, allowing me to view the image of a slightly confused, but accepting Tsuna waving awkwardly at the screen, Gokudera still appearing out of the corner to continue the flip off.

 _To: Favourite Stalker  
Hello to Sawada-san too. Now, I don't know what part of the planet you're on, but it's night out here in Namimori, so I'm gonna crash. G'night, Takeshi-kun._

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Night shujin-kun!_

Placing my phone back down, I hummed into the yellow fluff of Bill, a smile stretching in my face despite my half-hearted efforts to clamp down on it.

Fucking fiancé and his innate ability to get a smile out of me.

* * *

I rested my head on my palm as I sat in one of the Watanabe compound's rooms, having been instructed to remain until one of my grandfather's men came to grab me and lead me to the separate building which housed my generation. Seemingly erected only to be able to keep the girls out of the main house.

" _Yamaguchi-dono?"_

Dear God, that sounds weird.

I grimaced as I called for the young sounding boy to enter. The traditionally clad lad slid the door open carefully, keeping his head low and eyes lower as he addressed me.

Brown hair and grey eyes with an unexceptional face, he was small and almost feminine looking as he knelt at the door, hands shaking on his knees.

"Your grandfather, the Wakagashira, has assigned me to be your personal assistant. Please allow me to show you the way to your room."

"Ah, thank you. May I know your name?" I asked, getting to my feet and following him out the door.

"Hayashi Jun, Yamaguchi-dono. Please, call me however you want." He introduced, flinching when I placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping the tiny boy from ramming into the back of a bulking man.

"Ah! I'm so sorry! I got distracted!"

"The hell? You think you can ju-" The man froze when his eyes landed on my face, seeing the obvious expression of displeasure on it.

"A-ah, Yamaguchi-dono, I didn't know that he was your errand boy! I-I'll just, get out of your way!" He yelped, stepping to the side.

Dragging Jun along, I slowly pulled the frown off my face, feeling the boy tense under my fingers.

"What's that all about?" I asked, glancing back at the void hall. "The house has been very... _considerate_ towards me today, a stark contrast to how they first acted."

"I believe it h-has to do with your relationship with the Young Master, especially surrounding your victory. The battle and the way you showed blatant skinship in front of the heads was a display of power and influence, you've secured your spot at the top, Yamaguchi-dono." Jun answered hesitantly, going starry-eyed towards the end as a giddy tone took his voice.

"Please," I sighed, letting the boy scramble for a pair of sandals and place them at the step. "Call me Daiki, I'm no one to be respected."

"Nonsense! You're the next Watanabe oyabun! The first male in two generations!"

"Fine, fine." I breathed, taking up the sandals and gesturing him to lead onto the beautifully designed building, separate from the main house.

It was feminine in design, sakura trees acting as a curtain and bordering it off against the rest of the compound. A little koi pond decorated the corner beside the dorm, a pebble path leading to the front verandah. From the tree border, I could hear the sounds of my cousins kicking up a storm, laughter and screams leaving the open windows.

Looking around, I could see three of my youngest cousins squatting by the pond, accompanied by none other than Honda herself. A little one tugged at her kimono, making her look up and smile brightly at me when she spotted my figure.

"Daiki-kun, welcome!" She laughed, her duckling following as she glided towards me.

"Honda-chan, I'm glad to be here." I responded, before looking to the trio by her feet, hiding behind her embroidered dress.

"And who are these lovely ladies?"

One pouted before sticking her tongue out at me, scrunching her face up cutely.

"I'm no lady! I'm gonna be a samurai and protect Honda-onee-sama from men like you!"

"Ame-chan! Don't be rude to Daiki-nii-sama!" Her friend hissed, rounding on her.

"Why not? He can't do anything to me! He's not the oyabun yet!" Ame retorted, facing her challenger.

"I'm Nami, they're Ame and Aika." The third hummed, a faint pink hue coming her her cheeks as I turned my attention to her.

"Pleasure to meet you, Nami-chan. How have you been today?"

"Good, thank you. And your's?"

"Lovely, though much has yet to happen." I smiled, before looking to the arguing girls.

"So, you want to be a samurai? That's pretty cool, I know a swordsman, myself."

Ame's face became one of excited awe, before her guard went up and she gave me one of distrust.

"Are you lying?"

"Nope, his name is Yamamoto Tsuyoshi. His son's my-"

"Your boyfriend?!" Honda yelped, her hand flying to her mouth seconds after.

"Ew, you have a boyfriend?" Ame asked, pulling her face into a sour expression.

"Yep." I hummed, laughing as she gave an exaggerated gag.

"What's wrong with that?" Aika asked, a huge grin on her face.

"That means Daiki-nii-sama has someone he loves! Gender doesn't matter!"

Ame spun around with her face still looking like she bit into a lemon.

"I couldn't give two _sticks_ about gender! Boyfriends and girlfriends are gross! They eat each other's faces!"

"Actually, they merely exchange saliva through the mouth." Nami corrected, causing her cousins to let out dual 'ewwy's.

Honda and I gave each other looks, unsure of whether to be proud of our cousins or wonder where they were hearing these things.

"...Ah, where are you learning these things?" Honda asked, barely hiding her worry by laughing.

"Sora-chan told us!" The three chorused, pointing to one of the girls peeking around the door.

"...Good morning." I waved, causing the girls to burst forth from the door, coming out onto the path without bothering with their shoes.

"Ah, I think I should introduce you, try to keep up now." Honda laughed, the girls lining up from eldest to youngest.

"As you know, there's me, Honda, I am the eldest. Then, there's Sora-chan."

We both paused to give her a look, her face showing no guilt as she grinned at me, waving neon painted nails and doodle covered arms.

"Then we have Kaguya-chan,"

The bleach blond girl waved enthusiastically, her roots no longer showing.

"Then Toru-chan,"

All but bouncing on her feet, my cousin grinned at me, wriggling her fingers in her own kind of greeting.

"And, you know Naomi-chan."

"Of course my husband knows me!" Naomi huffed, flicking a lock of brunette hair behind her shoulder.

"Nope, completely slipped from my mind, sorry." I smiled, Toru letting out a whoop.

"Then we have Gin."

The small girl gave me a shy smile, hiding slightly behind the sister beside her, too similar in appearance to be anything but.

"Next is Bunko-chan."

"Call me Bun, Daiki-nii-san." Bun huffed, blowing a bright blue bubble from her lips.

"After her, Chiharu-chan."

The plump girl nodded in greeting, her braids flapping after her head quickly.

"Then, Aoi."

She gave me a bland look, looking ready to go back to sleep.

"You know the trio, Aika, Ame and Nami."

The three gave me their characterising expressions.

"And-"

"Yama, Mana and Kana, yes?" I interrupted, giving Honda a look of apology which she brushed off.

"Surprised you remembered." They hummed in unison, not looking at all surprised.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, I'm Yamaguchi Daiki." I greeted, bowing.

"A pleasure." They chorused, bowing back.

"I believe you are in the middle of finding your room, yes?" Honda asked, the others scattering back to their original doings.

"Ah, yes, thank you." I responded, looking to Jun. "Shall we continue?"

"Right away, Yama-"

I gave him an almost pleading look.

"...Daiki-dono."

Best I'm gonna get, I guess.

I was led past rooms of different design, getting the occasional greeting and call out from the occupants. It took only a while for Jun to direct me to the last room in the hall, slightly larger than the girls' rooms.

It was rich in colour and design, the person furnishing the room obviously unaware of the fact that I would rarely stay here, let alone overnight. A thick futon and pricey looking tapestries on the walls, sliding doors leading to yet another koi pond at the back. The doors revealed a garden area leading to the main room where Yama, Mana, Kana and Chiharu were playing with leaves.

A flash caught my eye, drawing my attention back into the room and to an out of place looking item hanging on the wall.

"Ah, the oyabun didn't know what you did in your past time, so he had one of these installed just in case." Jun mumbled, looking to me for permission.

Nodding, I stepped into the room and stood a few metres back from the board, hesitantly accepting the parts handed to me by the boy.

Really? You couldn't have tried a game console?

Sighing, I lined up the shot and threw, grimacing as I hit a 5, instead of the bulls eye like I was hoping.

"Darts, haven't played this in a while." I hummed, watching Jun's face spread into one of relief.

"How do you even aim with these?"

I threw another one, frowning as it bounced off the metal wiring.

"More strength then…"

Firing another, I flinched as the first dislodged and pierced the floor, the board jumping from the impact.

Slowly, I turned to the boy beside me, giving an awkward smile at his gape.

"Maybe too much strength?"

"I-I'll gather your darts, Daiki-dono." He squeaked, scrambling to pick them up before I could stop him.

I think I scared him...Oops?


	16. Chapter 16

**G'day! Finished this early, so decided to post it despite the fact we've just sent out the triple update for Daiki's birthday. Meh, you seem to like it.**

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 **Word Count: 10,575**

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 **Word(s) you might need to know:**

Rashie - A shirt made of the swimsuit material to protect you from the sun.

* * *

"Okay, let's try it again." I sighed, holding the English book in front of me, sitting across from the groaning Sun Guardian.

" _Hello, my name is Daiki. I am sixteen years old."_

Watching the boxer figure out the sentence was painful in its own way, the words translated easily in my own mind, but seemed to go through his like a sieve.

"C'mon Ryohei-kun, what do you respond with?"

"Ah... _Hello, me...My n-name is Ryohei. I a-am fifteen years-s old…?_ "

I let out a whoop of success, throwing my hands in the air as the Sun finally got it.

"EXTREME!" He roared, holding out his fist to be bumped.

"Not just yet, answer this question: _Do you know where I can get a drink?_ "

" _...Yes._ "

An attractive snort left me as I gave a nod, accepting the answer.

"Sure, that actually works."

"Oi! Yamaguchi-kun!" One of our classmates called, making us look to him.

"Yeah?"

"Your ducklings have come to see you!" He sang, getting the class to giggle mercilessly.

"Children, all of you." I sighed, getting up off Ryohei's desk and walking over to the door, the Sun following close behind.

"But really, I'd get moving if I was you, they've run into some trouble."

Well, shit.

"Of course, they have."

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

" _Why're a bunch of second years up here?"_

" _Oh, that's Yamaguchi-kun's boyfriend, you know, the one from the baseball club."_

" _They're off limits, Kaoru-chan."_

" _Ducklings!"_

" _Ducklings?"_

" _Isn't that Yamaguchi-kun's boyfriend?"_

" _Eyes to yourself, Toda-kun, they're Yamaguchi-kun's."_

Takeshi visibly preened under the attention, that being the very reason he rarely came to the higher floor of the school. The less he showed, the more often people stopped to think and make the connection between him and his fiance.

"The third years must be pretty close, huh?" Tsuna laughed awkwardly, keeping close to Gokudera as the Rain led them through the hall.

"Well they've known each other for 3 years or more, so they've all shared experiences. Daiki-kun says there are some people he only knows through mutual companions, though. He says it's like an ecosystem of sorts."

"There he goes again, talking about the fuckin' giant." Gokudera muttered, making the batsman laugh.

"Why do you call him that, Gokudera-kun?" He asked, always wondering about the titles they gave each other.

"Cause he's huge! How tall is he now, 180!?"

"183, actually." Takeshi hummed in response, making Tsuna yelp.

"He's 26 cm's taller than me. That's almost a whole ruler!" The Sky whimpered, becoming very aware of how the third years in the hall towered over them.

" _Well, well, if it isn't Dame-Tsuna. Come for a rematch, hey?"_

Takeshi blinked before hiding his frown, the visage of one Mochida Kensuke standing in front of them.

"Huh? The hell you want, bastard?" Gokudera challenged, stepping forwards with his hand in his pockets.

The upperclassman scowled at the Italian transfer, crossing his arms as he sized up all three of his opponents.

"You lot have come to my territory, so show some respect kouhais." Mochida smirked, the third years within ear shot glancing at him with unimpressed expression.

"Eh? Your territory?" Takeshi laughed, a bright smile pasted on his face. "I thought this whole town was Hibari-san's."

The infamous name made the bravado Mochida had mustered deflate for a second, his face falling along with his posture. It only took him a moment to gather himself again. However, as he stood straight again, though, the Rain spotted a few signs of defensive measures in his stance.

"Hibari-san has no power over me! I could take him on, no problem!"

Takeshi couldn't help the smile that touched his face, only somehow keeping the amused lit capped. His friends, however, seemed to have their own reaction to the blatant lie, Gokudera scoffing and Tsuna just sighing.

"It's almost pathetic, the way Yamaguchi-san caters to the guy. I say 'almost', because that's probably the only way he could survive in this school!"

Oh, so he was fishing for a reaction?

Takeshi managed to keep a lid on the sudden rise of irritation, his smile becoming sharp and the weight of the bat on his back suddenly becoming very obvious to his itching hands. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Storm fiddle with his little firecrackers, his lighter poking out of the seam. Even Tsuna was unsettled by the declaration, his usually friendly exterior giving way to a disapproving frown.

"Vice Captain of the Boxing Club? Any child can swing their fists! It takes real skill and talent to be able to handle a sword!"

"Haha, you're right Mochida-senpai, after all, you were taken down by Tsuna-san back in our first year. Talent and skills are really is needed when you fight with swords. Though," The Rain let his eyes sharpen at the third year. "I guess you have none yourself, then."

"Of course, hard work and practice is always a part of the process." He hummed, going back to his normal exterior.

The older boy in front of them bristled at the blatant jab at his ability, his teeth visibly gritting.

"And boxing is actually harder than you think. It can cause just as much, if not more, damage than kendo. Knock outs and concussions are very possible in the sport, not to mention broken bones, lost teeth and black eyes. It takes quite a lot of ability to participate in the sport." The Rain continued, wanting to dig as big of a groove in the other's pride after the attack on his own.

"Why you little-" Mochida scowled, reaching behind him to the grab the blue wrapped shinai.

Before any of the males could react, two hands slammed down on the third year's shoulders. The combined strength sending the boy crashing to the floor as his legs gave out, a look of shock painting his face.

" _Were you by any chance, planning on raising your sword to these boys, Mochida-san?"_

"' _Cause that'd be an EXTREMELY bad idea."_

The Rain's eyes trailed up from Mochida's expression of fear, following the shape of two separate arms, both tanned and muscled. They branched off onto different bodies, their partner shoved into the owner's pocket as they grinned down at the seated boy, their smiles too sharp and toothy to be sincere.

"Yamaguchi-san. Sasagawa-san." The third year gulped, paling for a moment.

"Shujin-kun!" Takeshi laughed, losing his grip on his own bat and throwing his arms around the blue haired boy.

"Hey, Takeshi-kun. What're you doing up here?" He responded, releasing Mochida to catch the Rain.

"We were wondering if you wanted to go to the pool with us after school?"

"The pool, why?" Daiki hummed, looking to the fidgeting Tsuna and scowling Italian.

"Tenth needs to practice in order to get the best score for the 15 metre swim! Not like he needs any, right Tenth!?" Gokudera huffed, looking to the Sky as he jumped.

"A-ah, I'm not all that great at swimming. I mean, if it's free style, I think I could."

"Sorry Sawada-san, but it's breaststroke. You can do that, right?" Daiki corrected, giving a sigh when the boy deflated in despair.

"You free this afternoon, Ryohei-san?" He asked, looking to his long time friend.

"EXTREMELY! I can show the young ones my amazing skills!"

"You mean paddle in the kiddy pool until I say otherwise? Then, yes, you will be."

"Hey!"

"The last thing I want is for someone to drown, I don't need to be jumping into the pool again."

Tsuna flushed a bit at the statement, making Takeshi laugh, the story they had been told last year coming to mind.

" _Ha, can't even swim! How pathetic!"_

"He doesn't know when to quit, fucking hell." Daiki sighed, breathing into the Rain's ear.

"Mochida-san," He started, making his fellow third year turn to him. "Shut up and get back to your class."

One of the girls in the hall let out a gasped snicker, taken by surprise by the blunt shove off the Yamaguchi made.

The male before them turned a rather unflattering shade of red, pulling his shinai free from its containing bag and brandishing it at the stony faced Sun.

"Yamaguchi Daiki, I demand a duel!"

"This is sounding very familiar." Tsuna hummed, Gokudera standing beside him.

Takeshi turned to look at his partner, clamping a hand over his mouth to stop the loud snort that threatened to leave him when he saw the expression of absolute done-ness on his handsome face.

"You...sure like to challenge people to duels don't you?" He breathed, before jumping as his fellow Sun burst onto the scene.

"Daiki-kun EXTREMELY accepts your challenge!"

"Wait, I do?" Daiki blinked, looking very confused at the moment.

"Well then, we will meet at the kendo club after s-"

"Nope, as the challenged party, I believe I get to make the rules." The Sun hummed, quickly gathering himself and stepping up to Mochida.

Takeshi frowned at the wave of cold that hit his body without the wall of flesh protecting him, despite the warm weather outside. Brushing it off, the Rain listened to his partner as he began hashing out the plan, a satisfied expression on his face as Mochida crumbled.

"The match will be a boxing one, in the Boxing Club room. You, Mochida-san, will be required to either K.O, or land a minimum of ten hits on me anywhere, meaning I can't block." Daiki hummed, Mochida paling as he looked up at the taller boy.

"That's hardly fair-"

"Oh please, Mochida-san, you said it yourself 'even a child can swing his fists'. I'm sure your talent and skill can provide you with some strength in the ring."

"You...You were there for that?" The third year gulped, looking between the two boxers.

"We EXTREMELY heard all of it." Ryohei smiled, crossing his arms.

"See you after the bell, Mochida-san. We'll give you a pair of gloves when you're in the ring." Daiki waved, grabbing the Rain by his hand and towing them off.

"Now, you lot. Why can't you go anywhere without something going awry?" He hissed, spinning to look at the second year trio.

"You didn't need to protect us, we could have handled it ourselves." Gokudera scowled, watching the older boy lean against the window with a sigh.

"Oh, I have no doubt you could have dealt with the brat Mochida-san, but could you have taken on Hibari-san?" He asked, Ryohei stepping up beside him.

"Hibari-san? Why would he have been there?" Tsuna yelped, glancing around as if the name would summon the Skylark.

"You saw the people in the hall, yes? They're the last people you want to piss off this year, the exams are bad enough, if you lot make even a _little_ more noise than necessary, they will set the dogs on you."

"Dogs, being the DC." Ryohei tacked on after Daiki, opening the window at his fellow Sun's gesture.

"Ah, shunji-kun, what're you doing?" Takeshi asked, watching the older boy stuck his arm out the window.

"Summoning." The blue haired boy answered simply.

"Summoning wh-AH! HIBARI-SAN!?" Tsuna yelped, the said boy landing on Daiki's arm.

Takeshi tensed when he saw the heels of Hibari's shoes dig into the blue haired boy's arm, muscles flexing as they worked to balance the boy while bringing him into the hall.

"What is it, Chattering Herbivore?"

"Afternoon to you too, Hibari-san. I thought I should make you aware of the fact: I have been challenged to a _duel_ ," Daiki rolled his eyes as he sighed out the word. "By Mochida Kensuke after the bell."

"Hm, what's the duel going to be over?" The Skylark asked, looking down at the Yamaguchi boy.

"Boxing. He stepped on a nerve while running his mouth."

"Fine. Don't cause anymore trouble, or I'll bite you to death, Handler."

"Sure, sure. See ya birdy." He hummed, before tossing the elder boy out the window.

"Huh!? Why'd you throw him!?" Tsuna gasped, running to the glass and looking down.

"Is he okay?" Takeshi asked, glancing at Daiki as he talked to Ryohei, before walking to join the Sky look at the ground below.

A small laugh left him as he watched the DC head chase a group of would-be jiggers, no visible injury to the man.

"Please, there is a tree beneath us. The first branch is only two metres down, he wouldn't have received to damage to his body. Have some faith." Daiki sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Anyway," He breathed, turning to them with his hands on his hips. "Get back to your class, Ryohei-kun and I will come to the pool after we deal with the _mess_. There's no simple way with you lot, is there?"

The three second years flinched at the look he gave them, looking pointedly away as the bell went.

"Go on, I'll see you after school." He hummed, touching Takeshi's shoulder as he walked past.

"I really hate you sometimes, Ryohei-kun. Why'd you sign me up for that?"

"Why not? You'll EXTREMELY enjoy it!"

The Rain watched the older duo walk away, people filtering into their classes and obscuring them easily.

"Yamamoto-kun, is something wrong?" Tsuna asked, stepping up beside him.

"I want to watch the match." He breathed, the look in Daiki's eye flashing through the Rain's mind.

He hadn't seen that before, not that kind of gleam. It was less than pleasant, but held a kind of determination that hinted to a display of power in the future.

Oh, Mochida's gonna get it.

"Huh? Why?"

Takeshi spun around sharply, grasping his Sky by his upper arm and grinning down at him.

"The look he had! He's going to do something awesome! We _have_ to go and see!"

"Awesome?" Gokudera scoffed, looking unconvinced. "That guy doesn't _do_ 'awesome'."

…

Whoa, that's a lot of people.

Takeshi blinked at the turn out, the third years making themselves stand out of the crowd in their own way. The news of the match had spread like wildfire, more than a few students having had their phones taken off of them during class as the blinking lights and buzzing caught the teacher's attention.

"Tch, how long is the fuckin' giant going to take? Mochida-san's already in the ring." Gokudera huffed, making their trio look to the side where Daiki and Ryohei had huddled themselves.

The Rain watched the two with an interested gaze, both of them in a sort of pre-battle mindset, separated into a state of their characteristics. Ryohei was all but bouncing on his feet, giving his companion tips and pointers at the speed of light as he thrust his fists rapidly, a cheesy grin on his face. Meanwhile, Daiki was calmly standing beside him, an expression of serenity on his face, eyes half-lidded as he wrapped his fists with bandage-like material tossed at him by his underclassmen. He seemed to only be half listening to his friend, his lips contorting to allow him to hum numbly.

A movement made the young Yamamoto bristle visibly, Tsuna and Gokudera reacting to it silently. The younger of the two Suns grabbed hold of the elder's hand and began wrapping it for him, mellowing out as Daiki's eyes began to widen with attention, almost as if they had made an exchange of energy, balancing each other out in an instant.

" _You should really change your clothes. The Nami-chuu uniform isn't really good to fight in."_ Ryohei breathed, the Rain straining to hear them over the crowd.

" _Hm, that's something I've yet to see; and I took my blazer and tie off, that should be enough."_ His fiance hummed, a bit of laughter in his voice.

" _Besides, I don't plan on fighting that boy. "_

Takeshi blinked, alarms going off in the back of his mind as a smile slid across his Daiki's face, Ryohei barely pausing at the shift in atmosphere, taking it in stride.

" _Oh, that makes sense."_ He breathed, patting the wrappings before sending the older boy on his way.

The Rain looked up at the pale haired Sun as he stepped up beside the trio, his own mocha eyes fixed on the back of his fellow as Daiki pulled himself up into the ring.

"Ah, nii-san? Why isn't Yamaguchi-san wearing gloves?" Tsuna asked, looking to their upperclassman.

"You'll see." Ryohei hummed, his lip twitching.

Takeshi looked to the ring with rapt attention, watching Mochida stand proudly in one corner, and Daiki lean against the ropes with long breaths, resecuring his sleeves at his elbows as always.

"Okay, the rules are as follows: You are to land 10 blows or K.O your opponent! The time limits are as normal: three rounds of three minutes!" The judge shouted, DC hairstyle standing out of the crowd.

"I would like there to be a reward!" Mochida shouted, drawing more attention to himself.

"And what would that be?" Daiki breathed, looking very uninterested.

"The loser must obey every order given to them by the winner for the rest of the school year!"

"Ooh, he's digging his grave EXTREMELY deep." Ryohei muttered, crossing his arms.

"Beginning in: 3!"

Mochida smirked, and fell into a rather cringe worthy stance.

"2!"

Daiki muttered something to himself, his fingers moving as he counted something off quietly.

"Start!"

The swordsman in the ring wasted no time in throwing himself at the other once they were centered, a look of cocky satisfaction on his face. The Sun sighed and stepped out of the way, leaving the boy to stumble as he tried to reign in his momentum. Mochida blinked in surprise, before whipping around and sending his fist careening at the Yamaguchi's head, only to meet air as he was yet again avoided with little problem. Giving a shout of aggravation, the boy threw his fist again, his face an interesting shade of red from the giggling going through the crowd. This time, however, Daiki didn't just dodge, with three quick steps, he made Mochida's body follow him in an uncoordinated fashion, his legs tangling up and making him crash to the ground.

A snort worked its way out of the Rain, the baffled expression on the floored boy's face, coupled with the almost exasperated one on his Daiki's as he stared away pointedly, creating a humorous scene for the room to see. Tsuna glanced at Takeshi with an unamused expression, almost as if reprimanding at his amusement from other's misery.

"Why does the fucking giant keep dodging him?" Gokudera scowled, looking to the Sun beside them for answers.

"He's going to humiliate him."

"Humiliate?" Tsuna gaped, looking back to the wildly swinging swordsman.

"Well, we actually hadn't expected the turnout, but hey, he made his own bed."

"But why?"

"Because of EXTREMELY you." Ryohei breathed, looking to them.

"By 'you', you mean..." The Storm trailed off, feeling the gaze on him as well, despite the Rain being in more focus.

"All of you. Daiki-kun remembers what he did to you, Sawada-san, and though you've been redeemed, neither of us like the way he... _addressed_ our sister. He especially didn't appreciate his advance on you in the hall earlier."

Takeshi spied Tsuna flush slightly, biting his tongue as he shoved down an ugly feeling, Ryohei's attention turning to Gokudera.

"Gokudera-san, you may not know, or may not care, but you are one under quite a bit of speculation. Mochida-san enjoys trying to smear dirt on your reputation, the fact that we don't know your background only aiding him in creating quite interesting pasts for you. Of course, they do not ever catch on, everyone ignoring him after last year's stunt, but none the less, Daiki-kun found his actions towards you- what did he say? - distasteful."

The young Storm looked stunned for a moment before letting his trademark scowl contort his face.

"He doesn't need to do anything. I've dealt with worse."

"And you, Takeshi-kun, you're just a no-go." The Sun laughed, looking down at the Rain.

"A no-go?" He repeated, not really understanding, and feeling a little disappointed at the lack of exposition on his slide.

"Yeah, a no-go. Meaning, if anyone steps to you, get's on your bad side, hurts you or places you in the way of harm, they are immediately on Daiki-kun's shit list."

Nevermind, he was happy again.

"You seem more...mellow than I remember you being." Gokudera muttered, making the Rain and Sky blink in realisation.

The Sun gave a smile, the edges stretching further when the sound of Mochida tripping over his own feet reached them over the humored crowd.

"First round, over!" The DC member called, Daiki walking away from his panting opponent and leaning against the ropes with a passive demeanor.

He brought his hand up and began listing things off again, muttering words that no one else could hear. Half way through, the elder Sun paused and utilized his free hand, unfastening his first three buttons and opening his collar further, giving a sigh as his body heat lowered slightly.

A small sound left the Rain as he watched the action, a flush hitting him when the elder boy next to him turned, before quickly diverting his attention.

Daiki! You better not be doing that on purpose.

"Second round, start!"

Mochida seemed to be desperate by now, always glancing at the crowd as they giggled amongst themselves, the boy's movements becoming rash and completely falling to thrashing.

"He's also doing this for you, nii-san." Tsuna piped up, jumping when all eyes of their party fell on him.

"I-I mean, Yamaguchi-san is proving to Mochida-san that boxing requires skill too. That it's not all just about punching blindly. That landing a blow on a boxer is harder than it looks, and that they shouldn't be looked down on. And everyone knows how much you love this sport, so...Yeah. For you too."

The four of them looked up to watch Daiki step around another punch, standing behind Mochida as he stumbled with a shout of frustration.

"Ha, I guess he is." Ryohei laughed fondly.

Daiki muttered something under his breath as he moved around the one-two punch sent at him, stopping at one point to go into a deeper phase of though, only to step out of the way as he was swung at from low.

"What's he muttering about?" Takeshi asked the Sun beside him, watching the ring out of the corner of his eye.

"I don't know, I think he's planning something. IT MUST BE EXTREME!"

" _Screw you, Yamaguchi-san!"_

 _ **BANG!**_

The room fell silent as they looked at the positions the last attack had left the opponents in, Daiki's head snapped to the side with a red mark on his cheek. Mochida was all spun around, panting with a grin on his face with his leg still outstretched from the kick he had sent flying.

" _Illegal move! Mochid-"_

"First hit!" Daiki announced, holding his hand up.

" _First hit? He's accepting that?!"_

" _Mochida-san, c'mon, you know better than that!"_

" _Second round, over!"_

"How dare-!" Takeshi gritted his teeth before moving forwards, people easily parting for him and his company as they made their way to the ring.

The elder Sun was once again leaning against the ropes,only this time, he had a much different expression on his face.

"Shujin-kun?" The Rain called, tapping the calf of his fiancé.

"Ryohei-kun, get me a pair of gloves. Please." He hummed, kneeling down to their height to let the young Yamamoto grasp his arm instead.

"Why'd you let that go?" The Rain hissed, using his free hand to grasp the other's face and twist until the shiner was in plain view.

"Because, it was a hit."

"This is _boxing._ Not _kick boxing!_ Not to mention, you're both wearing shoes!"

"I'll be fine." Daiki breathed, bringing a hand to cup the wounded cheek.

"See," He took the hand away, revealing unmarred flesh. "Like it never happened."

"What-?" Tsuna gasped.

"Sun Flames, don't tell me you've already forgotten, Sawada-san."

" _No_ ," The Sky responded quickly. "We just...don't bring it up often."

"Daiki-kun." Ryohei called, tossing a pair of worn, red gloves at the older boy.

"Thanks." He responded, pulling the equipment on.

The younger Sun gestured for them to take a step back, the DC member calling for the last round.

"Just need to hit me nine more times in three minutes, think you can manage that?" Daiki hummed to his opponent, fiddling with the strap on his glove.

Mochida sent the fists wary looks, seemingly now aware of the danger he was in.

"Sure I can, you can get ready to bow to me, Yamaguchi-san."

The Sun merely smiled like an adult would to a child who had made a rather unfunny joke.

"Round three, start!"

Again, Mochida ran at Daiki, fist raised and ready to land what could have been the second blow of the match, only to have his course suddenly changed. The swordsman let out a groan as he hit the ropes, landing on the floor with a thud.

Takeshi let out a choked breath when he looked back to his Daiki, one arm extended to execute the punch, but the strap of the other between his teeth as he tried to get it comfortable. They made eye contact for a moment, less than an instant, but long enough for the Rain to grit his teeth against the smile threatening to break forth.

A lot of Daiki's frustration went into that punch.

" _First hit, Mochida-san!"_

From there, it was a one-sided bludgeoning, Mochida would get to his feet and dash at the Sun, only to get hit back with bruising force, almost K.O'ing at once stage. The Yamaguchi's fists would move only slightly, but it would be enough to blow his peer off his feet and beyond, a rush hitting the Rain as the ninth hit came down across the swordsman's cheek, sending him to the side.

"I'd tell you to stop, Mochida-san, but I think the only thing about you that's strong is your pride." Daiki hummed, watching the boy pull himself to his feet.

"You're right. Even I have my pride." Mochida smirked, before his eyes widened in fear, the taller boy no longer standing in the middle of the ring.

" _Pride is said to be a sin, y'know."_

…

Takeshi let out a shuddered breath he didn't know he was holding, watching as Daiki stood back to his full height and pulling off his gloves with a passive expression on his face.

"Mochida-san, K.O! Yamaguchi-san is winner!"

"As expected." Ryohei laughed, catching the gloves tossed at him.

"Okay, Ryohei-san and I will meet you at the pool after we grab our swimmers." The elder Sun hummed, fastening his tie.

The Rain watched the boy in a sort of daze, a kind of buffer between his ears and the words being spoken to his party. A frown touched his face as the hollow of Daiki's collarbone was concealed by his shirt, the offending material once again in place.

"Eyes up, love." He grunted, tapping the younger boy on the forehead with one hand, the other working to tug on his blazer.

Letting a pout spread onto his face, the young Yamamoto batted away the offending limb, rubbing the point of contact.

"Daiki-kun, what were you doing in the ring? Ryohei-kun said you were planning something, but nothing really happened." He asked, making the others look to the taller Sun in interest.

"Planning? Oh," Daiki blinked, turning to them with a smile. "I was doing Sawada-san's lesson plan. I haven't had much time, but it should be able to get him moving."

There was silence amongst the party, the Guardians rolling the information through their heads. Gokudera was the first to break the spell.

"You were making a fuckin' _lesson plan!?_ "

"Yeah."

"Wait, so you weren't concentrating on Mochida-senpai at all?" Tsuna uttered, a bewildered expression on his face.

"No, not really." The blue haired boy admitted, before pinching his earlobe between his fingers.

"THAT'S EXTREMELY WHY HE MANAGED TO LAND AN EXTREME HIT!" Ryohei roared, fist coming down on his long-time friend's shoulder.

"Ack! C'mon, I didn't expect him to do an illegal move!"

"YOU NEED TO EXTREMELY CONCENTRATE DURING MATCHES! DON'T EXTREMELY UNDERESTIMATE ANY OPPONENT!"

"Stop hittin' me!"

Takeshi watched the two Suns squabble with each other, Tsuna still gaping in the background as Gokudera tries to tone down the Sky's awe, occasionally shouting at the blue haired boy to not let it get to his head.

The Rain laughed and joined in the mismatched shouting rally, throwing himself on the tallest boy and trying to calm the Storm.

There's still so much to learn.

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

 **|REBORN|**

Oh. Oh he liked this.

Reborn of the Arcobaleno sat in one of his many bases in the Nami-chuu building, plush chair supporting his form as he watched the interaction between the third and second years through his monitor in HD quality. The Yamaguchi boy was good at a fair few things, the hitman found, but one of his best abilities was popping up at just the right time, with or without Reborn's intervention.

The Sun Arcobaleno paused when he saw the Cloud land on the younger boy's arm, as if a signal had gone out just from the action of the limb being held out…

"Ah," Reborn breathed, realisation clicking almost instantly.

Leon scuttled up the back of the chair, making a clicking noise of question, the reptile himself not understanding.

"I do believe that Yamaguchi-san has been unconsciously sending out signals to other Flames in the community. Hibari-san must be reacting to the call. It's probably concentrated when directed at him." The baby hummed, swirling the coffee in hand.

"That's most likely why the boy seems to always seek out Yamaguchi-san when hurt." He spoke to himself, thinking outloud.

"His Cloud Flames, perhaps, knew that Sun Flames would be able to heal him...Smart boy. Or is it good instincts? A mix of both?"

Leon made another noise, scaled body rippling as he scrambled to the mini carpet, looking intently at the capture of the baker's son's face.

The no. 1 hitman resisted the urge to puff up his cheek, turning away as the lizard did his usual greeting dance for the Yamaguchi.

"And here I thought you were loyal." He teased.

Leon winked at him.

 **|REBORN|**

* * *

"Well then, let's get started." I sighed, rolling my eyes at the young Yamamoto as he glared at the rashie clinging to my upper body.

The arrival of the party at the pool was a lot less chaotic than I remember it being, Gokudera and Ryohei not needing to scale the fence to get in.

"Sawada-san, in the pool."

"A-ah, yeah." Tsuna nodded, walking over to the edge and dropping in.

Opening my mouth, I prepared to give the boy a quick quiz to catch myself up on his progress, only for Takeshi to address me, making me turn to him.

"Shujin-kun, could I give teaching Tsuna-san a go? I mean, I did offer, originally." He laughed, his hand skimming from my shoulder to my hip as it fell.

"Oh," I blinked, before letting a smile come to my face, just barely holding back the humored lit. "The stage is your's."

Sitting down on the edge and letting my legs dangle in the water, I watched as the two boys situate themselves in the shallows. The Sun at my side toed the water carefully, a lot more sensitive to temperatures, while he wasn't pumped, than I remember him being portrayed as in the show.

"Well," I breathed suddenly, drawing their attention away from Reborn. "While you two are doing that, I'm gonna go to the lap pool. Get me if anything goes especially south."

Padding over to the other, deeper pool, I claimed an empty lain and lowered myself into the colder water. Taking a glance over to the Vongola party, I let a laugh escape me as I saw Takeshi try to teach his Sky the way of the breast. Diving into the liquid, I let a hum vibrate in the back of my throat.

This'll be fun.

…

"..."

I stared down at the five teens in the kiddy pool, a flat expression on my face that clashed with their own faces of panic and sheepishness.

"Who put that on you, Sawada-san?" I asked, looking to the metal wiring that held onto his thin limbs.

"Ah...Gokudera-kun?"

Accepting the answer, I turned to the Storm, his brow raised in challenge, prepared for whatever I could throw at him.

"Little one, why are you putting Sawada-san in bondage equipment?"

Oh, nevermind, he wasn't ready for that.

"It's not bondage stuff!" The Storm shouted, shrinking when select parents snapped their attention to the shriek.

Surveying the teens, I let out a sigh, vague memories coming back about their course of action concerning the Decimo's training. I wondered for a moment if it was different, concerning the boy's non-canonic ability, but brushed it off, looking to the Sky.

"How's it coming along?"

He flushed faintly for a moment, glancing over to a fish clad Haru, before letting out a sheepish result.

"Um, not that well."

Giving a hum, I dropped into the pool, purposely splashing my fellow Sun a little. Ignoring his splutter of surprise, I gave the Vongola a once over before nodding and clapping my hands once, as if to draw attention.

"Well, guess it's my turn then?"

"Hehe, if you would." Tsuna laughed weakly, rubbing the back of his soaked head.

"So, how far have you come since our last time in the water?" I asked, stepping closer to the boy as the other teens situated themselves on the side of the pool, watching the interaction.

"I've gotten pretty good at freestyle, and I float on my back often, but I haven't really gone past those."

"Hm, okay, let's start with legs first, shall we?" I breathed, stepping up next to the wall.

"Sawada-san, grab onto the wall for me. Now," I stepped up behind the Mafia boy, grabbing his floating feet. "For breaststroke, the kick is different to the others. Your pull your knees in, like a frog almost."

I pushed his knees to a bend, drawing his feet close to his body, before pulling the limbs back to extension.

"That's what it should feel like, this is what it looks like."

Grabbing the wall beside him, I proceeded to move my legs as I did his, locking my elbows to stop myself from ramming into the tile.

"Wanna give it a try, Little Fish?"

"Okay." Tsuna responded, nodding as he grabbed the wall again.

Watching the smaller boy to the kick carefully, I nodded after a few motions, only pointing out a few flaws in the stroke.

"Off the wall, please." I called, drawing him into the middle of the lane.

Reaching out, I gathered the boy's hands, flashes of six years ago appearing in my mind.

"For this one, you don't bring your hands past your chin. When you move them," I brought his hands through the cycle drawing the familiar figure in the water's surface. "You kind of draw a fairly sized heart."

I stopped talking and let the Vongola pull my hands along, drawing the shape with both our hands before humming when he got it.

"When you do those hand movements, there will be a point where your head will break the surface of the water. Use that moment to breath."

At his nod, I gave a smile and released his hands, stepping back to lean against the side of the pool.

"Give it a go, Little Fish."

Giving the water a careful look, the Sky nodded before breaching the surface. He wobbled for two metres or so, before finding his fins and getting into the groove of the stroke. The rest of his Family got to their feet and chased after his swimming form, cheering him on with bright smiles that infected my own expression. His endurance in the water was better than the show depicted, his hand hitting the wall before he turned, swimming back to me.

"Hey, welcome back." I smiled, watching him cycle his breath, renewing the oxygen in his lungs.

"Good job, you've just done a full 50 metres."

The look on his face made the familiar feeling of pride bloom in my chest, his eyes wide and an even wider grin on his face. He scrambled over to the side of the pool and read the label, quickly calculating the number before letting out a whoop of glee.

"Tsuna-san! Let's race!" Takeshi laughed, dropping into the water beside the Sky.

…

I looked up from my notes with a start, my phone buzzing in my pocket. Slipping my hand past the material, I pulled the device from my pants and opened it, displaying the message from Takeshi, accompanied by an attached picture.

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Tsuna got second place! :DDD_

Selecting the picture, I let a smile touch my face as I took in the collage of pixels

The Vongola trio were squashed into the small frame, Tsuna dripping with pool water and looking just about ready to drop as Gokudera shook his fist at someone off screen. The Rain was closer to the camera, his unoccupied hand coming to grab hold of the Storm's trunks to stop him from coming down on the object of his rage.

 _To: Favourite Stalker  
It's not a race, just acheck up, remember? But, well done, Sawada, not too shabby._

* * *

I laid on my front on my bed, Bill squashed beneath me as I flipped the page of my novel. The genre was horror, but I had yet to feel the intended atmosphere.

"Never understood how someone could get scared by a book." I muttered, reading over the description of the monster with a sense of detachment.

A sigh left me as another one of the party died, my glasses slipping slightly down the bridge of my nose. My curtains bellowed as another gust of wind came through, distilling the ever-present papers on my floor. Mephisto shuffled beneath my bed, having taken refuge in the space after Lambo had chased him around the house before I opened my door for the pup.

Lambo, himself, was with Kaede at the moment, following her as she plundered the weekend, night markets, Sawada Nana at her side.

"-and with a shrill shriek, the wrathful spirit ripped at the man's face, tearing skin and gouging eyes. Blood gushed down his face, bla bla..." I recited, rolling my own eyes as I closed the book, a sigh on my lips.

"Boring." Came my groan, gently tossing the paper-back onto my desk.

Burying my face into the yellow softness of the platypus, I hummed in content, my arms coming to squeeze its body. In all honesty, I had become far too attached to my gifts, save Shamal's. Bill the Platypus was a constant on the corner of my bed, the 'new toy' scent already long gone. Tsuna's bat plush was now clipped to my bag, dangling from the zipper.

The others were in constant use, photo album slowly but surely filling with the photos I printed from texts, sandalwood bracelet another part of my aesthetic and weights stacked in the corner of my room on a rack. Bianchi's poison was placed high on a shelf, out of Lambo's reach with tape sealing it shut in case.

Loud thumping drew me from my musing, the sounds growing closer before the door to my room was flung open and a blur threw itself on me.

"Shujin-kun!"

Oh, blur identified.

A whoosh of air left me as I was flattened against my bed, 63 kilos worth of teen weighing down on me.

"Hey, Takeshi-kun. Why are you here?" I groaned, shifting as he rearranged himself to lay on his front beside me.

"C'mon," He whined, dropping his head on the gift. "Call me 'shujin-kun' again!"

"Answer me, and I'll think about it."

The Rain gave a pout before turning on his side, grabbing my sleeve.

"I wanted to come over, and I saw Kaede-kaa-san on the way here and she said I could stay the night! What, don't you want me here?"

A sigh left me as I draped my arm over his back, rolling slightly to face him and bury my face into his shoulder. The Rain moved his legs until our longest limbs were tangled together, his own arm thrown around my waist.

"Now, don't go putting words in my mouth, _shujin-kun_."

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Takeshi grinned to himself as he tightened his grip on the boy in front of him, pressing the expression into blue tinted hair as he felt breath brush against his collar. The Rain ran his fingers along the length of Daiki's side, silently fingering at the almost feminine dip of his waist.

"So," The Sun started quietly, his own hands beginning a repetitious journey down the line of the swordsman's spine. "What's the reason for this surprise visit."

"Would you believe me if I said I just wanted too?" The Rain tried, playing with the seam of the older boy's shirt.

"Hm, not this time, love. Something's troubling you." Came the rumble in his shoulder.

Takeshi quieted as he thought back to the reason for his sudden need to be in this specific room, with this specific person. It had come on suddenly, even for him, the thought train that resulted in paranoia and the physical pain in his chest.

"Hey, Daiki-kun?" He started, making his fiance hum into his skin. "Have you ever thought about leaving me?"

 _"And what will you do if Daiki-kun decides to move on?"_

The silence that followed after made his heart drop, an expression of sadness marring his face. Placing his hands on the Sun's shoulders, he tried to push him to see the elder's face, only for the arm wrapped around him to become the equivalent of steel.

"What brought this on, Takeshi-kun?"

"So, you have." The Rain breathed, his grip on the other's broad shoulders tightening.

A cold buzz began to creep forwards from the back of the Yamamoto child's skull, his fingers beginning to dig into the muscle beneath their pads.

"Now, don't go putting words in my mouth." Daiki repeated, shifting them both until they were face to face, the hands of the Rain wrapped up in his larger ones between them.

"I will admit, I have wondered what I'd be like if I hadn't submitted to your pestering all those years ago. It comes to mind, time to time." He shrugged, before looking to the frail expression on the Guardian's face.

"I will also admit to wondering about who'd _you_ turn to if nothing were to exist between us, and I can think of a fair few partners that could work with you. Perhaps more so than myself."

Takeshi gritted his teeth as the other continued, his father's words coming back to haunt him.

"So, yes, I guess, in a way I have thought about leaving you."

Oh…

Suddenly, there was pressure on the Rain's shoulders as he was pushed away, his back hitting the mattress as large hands sank beside his head. A shadow was cast over the young swordsman as he looked up with wide eyes at the Sun above.

" _And I can't say I like it."_

His breath hitched as he fought down the scowl that threatened to take his face, a faint burn coming to the corners of his eyes.

"You, Yamamoto Takeshi, belong to me just as much as I do you. And if you think I'm letting someone steal away my favourite stalker, you have another thing coming."

The Rain stared up at the narrow eyed boy above him, muted at the declaration.

"The idea of you with someone else," Daiki grunted. "Is actually repulsive."

Biting his lip, the young Yamamoto brought his fist into the elder's stomach, making him drop with a gasp and press against the Rain. Without a moment's hesitance, Takeshi constricted the Sun with his arms, a scowl on his face.

"God damn you, Daiki-kun. Why do you have to be all dramatic and shit!? You actually made me think that- Oh, screw you!"

The laughter emitting from his husband-to-be only added to his irk, one hand coming to sink his blunted nails into the exposed skin of Daiki's hip.

"Screw me? A little early for that, isn't it, shujin-kun?" The Sun huffed, only slightly wincing as the nails were dragged across the expanse of his hips.

"You scared me, you prick!" Takeshi hissed, looking down as the face resting on his chest.

"Sorry, love." Daiki hummed, letting a soft smile come to his face.

The Rain breathed harshly as cooled fingers began to skim through his hair, gently kneading at sensitive spots that made him give purr-like noises. Daiki rested his cheek above the swordsman's heart, rough hums leaving him that vibrated in Takeshi's chest.

"So, you won't leave? You'll stay with me?"

"Yep," The blue haired boy breathed, moving to align their faces. "For as long as you'll have me."

The nails in Daiki's hip sank deeper, the other hand coming to tangle in dark blue and hold his fiancé in place.

"Well then, you'd best get comfortable, shujin-kun. 'Cause you aren't going anywhere."

God, did Takeshi love that smile on his face.

"Love you, Takeshi-kun." Daiki hummed, fighting the hand in his hair to press his lips against the Rain's.

"Love you too, Daiki-kun."

 _God_ , did Takeshi love his Daiki.

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

I stared blankly at the mandible-less face of the reanimated girl on screen, already having watched this movie in my first life.

"How can you keep such a straight face?!" Takeshi hissed, grimacing as the girl's tongue inched down her neck.

"It's not that bad." I hummed, shifting as he leant back into my shoulder, letting me wrap an arm around him.

"Not that bad!? The girl's lower jaw is gone!"

"You've obviously never played Corpse Party, then." Came my comment, giving his arm a squeeze when he pouted.

There weren't many jumpscares in The Grudge, so the laptop balanced on our legs was in no danger of flying off the bed, but the occasional recoil was enough to shake it. I personally had a suspicion that Takeshi may be exaggerating his fear a bit, but had qualms in pandering to him when he asked for affection.

Thinking back to his arrival, a frown slipped onto my face. It was rare for something to spook him so badly, whatever it was had caused him to become frazzled and unable to put a cover over his emotions like he usually could.

Glancing at him as he bunched up my shirt in his hands, not so accidently pulling it up to expose my stomach, I forced the frown off and smiled as the Rain looked at me. With him now looking at me, I planted my lips over his and pressed the seams further together, working with his stunned paralysis.

"Shujin-kun?" He hummed, hand fumbling to hit the spacebar and pause the movie.

"You never told me where your doubt came from." I responded, sliding the computer to the foot of the bed.

"Ah," The Rain breathed, turning on his side and pressing closer to me. "It's nothing big, tou-san and I just started talking and- I guess- we just got onto some bitter topics."

"Bitter topics, you say?"

"Yeah, like...Like what I'd do if you tried to leave me." He finished, grabbing my other arm to wrap it around himself, cocooned in both now.

"Oh, and what would you do?" I asked.

A yelp escaped me as his hand came and irritated the still tender claw marks on my waist, a sharp smile coming to his face at the noise.

"I'd chain you up, of course. Lock you away in a room only I had a key to."

I blinked in surprise.

"Careful, Takeshi-kun, your yandere is showing."

A cough left me as I tried to smother the laugh caused by the expression on his face, a cross between insult and surprise.

"I am not a yandere, Daiki-kun." He pouted, entwining our legs.

"If you say so. Just remember," I hummed, grabbing his wrist and tugging him flush against me, looking down at his smaller frame."That means I get to lock you in with me."

A hue began to take his cheeks as he lowered his head, not breaking eye contact. Shifting our wrapped up forms, I gave a hum of content as I buried my face in his shoulder, completely covering his body with my larger one.

"Yeah, I can work with that. Getting locked with you forever." The Rain breathed, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and exhaling into my neck.

If crazy runs in the family, I guess he'd fit in just fine.

* * *

 **|H.K|**

Hibari Kyoya paid the men of the Watanabe Yakuza no mind as he breezed through the halls, a short, elderly man scuttling ahead of him to guide his way to the Chattering Herbivore.

"Right through here, Young Master." The old man hummed, stepping through a border of Sakura, making the Skylark grimace in distaste.

The women in the rooms tittered as they spotted the young Cloud step into the building, coat billowing dramatically.

" _Welcome, Young Master."_ The Watanabe girls chorused, lining the hall quickly.

"I am here for Yamaguchi Daiki. Where is he?" He grunted, glancing at the eldest lady.

"Daiki-kun is in his room, at the end of the hall, Young Master." She responded, keeping her eyes low.

Closing slate eyes, the Skylark contemplated calling the younger boy out to him instead, before sighing and striding forwards, making the trek himself. Faint thumps could be heard sounding from the heir's room, six continuous ones, followed by hasteful footsteps.

" _Your darts, Daiki-dono."_

" _Thank you again, Jun-kun."_

Grabbing the wood of the sliding door, the Skylark all but flung the door open, making the old man behind him jump at the loud noise.

The Yakuza heir was seated on a cushion in the middle of the room, an armrest on his left side letting him lean as he looked at the far wall where a dart board was nailed. There were holes littering the extra layer of wood beneath the target, hinting to the amount of times the large height difference between the aimer and board had hindered his throw.

"Oh," The Yamaguchi breathed, looking over his shoulder at the newest addition to the room. "Hey, birdy."

"Y-Young Master!" The heir's personal herbivore yelped, his once relaxed seat becoming stiff and formal.

"Handler, you're going to come with me tonight." The Skylark stated, stepping around the kneeling boy and up beside the blue haired one.

"Oh, isn't there meant to be a festival tonight? Takeshi-kun was talking about it."

"Yes, and you're coming with me."

"Why?"

"Its halves the workload." Hibari grunted, crossing his arms.

"Okay." The Sun sighed dramatically, sending one of his golden handle darts flying.

Hibari hummed before continuing to watch his Handler's progress, a noise of commendation leaving him as he watched three of the six darts hit bull's eye, the others landing around the green mark surrounding it.

"You're good." He breathed, the bowing boy scrambling to retrieve the darts.

"Hm, it took me a while - maybe too long- to get a hang of aiming. Thank you, Jun-kun."

The Skylark looked to the Sun, regarding him with little outward expression. With a critical eye, Hibari scanned his handler, noticing the recent bulk up of his arms and shoulders.

More strength.

A thud made the two men snap their attention to the side, the Yamaguchi's assistant scrambling to pull together a pile of books that had fallen from his grasp.

"What are those, Jun-kun?" The blue haired boy asked, watching the smallest boy scuttle through the room and display them at his feet.

"Daiki-dono, your grandfather has ordered for you to begin choosing the design for your _Irezumi_."

The Skylark blinked as the baker's son visibly bristled, his jaw jumping as amber-earth eyes flitted across the covers of the worn books.

"Irezumi, that's those Yakuza tattoos, yes?"

"You are correct, Daiki-dono." The little herbivore nodded, tensing at his lord's grit.

The Chattering Herbivore fingered his right bicep thoughtfully, a frown on his face.

"How long do I have?" He asked, making his helper deflate in relief.

Hibari raised an eyebrow at the action. So, he's been resisting?

"Daiki-dono has until the next month to decide all the details and confirm with the Wakagashira." The little herbivore answered.

The Skylark regarded the two before letting out a grunt, spinning on his heel and leaving the room, a warning leaving him.

"Meet me at the festival entrance, or else."

"Hm, see you there birdy."

He wondered what kind of tattoo his handler would get.

 **|H.K|**

* * *

I huffed as I leant against a pillar near the entrance, waiting for the Skylark to show. Having managed to miss all three of the Vongola trio upon their entrance, I was unaware of their current position, vague memories supplying that they were doing a stall.

A hum left me as I thought, a faint inkling reminding me of a mix up in incidences. Tsuna knew how to swim in this timeline, so there was no need for the destruction of the pool, resulting in there being no trip to the beach for part-time. There had been a fair few changes in the story I remembered, nothing mind-blowing, just a few details.

The one that stood out most to me, however, was the attempted suicide of Yamamoto Takeshi- or, lack thereof. It had taken me awhile to notice the change, but when I did, I may or may-not have all but clung to the baseballer for the afternoon of the realisation, not that he seemed to mind. The baseballer never fractured his arm during extra practice, having left along with the others to attend a date we had planned a week in advance, causing him to not have an emotional breakdown. This, however, resulted in Takeshi and Tsuna's meeting to be different, instead bonding in the nurse's office after the Rain took out the Sky with a stray baseball to the face. And then here they were, a year later as they should be.

A buzz went off in my pocket, making me pull out my phone and give a loud sigh as I read the message.

 _From: Birdy  
Patrol the stalls and make sure no herbivores try to make a mess._

 _To: Birdy  
Yep._

Shoving the device into my pocket, I stepped into the river of brightly clad humans.

…

"So, you're telling me that someone's running around and stealing people's profits?" I asked the woman at a food stall, her takoyaki in my hand.

"Yes, the stall across from me has already been hit, they don't have enough to pay the lot rent." She responded, quickly serving another customer.

"Ah, thank you for telling me, miss."

Walking back into the crowd, I rolled the information through my head, slowly piecing together the happenings of today's event.

"They'll be fine." I hummed, before parting from the main crowd and following a path up a hill.

Seating myself on a rock beside a tree I began to eat the takoyaki quietly, the sounds of the festival floating through the air to ghost around me.

Irezumi, huh?

I had never gotten a tattoo before, not wanting to get something I'd regret in the future painted under my skin. There was also the added factor of my aversion to needles, I didn't fear them, but would rather not deal with them unless necessary.

A shift made me sigh in annoyance as the four lines of red skin grazed my belt, the scratches left by Takeshi refusing to heal by Flame nor time. A check over had made me smile when I saw the reason, the swordsman had subconsciously lined the scratched with Rain Flame, slowing the healing process drastically, keeping the marks there longer. No one had seen them yet, so there were no questions as to their persistence or origin, thankfully.

A boom rung through the air, making me look up from the flower littered grass and watch the chemical fire ink the sky. Leaning against the tree, I gave a hum of appreciation as a mixture of combine copper and strontium compounds lit the night sky in a pattern of purple.

A buzz went off in my pocket, the screen lighting up as I opened it. A soft smile touched my face when I saw the sky from Takeshi's perspective, the back of the Vongola party's heads lining the bottom of the frame.

Raising my phone I snapped a moment of colour and sent it off in response, putting away my device after a few moments of inactivity.

"How pretty."

* * *

A yawn left me as I leant against the counter, the clock ticking obnoxiously in the early morning. After moments of nothing, I pulled my phone out and began scrolling through past conversations, reading the old texts with a small smile of amusement. The ring of the bakery door's bell alerted me to a customer, making me place my phone down and look up, service smile on my face.

"Good morning, how can I help you?"

Who the hell could be up at this time of mornin-

I fought to keep my expression the same as the figure sauntered up to me, the door swinging shut behind him. The taller man swayed up to the counter, his chin held in a gloved gun hold as he leaned closer, sunglasses glinting in the artificial light.

"Well, you can help me in a _lot_ of ways, sweety."

Lussuria of Varia.

 _God fucking dammit I am supposed to be a SUN not a SKY! Am I some sort of Sun bait?! Beacon?!_

"I am sorry, but you might find that my area of skill is quite limited." I hummed in response, fixing my smile on my face, used to this sort of actions from certain people.

Ah, the joys of customer service.

"Oh? With a body like that, you must have quite a few tricks up your sleeves!" The alien laughed, cupping his chin as he leaned on the counter.

"You have more muscle that some grown men I know." He commented, glasses glinting.

"How about giving me a peek?"

"Sir!" I yelped, stepping out of his reach easily before mentally cursing.

My reaction time was too fast for civilian abilities, and Lussuria no doubt noticed it.

A smile stretched the assassin's face after a pause, his hands held beside his head in surrender.

"Sorry, sorry, I get excited when I see a good looking guy." His head shifted as if he had just winked.

"No need to be so formal with me, either. Just call me Lussuria," The Sun paused as if he realised something before rubbing the back of his head. "Lussuria-onee-chan. You Japanese folk use suffix, I forgot."

"I couldn't possibly-" I started, shaking my head and hands in synchrony.

"Oh, I insist! And in return, I'll call you Daiki-kun!"

My blood ran cold in an instant, Lussuria's jovial, teasing smile suddenly looking sharp and predatory. I shook it off hesitantly, remembering the name tag clipped to my apron.

"Okay...If you're absolutely sure."

The bi-coloured haired man's face lit up like a Christmas tree, his hands clapping together as he bounced away from the counter and began to do a round of the display cases, giving me back my breathing room. Letting out a quiet breath, I watched the assassin in my peripheral vision as he pottered around, occasionally asking me to read a bunch of kanji that he could no doubt do himself.

"Are you from abroad, Lussuria…-onee-chan?" I asked, forcing myself to tack on the title when he glanced over his shoulder at me.

"Why yes, I am! Fresh from the beaches of Italy!" The flamboyant man exclaimed, spinning around and posing as his feather lined coat billowed.

"Ah, well, welcome to Namimori."

I managed to avoid squawking when he suddenly crossed the threshold between us, grabbing me from across the register and hugging me off my feet.

"Oh, so well mannered! A true gentleman!"

"U-um, could you please put me down?" I tried, only to be drowned out by another declaration.

"A beautiful body and a beautiful soul!"

Help me!

 _Bzzt!_

The sudden, amplified buzzing of my phone against the counter forced Lussuria to release me, my own hands scrambling to open the device.

Takeshi; My hero, que dramatic sigh.

"Who is it?" The Italian asked, looking at my rather beat-up cell.

"My boyfriend." I answered easily, before starting at the shriek that rang through the shop.

" _Boyfriend!?_ Oh my God, why didn't I come to Japan before!?" The green mohawked man wailed, cupping his face as he spun around.

"Is he cute? Hot? Older? Younger? Pitcher or receiver? Or do you swap?"

It was times like this, that I was glad sexual scenarios were second to romantic on my blush metre.

"A-ah, he's a mixture of both, younger and we haven't gotten that far." I managed to answer, my eyes wide.

"Answer him! Answer him!" The man hustled, tapping his palms against the counter.

The Varia assassin reminded me of an excited school girl, rather than a threat to my- and many other's - life. Giving him another glance, I looked to my phone and opened the message.

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Morning, shujin-kun!_

 _To: Favourite Stalker  
It's 6:05, why are you awake?_

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
I had a dream and it woke me up. It's your fault._

"Dream?- Oh." Lussuria gasped, reading over my shoulder.

"Ohoho! You're giving your little lover wet dreams, Daiki-kun!"

I yelped as it clicked, the phone clattering on the floor before I snatched it back up and slammed it down on the counter, a faint heat on my cheeks.

"Aw, you're so cute, all flustered by a little sex talk!" The man cooed, before disposing three bags worth of items on the register.

"These, please."

Giving a nod, I quickly did the maths and stated the price, accepting the payment and returning the change. Bending, I grabbed three bags before returning to the desk, filling the paper carriers with the pastries.

"There you go." I hummed, lining them up.

"Thank you, Daiki-kun. Tell your little lover: Lussuria-onee-chan says 'hi' and 'to use cold water and detergent'."

I didn't even manage my usual farewell as my throat caught, saliva going down my windpipe in shock. The sounds of Lussuria's fading laughter accompanying the spasms in my chest.

My _God_!

* * *

 **|REBORN|**

Reborn narrowed his eyes at the retreating form.  
He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all.

Leon blinked, conveying his displeasure as well. Someone was threatening his second favourite human. This was unacceptable to him.

The Sun Arcobaleno twirled his partner's tail, effortlessly cooling both their agitation.

"Soon, Leon." He murmured softly after a pause. "You'll have to rest again."

Leon blinked twice, slowly, and continued munching on a dragonfly he caught in a prior instant.

Reborn snorted, and started making new tortur- tutoring plans in his mind.

Time stops for no man, after all.  
(And other organisms of course, he corrected himself, glancing at Leon.)

 **|REBORN|**

* * *

 **SIDEKICK COMMENTARY**

 _With: ThePlotbunnyBreeder_

 ***slow clap*** Luss is perfection. And Reborn is a creepy, iconic infant hellspawn. Awesome hellspawn, yes, but still creepy. (Also really fun to write.)

He is redeemed through Leon. Leon is also perfection.

And dear readers, please admire the perfect blend of sprinkled angst over fluffy candy floss.

I wonder if Mochida will ever get some character development and get his head out of the… idiocy section? And spreading rumours? Pffff... So petty.

We have already arrived at the Varia Arc, my god!

I wonder what the rest of the Varia will say to the baked goods…  
Oh no.  
Oh well, more motivation for the Vongola kiddos, I guess?  
(Takeshi will _not_ be amused.)

And even though Jun only had a short appearance, I love him. Protect that neglected and abused bunny- cinnamon roll- cinnamon bun.

(Yeah, cinnamon bun.)


	17. Chapter 17

**Word Count:** **10,883**

* * *

A yawn cracked my jaw as I pulled myself up the stairs, flour clinging to the material of my pants and chocolate buried beneath my nails. Giving a grunt, I wrestled my way out of my most restricting layer, hanging it on the doorknob of the bathroom door.

It had been a whole day since the run in with Lussuria of Varia, and most of my resulting paranoia had faded from the following normality. There had been no sighting or mention of any Squalo's or the like, leaving me in a constant limbo of alert and calm.

After cleansing my body of the morning's work, I stepped out of the steaming room, blinking when I saw Mephisto's rump and tail sticking up from my sheets.

"Oi," I called, grabbing the white dog by his waist. "Get outta there."

He gave a gruff as he sprung out of my hands, sliding across the floor as papers dislodged beneath his paws. Laughing at his expense, I cleared a patch of floor and dropped, my feet parting in opposite directions until I was- in Ryohei's words - "crotch to floor". Reaching up, I grabbed hold of my computer and dragged it down to the floor, typing in my password and accessing the internet.

"Ha." I scoffed quietly, scrolling through the forum I had found myself in.

Looking up, I groaned as my phone went off somewhere in the house, possibly in the living room. Looking down at myself, I wondered whether getting up would be worth the effort, before pausing at Mephisto bolted out of under my bed, sliding across the wood before he was out the door.

Still staring at the open frame, I reminded in a confused stupor as the white canine came running back, gliding past my room when his claws found no purchase on the polished floor. I tilted my upper body to look around the frame as he crashed into the wall at the end of the hall, his fluffy body splayed out comically.

"You 'kay there, Miffy?" I called, making him scramble to his feet.

Shaking himself out, Mephisto began to come towards me at a more resigned pace, coming to sit before my split form and drop a shiny, black device before me.

"Ah, thanks mate." I breathed, stunned that Mephistopheles would actually go and fetch my phone _of his own accord._

The device in front of me rattled against the floorboards as another message came through, an unfamiliar ring sounding alongside it. Grabbing it into my hand, I flipped it open and read the ID, my entire body tensing up as a wave of cold washed over me.

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous  
Good morning, lovely! \\(^o^)/_

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous  
How'd you sleep? Did you dream of me? I bet you did!_

"O-oh, God." I breathed, closing the phone as if it'd remove the very existence of the message.

"How? When?" Looking to Mephisto, I gave a pleading expression, as if he'd suddenly be able to speak a common language,

"My phone is _password locked._ When could he have had the time to grab- When I got the bags."

Pulling my legs back in, I hunched slightly, my thumb nail pinched between my teeth as I glowered at the ground, trying to piece together this new threat.

"I was only down for- less than ten seconds, maybe. How could he have figured it out, memorise my number and add his own contacts in that time?"

Mephisto gave a grunt in response to my rambling, dropping his head onto his paws as he laid himself out beside me. Another buzz went off, making me jump and snap open my phone instantly.

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous  
C'mon, Daiki! Don't ignore me! \\(T^T)/_

Taking a breath, I glanced at Mephisto before closing the device and tossing it on my bed. Pulling myself to my feet, I began dressing for school, trying my best to ignore the buzzing. Eventually, it seemed even the mutt at my feet had had enough of the noise, biting my calf to get me to stop the buzzing. Slamming my tie down on my desk, I spun and grabbed the device off my bed, flipping it open with a look of irritation reflected in the screen.

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous  
Hey! Hey! 6(_)9_

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous  
Daiki!_

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous  
Please?! (0-0)_

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous  
If you keep on ignoring me, I'll come to your bakery again!_

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous  
My Boss is being mean to me again! Comfort me! \\(T^T)/_

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous_

 _Ah! He threw a vase at me! (TT-TT)_

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous_

 _Daiki~! Please~?_

Gritting my teeth at the mention of the burnt Boss, I began to click away at the keypad, pressing the silvery buttons with a little too much force.

 _To: Lussuria The Fabulous  
How do you have my number?_

The reply was instantaneous.

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous  
I got it off your phone, obviously!_

 _To: Lussuria The Fabulous  
I never gave it to you. You were never left with my phone._

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous  
Oh, was I? (^^)_

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous  
Are you sure?_

A heavy breath left me as I read the messages, my thumbs tapping quickly in response.

 _To: Lussuria The Fabulous  
Yes, I am very sure._

 _To: Lussuria The Fabulous  
The closest you've gotten to being alone with my phone was when I ducked down to collect your bag. And that wasn't very long at all._

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous  
Really?_

I was halfway through typing: 'Yes, really!', when my phone buzzed again, forcing me to abandon my draft and open the received again.

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous  
Anyway! You responded! You really_ _were_ _ignoring me! Rudey!_

 _To: Lussuria The Fabulous  
I was in the middle of changing!_

I looked down at myself.

 _To: Lussuria The Fabulous  
No, scratch that. I_ _am_ _in the middle of changing!_

 _From: Lussuria The Fabulous  
Oh, do tell. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_

 _To: Lussuria The Fabulous_

 _No. I'm blocking you from my phone._

...

I never got round to that.

Frowning at the screen in front of me, I read the latest text with an expression of annoyance, my elbow resting on my school desk, and my head on my fist. My classmates were bustling amongst each other as the bell rung for lunch, our teacher long gone and the smell of food permeating the air as usual.

 _From: That one annoying guy  
I'm sorry! I didn't mean to almost get you into trouble with your teacher! (;A;)_

 _From: That one annoying guy  
Forgive me! /(_ _)/_

 _To: That one annoying guy  
How 'bout you stop texting me? Then I'll forgive you._

 _From: That one annoying guy  
B-but I love you!_

"Whoa- What?! Daiki-kun, the EXTREME HELL!?" Ryohei roared into my ear from behind me, making my body jump.

"ARE YOU EXTREMELY CHEATING ON TAKESHI-KUN!?"

 _That_ turned more than a few head, let me tell you.

"No!" I shouted, finding the idea ridiculous.

"This," I pushed the phone in front of the Sun's face. "Is just some weird guy who's been texting me since this morning. He's eccentric and likes to throw the L-word around a lot. I'm not-"

I growled and turned to the class, their tittering reaching my ears.

"I'm _not_ cheating on Yamamoto Takeshi, God damn it!"

The room fell into suspicious silence, people diverting their eyes as I scanned the occupants.

Fucking hell, time for damage control.

Getting out of my seat, I quickly left the room, letting my feet carry me down to the second year's floor. Grabbing the wood, I pulled open 2-A's door and called out the name of the Rain.

"Takeshi-kun, c'mere for a sec!"

As the young Yamamoto approached, I grabbed hold of his hand and towed him off to the roof, flipping off my class as I passed the door of 3-A, a few of them reciprocating it easily. There was no one on the roof, as expected, since this was another one of Hibari's haunts, but a quick check showed me he was on the strip of land behind the classrooms.

Turning to the Rain, I gave a loud sigh before pulling out my phone and unlocking it for him, handing the device over, Lussuria and my conversation on display for him.

"So, recently I've been exchanging text with this one guy -and by recently, I mean: early this morning- but anyway, he's a bit on the weird side and likes to throw the L-word around a lot." I started, raising my hand when I saw Takeshi's grip on my phone tighten.

"And, during class, my phone goes off. Luckily, I put it on silent, so it only buzzed. Come lunch, I text him to watch it, and he apologises. He asks for forgiveness, I tell him to stop texting me and I will, then, he texts this last one."

I pluck the phone out and select the most recent before returning it.

Takeshi is not pleased.

"Ryohei-kun sees it, jumps to conclusions, bellows out: _'Daiki-kun! Are you cheating on Takeshi-kun!?'_ , and now the class is in some kind of fantasy."

Giving a breath, I looked to the Rain, measuring his expression as his thumb moved to click on the arrow keys.

"I thought I should be the one to tell you about this turn of events and get it out of the way before anything dramatic takes place. This isn't a romance manga, there doesn't need to be any misunderstandings at every turn."

This caught his attention, making his eyes glance up from the screen.

"Not a romance? Then what kind of manga is this?" He hummed, raising an eyebrow at my smile.

"A shounen!"

The Rain let out a huff of amusement as he closed my phone, holding it out to me. I reached to retrieve my device, only to have him withdraw it back to his chest.

"I'll trust you this time, Daiki-kun, but only because you fessed up, and fessed up early, rather than letting me find it through someone else. Don't make me regret it, okay?" He ordered, poking me in the chest and letting his eyes go sharp.

"Of course. He knows I have a boyfriend, I've already told him." I nodded, giving him an apologetic look for the whole incident.

"One more thing!" He grinned, flipping it back open and typing my password, making my eyes widen in surprise.

"How?!" I yelped, looking to the open screen.

"Daiki-kun, _159357_ isn't a very good password." He deadpanned, fingers still working on the keys.

I didn't have time to respond to the jab as the Rain wrapped my tie around his palm and dragged me down to his height, smothering my shout with his lips as he stepping into my space. It didn't take long for - what might as well have been - all the blood in my body to collect in my cheeks, my hands jumping to waist height in surprise. The Yamamoto boy seemed to not be giving up the connection anytime soon, merely shifting the arrangement of the pieces.

Oh, okay. Yep, yep, brain's gone.

The small noise of annoyance crossed with a request sounding from my smaller partner was what brought me back online, a sigh leaving me as I relented to his usual persistence and began to reciprocate the clumsy kiss. Bringing one hand up, I let it settle on the Rain's jaw, the other coming to rest on his hip.

 _Click!_

Both of us withdrew sharply at the sound, my own expression of surprise meeting his one of smug cheeriness.

"Oh no, you didn't- Takeshi-kun!" I roared, chasing after him as he quickly typed away at the phone, a laugh leaving him as I caught the fleeing boy by his collar.

The two of us let out a grunt as we hit the ground, my hand managing to save the back of the Rain's head from the concrete. Hovering over the swordsman on my hands and knees, I gave him a once over, looking for any damage before remembering my intention. Giving the younger boy a look of amused annoyance, I plucked the device from him, his expression of success already telling me I had failed.

Looking to the phone, I let out a sound of panic when I saw the image sent to the Varia member.

I blinked when I actually examined the photo, a flush coming to my face when I saw the expression on the Rain's face. Sharp mocha eyes open and sending the camera a mocking look, looking very invested in the lip lock captured on screen.

 _To: That one annoying guy  
He's mine. Remember that._

Groaning, I dropped my forehead onto the Rain's, my mind providing the scene of Lussuria no doubt enjoying the new image on his phone.

"Takeshi-kun." I growled, looking down at him as his smile continued to stretch.

Flipping the device shut, I dropped my other hand beside his head, moving to instead rest on my forearms, bringing out bodies closer.

"What? Did I do something wrong, shujin-kun?" He laughed, one hand coming to mess with my tucked in shirt.

Fine. If you're gonna broadcast our relationship, I'll do the same.

Letting my phone clatter to the concrete, I collected the wrists of the Rain and held them above his head, my other hand covering his mouth as the idea of the incoming noises drawing attention came to mind.

"Mmph?!" The Yamamoto son sounded, legs wriggling as he looked up at me, smugness still there, but weariness lining it.

I thought for a moment about abandoning my plan, before the buzz on my phone renewed my resolve.

"Don't worry, shujin-kun." I hummed, dropping my head to hover closer than I usually did. "This isn't going to hurt you."

As his eyes widened, I directed my mouth to pinch the material of his loose tie and yank it lower, years of wearing one myself teaching me the fastest ways to remove them. With the tie out of the way, I used my nose to nudge to collar aside, two undone buttons giving me more than enough room to work with.

"You should really button up more of your shirt, Takeshi-kun. Undershirt or not, it leaves a lot of area open." I hummed into the skin, laughing slightly when the body under me quaked gently.

"Mmph!"

"Quiet now, don't want Hibari-san finding us."

That seemed to work. The Rain instead wrapping his leg around one of my own bent ones, a heavy flush on his face. Giving my work area another once over, I let out a breath, mentally preparing myself for how badly this could go, before latching my mouth just above the boy's exposed collar bone. There was a loud yelp that melted into something I hadn't heard before, a strong suction causing the sound to be repeated.

I continued to give attention to the place, breaking every now and then to instead press a small kiss to the darkening mark. There were a few moments where I would stop and let myself catch my breath, but a noise of complaint would leave the pinned Rain and force me to get back to it.

Deciding he had had enough, I released the skin between my lips and licked away the gathered saliva, withdrawing to look down at the Rain. I blinked and let out a heavy breath when I noticed the dark shade of his face, the hue extending down past the dark mark I had left. It was only then, did I realise the layer of skin pinched between the Rain's teeth, his attempts to quiet himself apparently going the extra mile. Carefully removing my hand, I gave the smaller boy a smile as he huffed out air repeatedly, a dazed expression on his face.

"You...You... _God._ " He breathed, closing his eyes as he caught his breath.

A laugh left me at the frazzled state I had left the Rain in, a feeling of pride blooming at my work.

"Yes, but you can just call me 'shujin-kun', love." I hummed, releasing his wrists before gently rubbing them out, sitting back on his hips.

"Very funny, shujin-kun." Takeshi huffed, catching my hands with his own.

Giving a small laugh as he trailed his lips over the tips of my fingers, I slipped one out, letting him move his attention to my right palm as I grabbed my phone back.

 _From: That one annoying guy  
YES!YES!YES!_

 _From: That one annoying guy  
OH HE'S ALL YOURS!_

 _From: That one annoying guy  
DAMN DAIKI! YOU GOT A GOOD ONE!_

I snorted in amusement before turning the phone on Takeshi, showing him the response to the text he had snuck past. He gave a similar reaction, free hand coming finger the mark I had left on his skin.

"You're okay with that, right?" I asked, wondering if he was really okay with being marked so obviously.

"Yes!" He started, before reigning himself in with a flush.

"Yeah. I'm fine with it. I mean, you did it so...Yeah."

God damn it…

I groaned and dropped, smothering my face into his school shirt and I clutched at his jacket.

"What's wrong?" He asked, laughing a little at my antics.

"You're adorable." I whined, drilling my face in further.

Booming laughter left him as he snagged me by the hair, drawing my face out of his chest and lining his with mine.

"Oh, c'mon shujin-kun. You're adorable too." The Rain hummed, loosening his hold on my dark blue strands.

" _Chattering Herbivore."_

Oh shit.

I let out a laugh and turned to the call, wincing when I saw Hibari standing on the top room's roof, his arms crossed and a dark expression on his face.

"Hey, Hibari-san." I greeted, slipping my hand into Takeshi's carefully.

"For such misbehaviour on school grounds, I will bite you to dea-"

"Oh, look at the time! Best we go, Takeshi-kun!" I yelped, hauling the Rain to his feet and bolting to the door.

The young Yamamoto let out a stream of laughter as we skipped steps, the sounds of the Skylark on our tail echoing in the stairwell. The third years gave us looks as we ran past, shaking their head as they caught sight of Hibari following us.

I widened my eyes as Takeshi tightened his hold on my hand, the two of us ducking into his classroom before the DC head turned the corner, his shadow zipping past the closed window as we sat on the floor beneath the pane. Looking to the Rain's classmates, I gave them a sheepish smile as he leant on my shoulder, heavy laughter leaving him as we came down from our adrenaline high.

"Haha, hi guys." I greeted awkwardly, waving as they glanced between the two of us and the door.

…

 _From: That one annoying guy  
My God Daiki! You should've told me you got_ _that_ _kind of a guy! Whoot!_

 _To: That one annoying guy  
Actually, can you do me a favour and not show that picture to anyone?_

 _To: That one annoying guy  
Hm? Sure, no problem lovely! (30)_

 _To: That one annoying guy  
Thanks._

 _To: That one annoying guy  
Now stop texting me. I want to go to sleep._

 _From: That one annoying guy  
Oh! Sleep well! Dream of me!_

 _To: That one annoying guy  
Suddenly, I'm not tired anymore. Wide awake now._

 _From: That one annoying guy  
Rude much?! (°□°)_

* * *

Tapping away at the calculator, I hummed as I finalised the morning's total profits, writing it into the slot for the date. Kaede wave as the last customer of the day's early rush left the bakery, a bright smile on her face.

"Daiki-kun, why aren't you at school?" She asked, turning to me after locking the register.

"Hm, school? Oh, it's only a review day, and you know how busy it gets on Sunday." I responded, dropping the calculator into the drawer and slipping the sheet into the file on my lap.

"Are you sure? I don't want Hibari-san and you to fight again." The lady of the Yamaguchi household breathed, not actually referring to a physical beatdown.

"Yes, I'm sure, kaa-san. I've told the birdy ahead of time."

Getting up off my stool, I walked back into the house and placed the file into the cabinet with its predecessors.

"Daiki-kun! You're phone's going off again!" Kaede called, making me groan and drop my head onto the panels of the cabinet door.

"Coming!" I returned, untying my apron as I snapped up the device off the table.

I swear to God, if this is Lussuria again, I will-

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Hey! Let's hang out today!_

Oh, mercy.

…

I snorted at the drained expression on the Sawada's face, Lambo balanced on my hip with I-pin sitting on my shoulder, her glasses in my pocket beside my own.

"Hello, you lot." I hummed, stepping up in front of the sizable party.

"Ki-nii!" Fuuta called, waving wildly.

"Hey, Fuuta-kun! Where've you been?" I laughed, dropping my free hand on his head.

"Why is the fuckin' giant here!?" Gokudera snapped, before pausing and deflating, giving the Rain beside him a side eye.

"Why did I bother to ask? Yamamoto-kun's the one who invited all the morons."

Smiling down at the young Yamamoto, I let him take I-pin off and place her on his own shoulder, linking our hands.

"Let's go to the arcade!" Fuuta cheered, grasping onto my pant leg.

"Oh, you wanna challenge me?"

…

Holding the basketball in my hands, I let an amused smile come to my face, the red and black shirt covering my upper body only furthering the illusion. Poising myself, I watched the basket a few, short metres away from me and tossed the orange sphere, breathing out when it went through with a satisfying sound, the counter on the scoreboard ticking up.

The sounds of the others laughing amongst themselves reached me from the corners of the arcade, the lot of them split off into teams of similar interest. I had found myself alone at some point, not really minding as I pushed a token into the machine before me, finding humor in the reflection on the surface across from me. Tossing another, I watched it arc up and hit the backboard, going into the net at an angle, giving me another point. I continued the movement, very little variation in my baskets, but accuracy being my main focus.

After finishing my ten throws, I collected the maximum amount of tickets from the game and walked off, seating myself down in the surprisingly vacant drag-race consol.

"These were never free in my time." I hummed, jabbing in two tokens and trying to figure out the controls, wincing at the loud effects that began blaring.

Sighing when I found no volume manipulation, I began the race in the default car, not wanting to bother scrolling with the overly sensitive steering wheel. Planting my foot on the single peddle given to the player, I started the race in the relatively safe position of third of five, trying to get a feel for the sensitivity of the wheel and pedal. Letting my left hand come loose, I quickly grasped the gear stick and shifted it, old memories coming back as my hands moved on autopilot. Every now and then, my other foot would touch the black plastic in search for a break, only to give me a jolt and a splash of momentary panic to hit me, before I remembered the setting.

I gave a hum of triumph as I crossed the finish line seconds before my NPC opponents touched the checkered passage, letting my hands fall to my sides and lean back into the driver's seat.

 _ROUND 2!_

Blinking at the flash, I repositioned myself and took off again, navigating the higher level course with the expected amount of trouble. I kept my mouth shut as the desire to swear came, instead falling to frowning as a yellow and black NPC came roaring up behind me, effectively taking my hard-earned 1st place. Humming, I looked to the map and wondered how long I had left to overtake the bright yellow prick, before shifting gears and accelerating. A flash of smug pride crossed my mind as I crossed the line before the NPC, the two of us screeching a 'U' into the grey road as we came to a stop.

 _ROUND 3!_

"Do you have to be so loud?" I muttered, pressing the gas down to begin the next race.

Oh. Oh, okay. This is harder.

I frowned in puzzlement as I found my car to be a lot faster, the corners and swerving requiring more accuracy to pull off of risk crashing either with the obstacles or NPC's themselves. It only took a few minutes, and more than a few close calls, for me to get used to the new speed, a sigh leaving me as I zipped across that black and white line, my car careening into a wall as soon as I released my hold on the steering, no longer caring for the machine's well being.

 _WINNER!_

"Damn straight." I laughed, swinging my legs out of the full body consol, before stalling.

...Fuuuuck.

"Hi, Takeshi-kun."

" _Shujin-kun!"_ Takeshi bellowed, leaping onto my seated form.

"Ack! Why?!" I asked, feeling the plastic of the chair dig into my back.

"You looked so cool!"

"I was playing a video game!"

"Do you know how to drive a real car?" He asked, sitting back on my lap to grin down at me.

"I know the theory." I answered, letting the Rain yank me out of the seat, just managing to grab my rewards tickets before he dragged me over to a shooting game where the Storm stood.

"Hey, hey, Gokudera-kun! I brought Daiki-kun!"

Stepping up beside the smaller boys, I watched as Fuuta stood on his toes to aim his toy gun in range of the game's sensors, eventually giving a sigh and scooping him up. Clasping my hands, I let him sit on my palms in a way reminiscent of a swing set, his head bumping my clavicle in surprise.

"Try it now, Fuuta-kun." I hummed, watching the Ranker turn back to the screen and cock his faux pistol, a head-shot being the result.

"I got him!" Fuuta laughed, bouncing slightly in my hands, making me hike him up higher to readjust my grip.

"Gokudera-san!" He called, turning to the Storm, who spun around with an affronted expression.

"Why am I 'Gokudera-san' and the fuckin' giant's 'Ki-nii'!?"

I blinked, piecing together what he meant. Ah, he was wondering why Fuuta was so much closer to me despite longer exposure to the bomber.

"Okay," The Ranker smiled, pointing at the silver haired teen. "I'll call you Ha-nii!"

"What!?"

"And I'll call you," He turned his finger on the Rain beside me. "Take-nii!"

"Haha, cool!" Takeshi laughed, ruffling the child's pale brown hair. "I've got a kid brother!"

"Fuuta-kun," I hummed, drawing both of their attention. "You're dying."

"Ah!" He squawked, pointing his pistol at the screen and blindly firing at the charging NPC.

…

I let out a huffed laugh as I was once again dragged through the arcade, Fuuta sitting on my shoulders and my right hand securely wrapped up in the Rain's as we followed after the leading Storm.

"Ha-nii! The others are at the photo booth! I can see them!" The Ranker called, using his elevation to look over the many games and view the other half of our party across the arcade.

"I'm not your 'Ha-nii'!"

"Oh come now, _Honey_ , no need to get so riled up." I laughed, using English to devise a homonym.

"Hahaha, c'mon Gokudera-kun, let's get to the photo booth!" Takeshi laughed, looking outwardly happy, but the sudden grip on my hand warned me that he was not pleased by my wording.

I sighed before yanking the smaller boy towards me, wrapping my arm around his waist and tucking him into my side. The Rain huffed a little, before relenting and leaned against me, making a flash of discolouration catch my attention.

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking up when he noticed my near stumble, raising an eyebrow at the faint hue on my face.

"A-ah, I forg- well, I didn't _forget_. Um..."

I let out a breath and instead, brought my hand off his hip and let my fingertips brush over the patch of darkening skin.

"Oh, the kiss mark?" Takeshi clarified, entwining our fingers above the bruise.

"Kiss mark? Yeah, that's one name for it." I muttered, circling the area with my thumb, the Rain humming at the feeling.

"What would you rather? Hickey?"

"No, no! Kiss mark is fine!" Came my rushed response, even Fuuta finding the northern rush of blood funny.

"Okay little mister, you gotta get off, Takeshi-kun and I are going to talk." I grunted, plucking the boy off my shoulders.

"There is a 100 percent chance that you put the mark on Take-nii's collar." The Ranker hummed, though obviously not in 'de stellar' mode.

"Oh hush, go torment Gokudera-san." I huffed, sending the child on his way.

It didn't take long for the Rain to reclaim my arm, wrapping it around his shoulders again as we walked at a more reserved pace towards everyone's common goal.

"Tou-san saw it." Takeshi hummed, referring to the mark.

"Ah shit, what did you tell him?" I asked, a feeling of dread filling me when he shrugged.

"Exactly what happened: you kissed it there."

"Well," I breathed, looking to the ceiling in exasperation. "Guess who's not coming to your house for another millennium."

The Rain let out a laugh and wrapped an arm around my waist, bringing us closer again as we turned the corner, photo booth now in sight.

"Aw, c'mon shujin-kun! Tou-san's only scary when you're there. He really likes you!"

"Whether he likes me or not doesn't matter when I suck a mark on his son's neck." I grunted, flushing a little at the wording.

"His son, your husband." He reasoned, both of us coming to a stop as we joined the party.

"Is Tsuna-san in there with Kyoko-chan and Haru-chan?" Takeshi asked Fuuta, getting a nod.

I watched as the pictures were printed from the box, a huff of amusement leaving me as the words 'lucky boy' came to mind, wondering what all the guys who mocked him would think if they saw those.

"Our turn! Gokudera-kun, come!"

I yelped as I was pushed into the booth, the sounds of the Storm's own panic coming closer as he was tossed in after me, effectively resulting in an elbow in my stomach. Both of us gave a curse as the Rain followed, a faint click going off as the silver haired Italian and I were forced into close quarters.

This booth obviously wasn't made for three teens which included Tsuna, so Gokudera, Takeshi and I left minimal room for us. Leaving me to reach out and save the poor bastard closest to the edge more times than not. Eventually, I gave up and dragged the Storm right against my front, reaching around him to grasp at the Rain's hand and make him flush against the other's back.

"I blame you for this, Takeshi-kun." I grunted, another click going off as he laughed sheepishly.

…

"Daiki-san! Lambo-san needs to go!"

I looked up from my drink and sighed, tossing the can in a relatively close bin and scooping up the child one-handedly.

"I-pin-chan, what about you?" I asked, looking down at her.

She hummed for a moment, as if feeling for the capacity of her bladder, before nodding and jumping up onto my shoulder.

"I'll see you in a bit." I waved, before turning and leaving Tsuna and Kyoko together alone at the table, a blush obvious on the Sky's face.

I stopped as we came to the fork in our road, left hall for men, right hall for women. Bending to let I-pin drop from my shoulder, I spun her around and pushed her in the correct direction, having to stop her from running into the men's after the blurry image didn't factor in her brain. With the child in the women's, I straightened and looked down at the wriggling cow, a sigh leaving me as I went left.

It had been awkward at first, for me to get used to walking into a men's bathroom. Usually, I just held it until I got home and did my business there, but there were times when nature could not wait, and I was forced to step into the room lined with urinals. It wasn't anything spectacular, same as what you saw in movies and such, but the lack of separation between the crematic was more than a little dissuading. Luckily, stalls were existent in the men's room, allowing me some sanctuary.

I didn't want to have to hold the boy while he urinated, and he seemed to sympathise, so a stall was claimed in the mostly vacant room. Disposing of the calf on the seat, I gave him a once over before stepping out, hooking my foot under the door to keep it shut, the broken lock jostling from the force.

"Daiki-san! My zipper's stuck!" Lambo called from within a stall, making me sigh and push it open.

The little cow was fiddling with the metallic part of his onzie desperately, a look of intense panic on his face. Squatting down in front of him, I worked the zipper off and pulled the lid of the seat up, leaving him to do his work.

As I closed the door with my foot again, the faint sounds of explosions reached my ears, a faint jab of panic hitting me.

Squalo.

 _Mother of fuuuuu-_

The panic in my mind died down as the sounds carried on, the lack of reaction from Lambo calming me in a manner. If he didn't respond, that meant I had no other reason to take part, no matter how much it tempted me, remembering the blows the boys got dealt.

"I'm all do-AH!"

 _Boom!_

Looking up in surprise, I dropped my foot as a teen stepped out, the TYL Lambo looking laid back, but a faint tension in his shoulders telling me he was able to hear the attacks going on outside.

"Hi, Papa." He hummed, looking at me through one eye.

"Hello, Bo-kun." I responded, another explosion rattling the building.

"Aren't you going to help them?" Adult Lambo asked, turning to the sounds.

"You know the answer to that better than I do, kid."

He gave me a faint smile, obviously seeing through my indifference and seeing my desire to go and try punch Squalo through the first window I saw.

"You said they needed to feel crushing defeat, in order for them to grow."

I glanced to him, wondering if that was really what I had told him.

"That was what you _said_. I wonder what you'll _say_." The teen thought aloud, pulling his earlobe vacantly.

"Heh, I've turned you into a poetic mind-fuck." I grunted, looking to the far wall as the clashing of swords stopped.

Takeshi, down.

An explosion went off.

Gokudera, down.

"So? Are you going to go?"

"Am I going to regret this?" I asked, looking to the door.

"You know the answer better than I do, Papa."

A laugh left me as I looked back at him an amused expression on my face.

"You spend too much time with me, you should hang out with I-pin-chan more."

"Hm, maybe if she didn't keep beating me up all the time when she comes over." He shrugged, before opening his arms.

"Hug?"

"Yeah, yeah. Hugs." I hummed, wrapping my arms around the shorter boy.

"Now, get to a safe zone with I-pin-chan and the others. I'm sure future me has had just about enough of past you."

"You _were_ asleep last I saw you. You're still hard as ever to wake up." Lambo commented, raising his hands in surrender when I pointed threateningly.

"Go and be a knight in shining armour."

"I'm gonna get my ass kicked." I snorted, before turning and fleeing the bathroom.

As I turned the corner, I witnessed Adult Lambo scoop up I-pin and run with the crowd, a proud smile coming to my face as I went against the flow.

Coming upon the scene, I gritted my teeth as I spotted the boxer clad Tsuna and another boy kneeling behind a pair of fallen tables, talking over a shining black box, slowly piecing together the following actions and changing my course quickly, hiding myself in a darkened corner.

The moment of intervention is gone, I waited for too long.

A breath left me as I slid down the wall, looking off to the side as Dino's voice sounded, the now familiar notes of conflict reaching me.

I wonder what they would think, if they knew I was always around. If they knew I was there when Hibari got beaten and captured. When Gokudera, Bianchi, Chikusa and Ken were forced to move with broken bodies.

"I bet even they would grow to hate me." I hummed, looking to the brass on my hip.

Steps and sirens made me look to the opening of my alley, the sight of the Gokudera and Takeshi walking brokenly, wincing every now and then as muscles strained against the movement. Too immersed in their pain and their own helplessness, they didn't notice me watching them. I myself didn't notice the stricken expression on my own face until I caught my reflection in a dusted over window.

"What shining armour are you talking about, Lambo-kun? All I see is cardboard."

* * *

Basil. Basil was the boy's name.

I frowned down at my workbook, equation half done as I left a stippled pattern in the corner, my pacer tapping rhythmically

Basil is from, I paused as the name slowly came to me, the CEDEF. Where Tsuna's father works- no, _runs away_.

Looking to the screen if my laptop, I frowned as the muted news feed showed amature video of the smoking building, people fleeing the scene. A gas leak. That was the cover they fed the civilians. There was a fair bit of destruction to property. Letting my gaze drop, my frown deepened as I let my mind wonder.

Should I have helped?

I doubt I would have been able to do anything.

They're my friends.

Mafia. Remember, that.

A few cameos won't derail the plot.

 _Mafia Characters_. They are made to survive these things. You know they will, adding yourself to the equation gives more possible outcomes. One may be death. Either yours or theirs. Maybe even your precious _Takeshi._

Closing my eyes, I driften back to the black room I so rarely visited, giving the welded door a tired smile.

"You're cruel, you know?"

" **Only 'cause you are. You know I'm right. Leave them, attachment will only cause pain. Emotional, and physical."**

I breathed heavily as I dropped down on the metal chair I had devised years ago, a tapping coming from the door as if my skeletons were impatient with my indecision.

" **Weren't** _ **you**_ **the one who decided avoiding the plot and all related to its progress the best course of action? Personally, I prefered the idea."**

"We saw how well that went. Ryohei's best friend, Hibari's bite buddy, Takeshi's unofficial fiance, and now I'm Lussuria's pen pal." I scoffed, resting my cheek on my fist.

" **On the topic of the Rain Guardian, when do you plan on breaking it to him? The fact that you have the female biology. Or do you wish to continue this fantasy you've constructed until it comes crashing down?"**

"I..."

My eyes narrowed as a piece of the door fell, skeletal fingers inching out desperately. Sending a wave at the metal border, I huffed as the hole was sealed once again, a scowl on my face.

"Using my doubts against me, that's low, even for you."

" **Locking away your problems!? How expected of you!"**

Opening my eyes, I grimaced as I felt a blasting headache come to life in the back of my skull, the skeleton in my closet not in the least pleased about her foiled attempts to get out. A sigh left me as I closed the workbook, tossing my pacer into the dark blue case it came from, relenting to the fact that no more ground would be made on homework tonight. Leaning back in my chair, I crossed my arms behind my head and looked to the ceiling, my mind flashing back to the various injuries the boys had sustained, my eyes flitting to the phone charging on my side table.

Kicking off my desk, I rolled over and grabbed it up, flipping it open and opening my contacts.

 _To: Favourite Stalker  
Hey, are you okay? I couldn't find you after that gas leak in the restaurant._

I waited, before sighing. No response.

"He's probably asleep."

Placing my phone down, I went about stacking my work books, my desk the only clear spot in my room save my bed.

A rattle went off, making me look down and retrieve the device, thinking it from the Rain, before sighing instead when I saw the actual ID.

 _From: That one annoying guy  
Get excited! Lussuria's coming back to Namimori! \\(^v^)/_

 _To: That one annoying guy  
God damn it._

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Tsuna gaped at the ring dangling from his neck, eyes snapping between his two friends' in justified fear as Reborn began yet another talk.

"Gokudera-san, you have the Ring of Storm. And Yamamoto-san, you have the Ring of Rain."

The silver haired Italian perked up at this, directing his gaze at the little hitman.

"Storm Ring? Like my Storm Flame?"

"Exactly." Reborn smirked, eye glinting in a way that made Tsuna instinctively shrink away.

"You all know your Flame, but did you know the people who named them?"

The three boys glanced at each other, before the Arcobaleno began again.

"No, you don't. It goes back to the Primo's time, your ancestor, Dame-Tsuna. The first Vongola Family had a variety of members. Their traits helped shape the rings, and their titles. The Primo was said to be like the sky, colourful and engulfing everything, open to all things. So, his ring was the Ring of Sky. And the other rings were named after the various states of weather that coloured the sky."

The fedora wearing hitman turned his gaze of the batsman, watching the boy as he rolled the ring around in his palm.

"The merciful shower that washes all away, the Ring of Rain."

"The turbulent gale that fiercely blows, the Ring of Storm." He hummed, looking to the gleaming Gokudera, before turning back to the Sky.

"The drifting clouds that are never trapped by anyone and walk their own path, the Ring of Cloud. The illusion that prohibits knowledge of its true nature, the Ring of Mist. The orb of fire that brightens the great sky, the Ring of Sun."

Sun...Daiki is a Sun.

"The thunderbolt that strikes a zealous blow, the Ring of Lightning."

"But with the rings you have right now-"

"Stop! Enough!" Tsuna called, waving his hands in front of his tutor.

"Look, I just don't want mine! Right, guys?" He pleaded, looking to his companions.

The two were in their own states, Gokudera looking down at the ring in his hand adoringly, a goofy expression on his face. Yamamoto, on the other hand, looked uncertain, before an apologetic smile took his face.

"Ah, sorry. I play baseball, so I can't wear rings. I don't really understand all this either, so." He laughed, preparing to hand the dangerous loop over.

"Right!" Tsuna cheered, ecstatic that he had found someone with common sense in this mess.

"He means it's big trouble if you hold onto these! That long haired guy from yesterday is gonna come after us if we keep it!"

"That long haired guy?"

"Yeah, dangerous right? In ten days if it goes badly!"

"Ten days?"

Oh. Oh, _please,_ Yamamoto don't go changing your mind! Why can't I keep my mouth shut!?

"This is mine, right?"

No! Yamamoto, no!

"I'll hang onto it." The Rain declared, clutching the loop. "Don't think that I'll stick with being the loser!"

He grinned and took off, opening the door and fleeing into the street.

"Yamamoto-kun!?"

"In ten days, I'll be reborn as a man who won't put this ring to shame!" Gokudera announced, following after the other as the Vongola gaped.

"Why!?"

"Good job Tsuna-kun," Dino laughed, stepping up behind the boy. "Thanks to your words, Yamamoto-kun and Gokudera-kun are both ready and willing to train."

"That's not what I intended!"

"Don't get optimistic just yet." Reborn cautioned, making the Skies turn, blinking when they saw him strip down to bright red boxers.

"What are you doing?" Tsuna yelped.

"I need to go and train the other guardians. You know them all, very well in fact."

"And just so you know," Reborn continued, fixing his elephant cap on his head. "The man with the Sun Ring will be showing up here soon."

The Sun Ring?

 **|S.T|**

* * *

I sat in class quietly, glancing over to the vacant desk beside me with a faux puzzled expression.

" _I wonder where Sasagawa-san went in such a rush?"_

" _Probably something boxing related, knowing him."_

Right on the money.

A sharp smile touched my face as I answered the question directed at me, the teacher no longer finding a reason to pick on me afterwards.

Have fun with your Sun, Little Fish.

…

" _Yamaguchi Daiki, please report to the front office. Yamaguchi Daiki, to the front office, please."_

The class became quiet as the intercom crackled my name across the school, the feeling of eyes drilling into every visible part of me less than pleasant.

"Excuse me." I muttered, getting to my feet and leaving the classroom.

Walking down to the office, I blinked when I saw the familiar face of my grandfather, closely shadowed by Jun.

"Ojii-san." I greeted, bowing my head slightly before turning to my assistant.

"Jun-kun."

"Good morning, Daiki-dono." He bowed slightly, glancing carefully at the weathered old man before him.

"Daiki-kun, my boy, get your bag and get ready to leave. We're going to the Watanabe house." Himura ordered, his less than happy tone putting me on edge.

"I'll have to tell Hibari-san." I muttered, but began the trek back to my class.

Walking back in, I began to push my stuff into my bag, apologising to my teacher and giving a 'urgent family business' excuse, before rushing back out. Doing a quick scan, I sucked on the back of my teeth as I saw a large Sky flame duking it out with Hibari on the roof, a smaller Rain Flame hovering off to the side. Dino and Romario, no doubt.

"Timing, am I right?" I sighed sarcastically.

* * *

 **|DINO|**

Swerving out of the way of yet another swipe to his face, Dino of the Cavallone Family gave his younger opponent a condescending smirk, using his whip to trip up the smaller Skylark. This boy was better than he had first though, no doubt, but he still had a ways to go before he could step to the big guys of the Mafia.

Suddenly, there was a spike in the teen's ferocity, the tonfa getting closer to his jaw than before, and the wind left in its wake more obvious. Despite this, the unconscious rhythm still was there- A habit he _needed_ to get out of the high schooler.

Left. Right. Kick. Kick. Left. Ri-

" _Hibari-san."_

In an instant, the rhythm broke and the Skylark had launched himself back, his body careening through the air before he landed on an outstretched arm.

The 10th Cavallone Boss blinked openly at the sight before him. Yamaguchi Daiki looked up at the older boy perching on his arm with his usual flat expression, seemingly at ease with the sudden addition of weight on a single limb.

"What do you want, Chattering Herbivore?" Kyoya asked, his usual glower somehow lighter.

"I apologise for interrupting your," Yamaguchi glanced over to the blond Boss. " _Meeting_ , but I have to request an early leave from school. Is that acceptable?"

The Skylark on his arm narrowed slate eyes as amber-earth looked back, neither backing down.

Dino thought about stepping in to continue his lesson, only to backtrack as there was a sudden burst of movement. The self-proclaimed Carnivore sending his knee at the blue haired boy's face, only for him to be flung up and the space to be immediately vacated.

"Please, Hibari-san?" Yamaguchi tried again, clasping his hands as he stepped out of the way for another kick. "It's important!"

"You interrupted my fight."

"I said I was sorry!"

The Sky crossed his arms as he continued to watch, a small choke leaving him as the tanned boy parted his feet and dropped, phantom pain reaching his groin.

"What the hell-" He coughed huddling slightly as the Yamaguchi swung himself up and caught the Skylark under the chin with his heel.

With the Cloud stumbling, the younger boy stepped into his space and bowled him over, larger body doing the trick. Tanned hands gathered the paler wrists and held them against the downed Skylark's back, knee digging into the spine.

"Please? It's _family_ related."

Dino blinked as he watched the pale teen pause before a scowl took his face and he grunted out something that further confused the Boss.

"Bite."

What's that meant to-

"Yep, I know." Yamaguchi sighed.

The larger boy's hand tangled in the Skylark's black hair and used it to pull his head up, baring his neck in front of the blond, before he descended and sank his teeth into the Cloud's skin.

…'Scuse me?

Dino glanced to Romario for clarification, only to receive an equally baffled expression.

"Get going, before I change my mind." Kyoya ordered, clinging to the Yamaguchi as he stood, allowing him to once again perch on the bent arm.

"Thank you, birdy." The blue haired boy hummed, giving the older a smile.

"Whatever, handler. Now, throw."

Birdy? _Handler?! Reborn, why are you screwing-_

"Ready, and…!"

The Sky's eyes widened as the young boy reared his arm back, Kyoya gearing up as it reached its peak before being launched forwards, the Yamaguchi's strength propelling him faster than he could move himself.

A team attack?

"Have fun, Dino-san!" The body of power called, fleeing the scene as Kyoya buried the blunt end of his tonfa in the Cavallone's stomach.

That little asshole!

 **|DINO|**

* * *

I watched my grandfather in cautious suspicion as I sat across from him, gently turning down Jun's offer of sake. Narrowing my eyes as a serious light took the old man's eyes, my glasses glinting as I tilted my head away.

"Care to tell me what this is all about, ojii-san?" I asked, making the Himura frown deeply.

"You are young." He hummed, slipping his hands into his sleeves. "Young and inexperienced in our culture."

Oh, I'm plenty experienced, thanks.

"As your grandfather, it is my responsibility to teach you our ways, and assist you in your climb of the ranks." Grandfather suddenly sat up, a determined expression on his face.

"Daiki-kun, my boy, from tomorrow, you will be trained!"

I let my teeth clash together as he called forth five bulking me, each of them kneeling behind him, heads down.

"You will be trained in a special way that the Watanabe heirs have been for generations. A constant battle, challenging wit, stamina and strength."

Holding his hand out, one of them men placed a large sheet of paper on the floor, spreading it out for me to view it.

"This is...The Watanabe family compound." I muttered, recognising the layout.

"Yes. You, my boy, will battle every man in the compound."

Excuse me?

"Of course, the dorms of the girls' will be out of bounds for both you and your opponents."

"How many people are there?" I asked carefully, glancing at the men around the room.

"254 are in attendance. The rest are stationed and will be available for sparrings at a later time."

"Well then." I huffed, scanning the building again.

"How long do I have to complete this task?"

"As long as it takes. There will be no breaks or ceasefires. Leaving the grounds is prohibited and will result in an immediate failure." Himura answered, looking as serious as ever with his men around.

"I'm expecting big things from you Daiki-kun."

If Ryohei is gone today, then that means the Varia will arrive in 10 days from now...Ah, I really want to watch. God damn.

"How-" I breathed, clearing my head for a moment. "What was the longest time this assignment was completed in?"

"Three weeks."

21 days.

"And the shortest?"

"Two weeks, and a day."

15 days. Too long.

"I'll do it in a week and a day. Eight days."

Jun dropped the cremated in his hands as the five men jolted in shock, my grandfather wearing an expression of stupor. Slowly the weathered face began to morph into a grin, before he quickly shook it off, a cough leaving him as he cleared his throat.

"Yes," The old asshat huffed, nodding surely. "As I'd expect from you. I hope you can fulfil that promise, Daiki-kun."

"I wouldn't say it if I couldn't, ojii-san." I stated, seeing the flickers of glee hidden behind his eyes.

"Good. Leave us." He ordered, Jun and the other men vacating the room.

As soon as heavy footsteps faded, the old man was on his feet, a toothy grin splitting his face.

" _8 days!_ You'll do it in _8 days?!_ "

He let out a laugh, clapping his hands.

"My half-brother completed it in 15 days! Oh, the look on his face when _my_ blood beats _his_ record! My boy,"

I resisted the urge to recoil as arthritic hands grabbed me by the forearms, the relative suddenly much too close.

"You better make good, Daiki-kun. The news of your declaration should be circulating as we speak. People will be gathering, preparing to fight the one who talks so big, so bring your best." The Himura warned, looming over me with a curved spine.

"I will." I responded, causing him to release me and spin away, a giddiness to his walk.

"Oh, you make me proud!" He dropped back down on his cushion.

"But, may I ask, why are you in such a rush?"

I thought about how to answer him, before deciding to give a twisted version of the truth.

"There's a show I want to watch. Staying longer than 8 days would make me miss the beginning." I shrugged.

"He treats it like it's nothing." Himura breathed, looking at me with an astounded face.

"He treats it like it's nothing! Hahaha!"

With his head thrown back in jocund laughter, he didn't notice the downward tilt of my lip or the half-lidded look of distaste I sent him.

Why would I care to make _you_ proud?

* * *

A sigh left me as I shuffled awkwardly before the doors of Takesushi, working up the courage to step in and face the demon that was Tsuyoshi. If I was correct, then they'd be in the dojo, which was the last place I wanted a run in with the man at the moment.

Sucking in a breath, I opened the sliding the door and peeked in, blinking when I found one of the servicers at the counter.

"Ah, Yamaguchi-kun, long time no see!" He laughed, waving cheerily at me.

"Afternoon, I was wondering if I could see Takeshi-kun?" I responded, flinching when the man himself winced as if remembering something.

"A-ah, he's in the back with Tsuyoshi-senpai. You might not wanna go in th-Hey!"

"There's something I gotta tell him." I shrugged, waving over my shoulder as the server wished my soul safe passage to heaven after the father kills me.

Walking through the house I had become familiar with, I turned down a hall I usually ignored, the sounds of impacts becoming louder. Reaching out, I rapped my knuckles against the wood beside the door, somehow keeping my face straight as the sound echoed in the sudden silence.

 _"Come in."_

Ah shit, that's Tsuyoshi.

Letting out a calming breath, I slid the door open, bowing my head in greeting as their swords were lowered.

"Shujin-kun!"

"Daiki-kun."

Please don't kill me.

"Tsuyoshi-tou-san, Takeshi-kun." I responded, stepping into the dojo as the father turned to me.

"Would it be too much trouble to steal Takeshi-kun from you for a moment? I promise not to keep him for too long." I asked, fighting not to cower as he sent me a look, already in the zone from being in this room.

There was a tense silence, neither Takeshi nor I so much as glancing at each other as we watched the swordsman stand quietly.

"Very well." He eventually grunted, looking to his son. "You will have five minutes. Make them count."

Nodding in thanks, I let the Rain lead me out back to stand by the glowing lanterns.

"What's up, shujin-kun?" He asked, a small laugh escaping him as I breathed out in relief.

"I've said it once- or twice, maybe thrice, and I'll say it again and again: Your dad is _terrifying_."

Shaking my head, I remembered the time limit we had and directed my gaze at the Rain.

"I'll be going out of town for a few days, so I'll have to be out of touch for the time being." I started, pausing when the swordsman stepped up.

"Out of touch? Why?" He asked, looking both confused and a little panicked.

"I'll be busy, so I won't have time. My phone will be off, so there'll be no reason to call or text. Sorry, love." I breathed, watching the younger fiddle with his tied up sleeve end.

"How long are you gone for?"

"Eight days, if all goes well."

"If all goes well?" The Yamamoto repeated, furrowing his brows. "What if it doesn't?"

"If not, then an estimated three weeks. Maybe more, maybe less."

 _"Three we-"_

"I don't plan on being there for that long, don't worry. I told them 8 days, and I'll be done in 8 days." I hushed, placing my hand on the younger's shoulder when he snapped his head up.

"When do you leave?" He muttered, looking downtrodden.

"Early morning tomorrow. Before sunrise, they said."

"Who're 'they'?"

His eyes were sharp now, the light of the lanterns outlining his features.

"Remember that relative I visited weeks ago?"

"Yes."

"Turns out, there were more than one." I sighed, letting the Rain step into my space and drop his head on my shoulder.

"What are you going to do? There's a lot of things outside of Namimori." He asked, fingering my own digits carefully.

"Just family business. We're a lot bigger than I thought. Didn't know much about my mother's side of the family." I responded, turning my head to hum into his hair.

"Can I at least know where you're going? In case I need to kick in the door?"

"That's why I'm being so vague, love. You can't come to the place, it'll make this whole trip for nought."

The Rain withdrew sharply, looking at me with cautious eyes, trying to piece together a scenario that would require such things.

"Takeshi-kun, I ask that you don't pry." I stated, looking down at the younger.

"But-"

"Just trust that I'll be back in time."

There was a moment of silence, the Yamamoto obviously holding back whatever landslide of questions he had.

"Okay. But call me as soon as you get your phone back. Understood, shujin-kun?" He ordered, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Sir, yes sir, shujin-kun." I hummed, bending as he pulled me.

Before any connection could take place, however, I found the tip of a practice sword pointing at the side of my head, Tsuyoshi standing at the door with a stern look on his face.

"Times up, boys." He grunted, watching us part with red faces.

"Haha, I'll see you in eight days then, shujin-kun?" Takeshi laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, good luck in your training. I'll-" I glanced at the glowering swordsman. "I'll just be on my way. Good seeing you, Tsuyoshi-tou-san!"

I yelped as I dodged a swipe at my head, out the door before another could be sent at me, the sounds of the Rain trying to calm his father fading.

...

Sitting down on my bed, I looked to Lambo as he kicked his feet, a picture book laid out in front of him. At the shift, he looked up and let out a crow of surprise, scrambling into my lap in excitement.

"You're back!" He hollered, making Mephisto shift beneath the bed frame.

"Yeah, but not for long. I'll be gone again, before you wake up, this time." I informed the toddler, gently petting the black hole hair.

"Huh? Why?" Lambo asked, grabbing my night shirt as he pulled himself closer.

"Something came up, so I'll have to be away for a while. Only eight days." I hummed, letting the child grasp my thumb in his little hand.

"Eight days? That's so long!"

"I'm sorry Bo-kun. You'll have to behave for kaa-san, okay? Don't give her trouble."

As the boy hiccupped, I gathered the small body to my chest, glancing down when Mephisto stuck his snout out from under the bed, the sounds of a distressed child putting him on alert.

"Can Lambo-san sleep with you tonight?" He sniffled, looking up at me hopefully.

"Yeah, no problem, Bo-kun." I responded, lifting myself from the bed.

With Lambo supported by my right arm, I let my free hand come and remove the book from my bad, kneeling to place it on the lowest level of my bookshelf, reserved for children's books. Standing back up, I walked over and flipped off the lights, feeling the little Mafia clutch my shirt tighter at the sudden darkness.

Untucking the blankets on my bed, I slid the two of us under, letting the child burrow into my side, my arm as his pillow. Drawing the sheets back up, I felt Mephisto grunt as he jumped onto the foot of the bed, pressing his warm body against my feet through the material.

It took a while, but eventually, the weapon-savvy infant fell into a slumber, my own mind still alert and wide awake. Turning my attention on the heavily breathing canine at my feet, I quietly began to talk.

 _"Mephistopheles."_

His head shot up into my view, eyes catching the light outside and making pinpricks of yellow in the room.

"Watch the Rain, Cloud, Sun, Lightning, Storm and Sky. Do not get caught by Reborn when approaching Sky." I ordered, drawing the child closer.

A gruff of affirmation sounded quiet, his head dropping down again and his body loosening.

The clock beside me ticked loudly as I started to slip off, my brass catching the light as they waited to be used after so long.

* * *

Clad in a black shirt with red outline and a 5 printed over the heart, along with the usual undershirt and worn jeans, I stood in front of the Watanabe compound doors, handing my phone and other valuables over to Jun to be placed in a safe in my dorm. My pockets felt light without my possessions, the brass knuckles weighing heavily on my hip. Turning to my grandfather, I nodded to the head of the family, showing the expected amount of respect. He wasn't needed here, but word had reached him of my self-enforced time limit, and he wanted to witness either my failure or my success first hand.

"Yamaguchi Daiki. As soon as the sun rises, you will enter the gates where your first opponents will be waiting." Himura announced, allowing all of the people inside the walls hear the impending opponent.

"It will be an uphill battle. You will engage men starting from the weakest," He gestured to the printed layout of the building's front gates.

"To the strongest."

He pointed to the main room, at the centre of the massive grounds.

I nodded in understanding, glancing over as Jun slipped into the gates to stand beside the front line, as was his rank.

"You know, Daiki-kun," The head hummed, drawing my attention. "There's still time to back out. You won't be blamed, we Yakuza are pretty scary people for such an upstanding boy."

Pasting a smile on my face, I merely watched as the sun peeked over the horizon.

"Yamaguchi Daiki, your training begins now."

Que dramatic music.

...Actually, where the actual fuck is it coming from?

Fucking anime logic.

* * *

 **|ONMAKE|**

 _~By:ThePlotbunnyBreeder~_

Glasses glinted in the light, unseen eyes narrowing.

"I-pin-chan," The disguised Arcobaleno sighed. "Be more wary of your surroundings..."

Lichi squeaked defiantly. He adored the little girl!

"Of course, I'm immensely grateful. But... you know how Reborn-san is."

Lichi sulked and stole a gyoza bun.

Oh well.

"How about we meet up so you can gush about your favourite humans with Leon-kun?"

Lichi keckered happily.


	18. Chapter 18

**G'day everyone!**

 **So, school's started again, and let me tell you: it is kicking my ass. So, as I am now a senior, I will be unable to give as frequent updates as I usually did. They'll still be as long as usual, however, so no need to fear that!**

 **Enjoy the update!**

 **-LeNoRi**

* * *

 **Word Count: 12,438**

* * *

" _Yamaguchi Daiki, your training begins now."_

I twitched as anticipation leaked into my system, the gates groaning as they split at the centre to show the line up of bottom ranks, shoulders shaking as they caught my eye. Turning, I began to walk into the grounds, my grandfather nodding to me as the large wooden doors sealed themselves again.

"Good morning, everyone." I sighed, cracking my knuckles to get them loose.

" _Good morning, Yamaguchi-dono."_ They chorused, shuttering to a stop as a single voice broke the melody.

"Good morning, Daiki-dono." Jun greeted, habit winning over.

"Morning, Jun-kun." I hummed, smiling at him as I dropped my hands.

"Let's get this started, shall we?"

"Yes, sir!"

Wow. Wow, wow, wow!

I couldn't help the smile that touched my face, eyes widening as the once meek looking ranks got into position, eyes deadly and ready as knives and other rather painful looking weapons began appearing from within pockets and sleeves.

I'm fighting Yakuza now. Not a bunch of gang boys.

A single man came running at me, pocket knife swiping the air and breezing past my face as I moved out of the way, my knee coming up and removing the breath in his lungs. When he dropped, the rest descended, twenty people moving in different directions at once. Stepping to the side, I continued to weave through the mass, more alert than I had ever been.

They weren't fast by any means, but the sheer amount of them made up for the lack of skill. Frowning, I took a step and let my leg lash out, my heel connecting with a temple and dropping the opponent. Continuing with the momentum gained, I gave another kick, sending a heavy set man back and bowling over the three small ones behind him.

"Okay, four down and..." I looked to the ever moving crowd. "However many there are of you, to go."

Giving a grunt, I jumped as a hulk of a man tried to bulldoze me, his momentum instead sending him into the party of people behind me, riding my opponents of another chunk of themselves. Swinging around, I buried my fist into the stomach of another assailant, dropping with them as a blade passed over my head. Grabbing hold of a fallen body, I swung it and bowled over three other bodies, planting my foot in a chest to vault myself into the air.

With a loud huff, I kicked my leg over, flipping to balance on someone's shoulder, using them to get a bearing of the mass below. Narrowing my eyes, I threw my foot out and knocked my stand out, submerging myself in the crowd. Dropping onto my hands, I opened my legs and began to spin my body, catching people in the stomach before vaulting myself back on my feet, cartwheeling away as the earth was stabbed brutally.

Back on my feet, I let my arm continue out and elbow someone behind me, using the same arm to upper cut another. Dodging to the side, I wretched the staff out of another's hands and swung it into his gut, dropping him to the floor. Stepping around a shiv, I wrapped my hands around the invasive arm and let the sounds of crunching reach my ears before releasing as screams escaped the owner. Shoving them away, I rolled the staff on the ground, tripping up another portion of people. I gave a breath as I punched a man in the nose, sending his body bouncing away.

Again and again, I spun, punched and kicked. Flipping over a new body and sending another crashing the ground.

There was so many of them, if one went down, another two would replace them. Swords, knives, fists and wood came flying at me from different directions, my body twisting and contorting to dodge and redirect the attacks.

Heavy pants left me as I leaned my hands on my knees, fallen bodies littering the ground. I, myself, had sustained minimal wounds, a graze on the back of my hand the worst of it. That being said, I wasn't doing all that great in terms of stamina at the moment, a small burst of Flame fixing me up.

Silence ruled the landscape for a few moments, nothing moving in my sight as I scanned the horizon, looking for any other opponents, only to come up empty handed.

This can't be right. Something is…

Closing my eyes, I called forth my Flame and began to look past, my jaw clenching when I was suddenly bathed in little candle lights, very conscious and very much ready to attack

In the trees. Under the beaten bodies. Behind rocks.

Fifty or so more of them remained in perfect stillness, waiting until I let my guard down to outright assassinate me.

My God, I _love_ this test.

Opening my eyes, I let out a loud breath, dropping down as if to take a breather. My hand scanted past a small throwing knife as I leaned back on my palms, looking to the midday sky as I panted like a dog.

Fighting to not glance behind me as a rustle sounded, I let the assassins creep close, seeing his ridiculously tiny Mist Flame just barely begin to graze my own Sun before spinning around and nailing him on the temple with the butt of the blade. Turning on my heel, I sent the blade sailing into a tree where a small Rain sat, his body hitting the ground as he clutched her shoulder.

I huffed out a breath as three men dropped around me, blades of varying length and category drawn in preparation. Stepping back, I narrowly missed a blade to the neck, my leg snapping up to knock the short sword out of my opponent's hand. Bringing my arms up, I placed my palms on either side of another blade, adding pressure until the sleek metal snapped in two.

"Takeshi-kun would kill me if he saw that." I muttered, dropping to kick the legs out of under the disarmed duo.

The last of the three swordsmen was a bulking man of almost unnatural proportion, huge body and even larger sword. As he swung at me, I lept off the ground and poised myself, pinwheeling my arms as I fought to balance of the razor edge of the grounded blade I had stationed myself on.  
Gritting my teeth, I quickly stepped up the sword, my fist soaring straight into his mouth, teeth and blood splattering onto the ground as we fell.

3 down, 47 more to go.

…

Carefully, I perched myself on a high branch of a tree in the front lands of the compound grounds, 4 of the remaining 47 still lingering. One of which, was directly below me, breathing heavily as he let paranoia into his system, his target no longer in his sights.

Looking down at my latest victim, I gave a muted sigh as I dropped, my fist cracking into the back of his head. Catching the body before it fell and alerted the others, I hoisted it back up and took the bag of bones and flesh with me.

Tapping down behind a duo of opponents, I paused and listened to their quiet talk.

"Yamaguchi-dono is doing very well. But he needs to learn to conserve his energy better." The one kneeling on the right muttered, making their companion nod in agreement.

"True, Yamaguchi-dono isn't very good at pacing himself. He was breathing quite heavily after the first half of our attack. However, Yamaguchi-dono is only a boy, and he was engaging 20 others, many of which were older and larger than him."

"Which is why I said he was doing very well." The first defended, scanning the area again before looking back to the other. "It's already a little past midday, what's the time?"

"2:34pm, he should be finding us soon, I imagine. We should get ready."

Reaching out carefully, I dropped the body in my grasp in front of their kneeling forms, small shouts of surprise leaving them as they spun around to meet my smile.

"Thanks for the tips, I'll take note."

Before they could for words or actions to respond, I cracked their skulls together, eyes rolling into the back of their heads as they hit the ground.

Giving a breath, I gave the area a scan, a hum leaving me when I recognised the last remaining Storm Flame flickering nervously a few metres away from my position.

Jun. I was wondering where he went.

Walking towards the boy, I froze and stopped sharply to the side, a high whistle sounding. Looking behind me, I couldn't help the low whistle of approval that left me as I recognize the golden handled dart buried up to the hilt in the tree.

"So, you're a long distance fighter, Jun-kun. Should have told me, could have actually taught me to use the darts in my room, rather than cringing at my every movement." I joked to thin air, watching the Storm flit through trees.

" _You are a fast learner, Daiki-dono. There was no need."_

His voice was strong out here, still airy and distant, but with a more sure tone that showed he knew what he was doing.

"Are you using the darts from my room?" I asked, glancing behind me as to pretend I didn't know exactly where he was.

" _Of course not! Those darts are your possessions, Daiki-dono!"_

Damn. If he was, I'd know how many shots he had left.

Guess and check, I suppose.

Jumping off the ground, I grabbed hold of a low branch and hauled myself up, placing my knee on the crumbling bark as I surveyed my surroundings. The network of leaves and branches would provide me with cover until I engaged Jun directly, getting too close for long distance. He still had darts, however, and they could be used in close quarters just as well as from a far. Stabbing was still an option for the mousy boy.

In other words, be damn careful with Jun.

I balanced on a forked branch as I watched the dart user from a small ways away, Flame simmering low as to not alert his fight or flight instincts. Creeping forwards, I gave a silent curse as the leaves crackled together, launching myself away as the weapon of choice was buried in the vacant space.

Landing down behind a trunk, I let out a breath of annoyance, only to hiss and withdraw as a sting bloomed across my cheek. Alarms shrieked in my head as they detected the injury, strength pumping into my arm as I spun and nailed the tree with my fist. I listened to it rattle before watching as the small body of Jun his the ground, a gasp leaving him as he was left breathless.

As he tried to gulp down air fruitlessly, I reached up and touched the irritated cheek, a smile coming to my face as I saw the crimson fluid gleam off my finger tips.

He got me.

"You okay there, Jun-kun?" I laughed, watching him flail for breath.

My smile eventually dropped as he continued, panic blooming in my mind as I saw him yank at his yukata, desperately trying to open the material. Scrambling to his side, I opened his yukata and felt around for the puffer he hid in a pouch, urging his mouth open as I pressed down on the little canister.

As he inhaled, I dragged his body up to prop it against myself, my own back against a tree. Gently rubbing Jun's back, I quietly reminded him of the breathing process, doubting he needed it.

Eventually, I relinquished my hold on the inhaler as his hands stopped shaking, breaths deeper and more consistent. Shifting him slightly, I let him slump against me, the sounds of darts clattering to the ground sounding as the first signs of night began to creep in.

"You have passed the first phase, Daiki-dono. You are free to move on as you please." He huffed, taking another lungful of muscle relaxant.

I looked to the sky for a moment, thinking it over before sighing loudly.

"I'll stay with you for a while. Make sure you're alright. Bats, Jun-kun, that gave me a scare. Why didn't you tell me that you were asthmatic?"

"It's not just you, no one else knows either. I don't want to appear weaker than I already seem. Having an inhaler on me would make me even more of a target." He muttered, looking away pointedly.

"Weak?!" I laughed, making him jump.

"Out of 50 people, there were only one who could land a blow on me!"

Jun looked at me over his shoulder, a small, but sincere smile on his face.

"Thank you, Daiki-dono."

"No problem."

* * *

 **|LUSSURIA|**

The fabulous Lussuria of Varia pouted at his phone, its heavy bedazzlement making the low-level Varia around him blink rapidly as their eyes were bombarded with light as he trudged back to his room.

The others were in their own dorms, causing a panic as they packed their cases, screaming through walls for possessions that had exchanged hands through the months. His own bag had been packed twelve times over, the last three being due to trying to fit his collection of feathered jackets.

Having given up trying to flatten out the seventeen different styles, Lussuria had turned to his secret buddy for assistance. Sending the baker boy pictures of him modeling each one, requesting the best to take to Japan.

No reply had come.

Usually, Daiki would respond within the hour, understandably ignoring the text if in the middle of class or some other commitment, but the device in his hand had remained lifeless for the whole day, making the Varia man worried for his adorable little brother, who had an even more adorable flame.

Flipping his phone open and shut for a few moments, Lussuria gave a loud sigh and began scrolling up through their short history, a loud shriek crossed with girlish giggling leaving him when he saw the delicious photo come onto screen.

When the Varia had first received it, he had been sitting in the main living room with a majority of the others, the usual chaos of having the Family together ensuing. The loud scream that left the assassin had instantly silenced the room, he could barely contain himself as the fabled boyfriend of his sweethearted little brother exceeded expectations.

Lussuria had gone into complete fangirl mode, one hand coming away from the phone to shake rapidly as if burnt, then flitting to cover the face splitting grin and ear piercing screech that bubbled in his throat. He bounced on the cushion of the couch, eyes never leaving the photo gifted to him so generously as he ate up the scene.

The Varia Sun didn't quite remember what he had said when Squalo had asked for his reason for ' _giggling like a bitch'_ , something along the lines of ' _get me a baby daddy like this!_ ', probably, knowing him.

The absolute _glee_ the Sun felt when he saw the capture was still as fresh as ever, his booted feet kicking as he laid out on his belly on his bed and played with the idea of framing the picture in his room, before pouring when he saw the old message from Daiki.

 _From: Daiki the Adorable  
Actually, can you do me a favour and not show that picture to anyone?_

Huffing loudly, Lussuria slumped into the bed, rolling on his side as he looked at Daiki's contact picture, namely the expression of amused serenity that had come to his face as the snap was taken, lips still fitted with the younger's.

"Ah, they're so adorable!" He cried, throwing himself on his back.

 _From: Daiki the Adorable  
He's mine. Remember that._

"I wonder, is the little one the more assertive of the two?" Lussuria hummed to himself, placing a gloved hand on his cheek as he looked at the mocking gleam in the half-lidded brown eyes, a threat lining them.

"I'll ask when I get back to Namimori. Ah, maybe they'll pose for a few photo's for me!" The flamboyant man giggled, sitting up as he clutched the sleeping device.

" _VOOIII! LUSSURIA WE'RE LEAVING IN TEN MINUTES!"_

"Ah! I haven't chosen on a jacket yet!"

 **|LUSSURIA|**

* * *

You know when you're playing a video game, or something, and an NPC says " _It's dangerous to go alone! Take this!"_ , then gives you an item? Usually something of use?

Guess what Jun gifted me.

Jelly snakes.

There's a reason he's my favourite subordinate- other than the limited choice.

I twisted the raspberry flavoured confection in my mouth as I stepped into the main building, listening closely for the incoming barrage of opponents. Looking around the corner with a bland expression, I waved at the middle aged man pressing himself against the wall, trying to blend with the shadows.

"Darn, how did you see me?!" He exclaimed, leaping back and brandishing his katana at me.

"You're wearing neon pink, sir." I answered, pausing to pull the now knotted snake from my mouth.

A little party trick that was turned sexual by the media, but I had bothered to give it a try anyway. Ryohei knew how to do it too, after I had run him through the theory, and we had races every now and then when Kyoko or Kaede gave us cherries in our lunchboxes.

I've never showed this to Takeshi before, I wonder what his reaction would be? Probably funny.

Dodging out of the way, I stepped around another swipe for my life, frowning when I saw that, yes, he was ready to kill me.

Aw man, we were having a conversation!

Swinging around, I nailed the pink wearing man in the back with my heel, the sounds of him bouncing down through the main entrance hall echoing through the building.

That should draw their attention. Like _hell_ I'm gonna walk the entire compound - and _that's_ what he get's for interrupting said conversation.

Dropping the lolly back into my mouth, I chewed on it as steps came from the eastern hall. Swallowing, I watched as men turned the corner hollerin' guttural orders at each other as they withdrew weapons of varying degree and descended upon me. I tilted my head to make way for a blade, leg coming up and kicking the forward most man, sending him crashing into his party and setting off a domino effect.

I blinked as I watched a small man leap over the groaning messes, little knife at the ready to do some gruesome damage. Just as he got within arm's distance, I sent my knuckles crashing into his nose, the small body flying back and knocking out the men who tried to stand again.

Stepping around the party, I bent occasionally and delivered swift blows to the temple, knocking out the groaning mass. Humming to myself, I slid another jelly snake into my mouth, letting the tail hang out as I waved in greeting to the next sword wielding challenger.

To my surprise he waved back!

Albeit a little awkwardly.

"Before we fight, do you want a snake?"

"...Sure?"

I grinned.

Finally some human bonding time!

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

The Rain glared at his inactive phone as if it had done a personal offence to him, his arms wrapped around a hoodie-clad pillow. The hoodie in question, belonged to one, Yamaguchi Daiki.

The older boy knew of the existence of the substitute, walking in on the Yamamoto nuzzling it when he made a surprise visit. His only response, however, was:

" _I was wondering where that jacket went. I need that tomorrow, here, use the one I'm wearing."_

Now, with replenished scent, the Rain had a source of comfort in this tiring time.  
Of course, this did leave a trace on the pillow itself, which, now that he thought about it, was probably why he kept having those dreams.

Not that he was complaining. Takeshi just wished they were older, 'cause Daiki had specifically said:

" _C'mon Daiki-kun! We're both legal!"_

" _I'm not going to bed a minor. There will be no penetration until you're 18, or until we're married."_

" _But that's so far away!"_

" _Then you have plenty of time to get creative."_

Pressing his pout into the material of the solid blue jacket, wrapping his legs around it and falling on his back, Takeshi pretended Daiki was the one laying on top of him.

Too light.

Takeshi bit the shoulder of the hoodie in aggravation, the comforting weight not accompanying the scent.

"I want Daiki-kun." He muttered, hugging the substitute tightly, soft body contorting under the brutal strength that only made his Daiki coo for him.

That was another thing about the Sun that he adored, his ability to handle Takeshi, allowing the smaller boy to release any holds he had on himself that would otherwise scare off others. The Rain could squeeze the older as tight as he wanted, and where others would squirm and try to escape, Daiki would simply take it in stride, pressing closer to the other as he wished.

Sitting up, Takeshi threw the too light pillow aside in frustration, his hands coming to wrestle open the drawer beside his bed. After the scratching of wood against wood, the Rain reached in and began sorting through for the little box his father had given to him years ago. Opening it, dark brown eyes watched the gold gleam, simplistic in design.

When he was younger, the Rain didn't really know the meaning of the twin rings, only figuring it out after some conversation with friends at school, but he always knew the emotion that was meant to be attached. You were meant to give the other half of the rings to the person you care most for, the one you wanted to stay with.

"I want to give it to Daiki-kun." Takeshi muttered, falling back across his bed, loops of precious metal pinched above his face.

How many times he had said that sentence escaped him, Tsuyoshi only shaking his head and telling to wait for a while longer.

Daiki always said to wait, as well. As if he too had doubts about the legitimacy of their relationship. Takeshi wouldn't deny the sharp stab that would come whenever his advances were denied, as rare as that were.

Just because he was young, didn't mean he was dumb.

Takeshi knew there was something wrong in the Yamaguchi house that was translating over into their relationship. Something still present, so not the father. The mother, perhaps?

He didn't want to go pointing the finger at anyone, just incase he was wrong, but there was a definite negative reaction to Daiki and his own skin. The Rain had first thought it was him being shy, but after years of being together and Takeshi himself being exposed, it seemed that it went deeper.

The extra lengths he went to to cover himself, the ever present undershirts - Takeshi's sworn enemy, and the rashies. It all added up to make the Rain suspicious of a marr on his body, one besides the large, grizzly looking, birthmark on his back that he had seen years ago when they were young. As far as the Yamamoto boy knew, there was nothing to hide. A strong body to be proud of was hidden beneath those layers, and, in his humble opinion, it was a capital offense to not share it with him.

Not the world, though. Only him- obviously.

Slowly, Takeshi reached up and took one of the rings in the other hand, slipping it on with little trouble. The accessory was large on the intended finger, but fit well on his thumb, sitting snugly around the long digit.

As he held his adorned hand above his face, he let his eyes fall to the inactive device beside his head, worry washing over him as another moment passed silently.

"Seven days." Takeshi breathed, curling up on his side, rings clutched to his chest. "Only seven days left."

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

Oh _shit_ , that hurt!

I clutched my arm as I pressed myself against a wall, bodies of men littering the halls, but one swordsman still following me. He was the one who accepted the jelly snake early last night, and he had refused to back down even with his own body in all but tatters, bruises colouring his pale skin and sword stubbornly clutched in his sprained fingers. Even injured, he was good with the blade, having managed to cut me deep in the right forearm when it was extended from a punch.

Fighting the men in the outer layer of the compound building was a challenge in itself, but when you added the pale haired Yakuza to the mix, it became impractically impossible.

Looking down at the wound, I sighed loudly when I saw the sandalwood beads beginning to soak up the crimson liquid, tainting the pleasant smell with metal. Giving a strangled noise, I continued to flee through the halls of the compound, the swordsman on my heels.

"I'm Yamaguchi Daiki, by the way!" I called as I kicked another opponent out of the way, ducking under my pursuer's blade before continuing on.

"Adachi Koga, Yamaguchi-dono!" He responded politely, swiping at my ankles.

Cartwheeling through a litter of bodies, I glanced to the side and groaned when I saw the familiar neon pink yukata of the first man, telling me I had gone full circle around the compound grounds, exactly what I said I wouldn't do.

I faced the Yakuza behind me, my palm coming to guide away the blade sent at me, a small slice following the length of my thumb as I fell out of the motion. Grabbing Adachi's shoulder, I yanked him forwards and cracked our foreheads together, a shout of pain leaving him as he stumbled back, clutching his nose. Jumping up, I grabbed hold of a banister and swung myself up, kicking another man in the face as I dodged another strike from Adachi.

"Call me Daiki! Pleasure to formally meet my most persistent assailant, Adachi-san!"

I flipped over the wooden beam and sent my foot into the back of his head. A grunt left him as he went sprawling, the katana still not leaving his hand, however. He let out a shout of surprise as I dropped down on him, feet slamming onto the wooden planks of the hall, knees bending at a dangerous angle as I stopped just short of crushing the older boy.

"You've got quite the hold on that katana, I think my Takeshi-kun would like to cross swords with you one day. He likes a challenge, the competitive boy." I hummed, a pleasant smile taking my face at the mention of the Rain.

"I'd be honored to battle Daiki-dono's lover." Adachi responded, straining to get up as he touched the back of his head.

I couldn't help the heat that painted my face, the smile stretching further as I nodded, before rearing my arm back and planting its fist between his eyes, the swordsman's upper body slamming against the ground as his eyes rolled back in his skull.

"I'll run it by him when I'm done. See you later, Adachi-san."

The young swordsman was no doubt a looker, pale, European colouring clashing with his oriental appearance in a somehow pleasing manner. He had a lithe body, and looked like he was built for speed, rather than strength, but could still deal quite the blow if needed.

"I wonder if the Oyabun will give him to me?" I hummed quietly, stepping off the Adachi male.

"Ah, shit." Came my laugh, a hand coming to ruffle my hair. "I'm starting to sound like those shady guys."

Nursing my no doubt bruised side, I stuck my head out the closest sliding door, a shout of disbelief leaving me as I saw the position of the sun in high sky.

"It's the second day al- _fucking_ -ready!?"

Slamming the door shut, I gave a quiet curse and began the journey to the next level of the interior, pausing to place a jelly snake in Adachi's hand for when he woke up. These snakes were what I was running on at the moment, the sugar keeping me awake and helping fuel my Flame, which was working to just barely knit together the slash on my forearm, dealt by our favourite lolly-loving Yakuza. I couldn't heal any of my wounds, the suspicion placed on me would be too much of a hassle.

"I'm thirsty." I whined, remembering that I hadn't drunk in more than 24 hours, the strenuous activity not helping my situation.

Stepping into the next layer of the compound, I couldn't shake off the sudden wash of cold over my body, not at all enjoying the unnatural silence that rules, my footsteps deafening.

"Oh, this is _great_." I muttered sarcastically, making a wide arc around an unnecessarily creepy Japanese doll that was poised in a display case. "Fucking _perfection_ , yes. Awesome-ness- Not."

…

Crouching slightly, I raised an eyebrow at the water jug and cup placed on a bench beside a door.

Hours had passed and the noon was in full swing, but I had not found any others in the level by eyes, but I could tell they were lurking at a distance from the flashes of Flames. I must have been in some sort of rest period, and was accepting it gladly, albeit with a grain of salt.

I hummed, brushing my hand against the container full of liquid. I slipped a careful tendril of sunshine into the clear water, light refracting in a dazzling manner before turning an unnatural colour as the chemicals within were distilled.

I watched as the shuffling took place, particles beginning to gather at the top and turning a bronze colour, my mind sorting through a list before coming to a decision as the slick turned black.

Basic arsenic. Poisoning, then, is it?

"See, Ryohei-kun, being salty has its benefits." I huffed, stepping away from the trap and continuing on, swallowing my own saliva in attempts to pacify my thirst, even a little.

…

"I'm beginning to understand why this thing takes so long." I muttered, finishing my third loop around the halls.

I couldn't move on as long as there were enemies to defeat, but none were presenting themselves, nor were there anymore traps being set in the time I gave them with my walks.

Maybe…

Walking over to the display case in the middle of the room, I dropped down and sighed, leaning against the cool glass as I began to bide my time.

Maybe they were trying to tire me out by making me actively look for them? Well, not gonna happen, I have time to burn, sitting around for another four days won't kill me.

Let's see who can out wait who.

…

Okay.

I'm bored.

This plan sucks.

Getting to my feet, I looked to one of the windows and groaned at the morning sun, another day gone.

How many days did I have left? Five? Yeah, five, I think.

An exaggerated sigh of annoyance left me as I rounded the room I called my base again, nothing new or anymore eye catching. Coming to a stop, I tilted my head to catch the wind with my nose, a faint scent intruding the room.

As soon as I caught the full odor, I slammed my hand over my mouth and looked to the doll, my eyes widening as a miasma began leaking out of the parted, rosy lips.

"Oh, shit!" I hissed, the display case clicking open and releasing it into the room.

A cough fell from me as the air became thicker, a sludgy feeling beginning to become noticeable in my chest and throat. Tears began to pool in the corners of my eyes as they became irritated by the gaseous poison, vision failing me as I fled the room, hours of circular walking giving me a safe route away from the fast travelling mist.

"Was that time locked?" I coughed, waving my hand in front of my face to get the air moving.

How am I meant to survive that? I get that I need to stop the gas, but how do I get close enough to shut it off?

"I wish I played more of those RPG's with Ryohei-kun. They have a lot of bat shit like this."

Frowning to myself, I pulled my shirt up to my nose and ran back into the room, breathing sparsely. Coming to a stop in front of the fuming doll, I reached in, ignoring the irritation of my skin and crushed the porcelain, opening it and releasing a wave of thick miasma.

Pumping Sun Flames into my lungs to give myself more time, I felt around, and gave a sound of success and I felt a small hole beneath the base of the figure. I jumped back as a heavily visible wave left the pipe, the cloud reaching the ceiling before spreading out and seeping through the panels.

Not much time left before this gets too dangerous to be in the building.

Looking around the murky room, I narrowed my eyes and held out my hand, an idea coming to mind, not sure of it will actually hold any water. Gently, I urged my sunshine core down my veins, watching the faint glow collect under the skin on my fingertips, before they burst forth and flashed a flame. A gruff shout left me as the air caught the heat, the mist disappearing for a split second as it was burnt away, before the void was filled in.

"This can work, but it's bats... Let's do it." I breathed lowly, withdrawing my hand.

Dashing back out of the room, I took a gasp of somewhat clearer air, my feet taking me back to something that could help me out. Coming to a stop, I looked down at the arsenic contaminated jug and snapped it up, grabbing the cup along side before returning to the shattered doll.

Kneeling down, I began to carefully distill the water, getting layers of basic arsenic into the empty cup as well as I could.

"Basic arsenic is flammable when exposed to air." I breathed to myself, once useless information finding a purpose in my life. Hurray to 7th grade chemistry!

Bringing both items with me, I held my breath as I approached the pipe, placing the water jug down and beginning my, hopefully successful, plan. Tipping the blackened element down the pipe, I caught the last few grains with a flaming finger, watching with trepidation as the rest lit up as they fell into the gas chamber below.

 _ **Boom!**_

I stepped back as a thin pillar of fire roared out of the opening, charring the ceiling before eventually dying down.

Should I be concerned by the fact that the sounds of explosions is no longer alarming to me?

Shaking off the moment of reflection, I gave a sound of success as no more miasma rose from the pipe, all of the remaining gas burnt up. Little tongues of, now natural, flame flickered at the tip of the opening, easily dealt with by the filtered water in the jug beside me. Emptying the glass vessel down the hole, I watched quietly as the light down in the blackness died, a faint smoke trail its only legacy.

"Done." I sighed, pulling my shirt over my nose as some gas still lingered in the air.

A huge crash shattered the silence, making me jump as spin around in search of its origin, only to have a swear leave me as men rounded the corner and began attacking me as before.

These men had their faces hidden by cloths, most likely to protect them from the remaining miasma. This, however, made them look oddly uniformed, a dizzy feeling beginning to form in my mind as I spun around to deliver blows all over.

Giving a breath as the men watched me warily, now aware that I was still in working order, I slipped my hand onto my brass and gave a sigh of defeat. The click that rung through the room made the opponents tense, and rightfully so. Slipping on the brass knuckles, I flexed my fingers and got comfortable in the weaponry, scanning the crowd as a giddy sense cut through the wariness from days of work.

"You don't mind if I go a bit BATS crazy, do you?"

A mighty brave boy let out a war cry and raced forwards, sword raised high, only to fly back with six less teeth than he had started with. The men shifted unsurely around me, glancing between the blood flecked brass and the sufficiently knocked out boy splayed out in the corner.

"Next, please." I hummed, using the same tone I used in the bakery.

* * *

 **|REBORN|**

"What do you mean ' _We've lost track of Yamaguchi-san'_!?" His dame-student screeched, mittened hands flying to dusty hair.

"I never said we lost Yamaguchi Daiki, I merely said Yamaguchi-san hasn't been seen around Namimori for the past few days, and no one can tell us where he is." Reborn corrected, watching his student fall to another level of panic.

"THAT'S THE SAME THING!"

"Are you sure no one can find him?! What about Yamamoto-kun?" He tried, kneeling down to the baby's height.

"We've tried him, and got a bit of insight, not much though. Only that Yamaguchi-san went willingly."

" _Went willingly'!?"_

"Stop screaming, Dame-Tsuna." The hitman grunted, firmly planting his foot between the Vongola's eyes.

Of course, Reborn knew exactly where the young Sun was, not that it was hard to figure out. The mother's roots were easy to find with some simple digging, add a little common sense and you have the location of the baker's son. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy.

Not that he was going to tell the Sawada, though. It was fun to watch the boy squirm like a fish on land.

Ignoring Leon's snickering at his accidental pun, he acted as if he was tuning said fish out by falling asleep.

The Arcobaleno did wonder, though, how strong would the boy come out of that?

He couldn't wait to get a look.

 **|REBORN|**

* * *

"I'm in hell!" I sang, holding my arms out as I followed the thin line of the planks with my feet as I walked down another hall, leaving behind a groaning, bloody mass.

Tipping forwards, I planted each of my hands on the floor in attempts to do a cartwheel, before giving a low grunt as my arms gave out and I crashed to the floor, a sharp pain rippling through my side.

"Is that a broken rib?" I muttered, bringing a hand up to rub along my inner cage. "Yep, that's a broken rib."

Getting to my feet, I looked to the sky and sighed, the fifth sun hanging high. What must have been the thousandth yawn in so many days cracked open my jaw, my eyes fluttering periodically as I fought to stay awake.

I wanna eat, drink, shower and sleep. That's all, is that too much to ask?

Personally, I found myself disgusting right now. Five days, no shower, and couple that with a coating of teenaged sweat: Tadaa! You have a body I'd rather not be in. Not to mention the sticky, itchy mess that was my hands at the moment. The only upside was the fact that the halls I walked were heavily scented with a variety of perfumes, covering my own odour to some extent.

 _Bang!_

" _There he is!"_

Here comes another round.

…

...Wow.

That _really_ hurts. More than I expected.

I mean, I understand _why_ it hurts so much, but damn.

Planting my foot on the floor, I swung around and buried my heel in the teeth of a knife wielding Yakuza, his face contorting as he was sent sprawling with a loose body. The strain of the move made me hiss in aggravation, my hand flying to the rapidly spreading patch of brownish-red on my shirt.

"You tried to stab my liver," I blinked, before looking to the fallen man. "You twat."

Thank _God_ I moved in time, I doubt I'm gonna get a respawn.

Ow, but I can't heal it.

Shamal, you better be ready, cause by the time I'm out, I'm gonna break down your door.

…

" _A B C  
It's easy as, 1 2 3  
As simple as, Do Re-_Fudge me!"

My rendition of Michael Jackson was interrupted as I fell over another unconscious man, faces blending together after so many hours of them coming at me.

As time had gone on, I could feel myself becoming less and less aware of myself and the surrounding area. My walk had become clumsy, strikes lacking strength, reactions slowing.

It wasn't a good sign, it meant that I was reaching my limit.

In all truth, I was mighty proud of myself. I managed to keep fighting for five straight days, and then some. How many could say that?

It wasn't over, however, I had much more to do. More levels to get past, and only three days to do so.

" _Yamaguchi-dono, we will be your next challengers!"_

A heavy sigh left me as I stanced myself, brass knuckles sticking to my fists as blood and sweat dried under the metal.

"Let's get this over with, then."

* * *

 **|S.R|**

Ryohei splayed out on the flat rock quietly, staring blankly up at the clear sky. Colonello had given no other order, just to remain still and relax, but the Sun felt jittery with unused energy.

Perhaps, if Daiki was here, he could pin him like he does in class. That'd keep Ryohei still, for sure.

"What're you thinking about? _Kora!"_ The tutor asked, keeping his gaze fixed on the sky.

"Just a friend of mine. He'd probably help keep me still if he was here." The sunny boy responded, not looking away from a drifting cloud.

"Oh? How, _kora_?"

"Probably lay on top of me. Might sit on me, instead, actually."

The Rain Arcobaleno made a sound of acknowledgment, spurring him on.

"He's really strong, too. Like _EXTREMELY_ strong."

"Eh, is that so?"

"Yeah, yeah! He can hold 200 EXTREME kilos! It's so cool!"

This seemed to catch the Arcobaleno's attention, large eyes dropping to the Sun's face.

"200, you say? _Kora."_

"EXTREMELY!"

"Hm...Get back to resting, _kora."_

Ryohei pouted before dropping back down, wondering what his fellow Sun was up to in his absence.

Probably something dull. Like studying.

 **|S.R|**

* * *

Leaning against the wall, I watched with half-awareness as more men rounded the corner. This was the third wave today, and probably the biggest so far. One at midnight, the next at midday, and this last one racing through as the moon hung high again for the fifth morning.

I just needed to get rid of these road blocks, then the next layer should be open for me.

Pushing off the wall wearily, I stepped out of the way of a brutal punch and let my brass bite into his face, the head crashing against a wall before the next man came into my view. Uppercutting the man, I didn't even bother to wince in sympathy anymore as his head snapped back and he hit the ground, making way for the next.

I was working completely on autopilot now, faces and voices no longer factoring as blurs of bodies came at me and I responded in kind, fists, feet, elbows and knees rising to the challenge of downing the threat presented to their host body. Another white-noise threat was thrown at me as a sword came down, my apathetic face unchanging as I spun sharply and buried my heel in his teeth, chipping calcium and phosphorus. A heavy breath left me as I dodged to the side and brought down more men, the number irrelevant to me now. I felt like I had dealt with more than 240- whatever, but that could just have been my tired brain losing count and trying to complain.

"Fuck." I slurred, holding my side as I stumbled back. "There goes another rib."

I scowled half-heartedly at the dealer of the wound, his cocky, well-rested expression ticking me off more than I'd like to admit. Two sharp jabs to the stomach and then nose were all it took to down the annoyance, a roundhouse kick coming after the bloke standing behind him.

My eyes widened as I was suddenly doubled over a fist, my body curling in on itself as my feet were taken off the ground by the force. I dry heaved as I hit the wall, a tank of a man standing over my with an unimpressed expression marring his face.

"C'mon, boy. You can do better than that." He grunted, watching me unsympathetically as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, brass leaving behind a trail of blood on my face.

I didn't dignify him with a response as I hauled myself to my feet, moving out of the way as the tanker threw his fist again, rattling the length of the wall as it connected with the surface. Stepping quickly, I ducked under the elbow sent at my face and sent up my foot, my hand grabbing his wrist and working with the other limb. I stared passively as I watched the hinge joint slip out of place, pieces fracturing before auditable crunching and snaps could be heard even by me as the bones relented under my assault.

"How's that? Better?" I asked, sleep heavy voice leaking out as he put distance between us.

The tanker gripped his elbow as he scowled at me, arm trembling as adrenaline fought to subdue the waves of pain reaching his receptors. He gave an annoyingly loud roar and dove at me, midnight moon catching his eyes as the distance between us was closed, my own eyes flashing bright as I geared up for the attack with the last pieces of energy in my already weeping system.

Batting away the bulky fist sent at my face, I buried my metal into his side, the deep rumble of his roar only vibrations against my ear as I dealt him another blow. Grabbing the large man by his shoulder, I threw him against the wall harshly, the little things that hadn't already fallen, crashing to the ground around him. Walking up to him, I let a yawn leak from me as I stepped down on the broken elbow, my face unchanging at his white-noise scream.

"Can you stay down?" I breathed, digging the heel of my shoe deeper into the disconnection when I saw the tanker reach of my leg.

"You can't ask that of me, Yamaguchi-dono." He grunted, making a grab for me, only to stare wide eyes as his lolling hand moments later.

"I asked nicely, but I guess I'm not the only one who's a little bats around here."

With my foot on the broken joint supporting my whole weight, I swung my leg out and gave a hard kick to the tanker's temple, watching black eyes roll back and his body go slack.

" _You have done well to get this far, Yamaguchi-dono."_

I looked over my shoulder and gave the gangly man behind me a dead-eyed stare, feeling just about ready to drop.

"But this is as far as you go." He cackled, pulling a knife from his loose yukata and walking up to me at a reserved pace.

He looked like a rat, and I mean that literally. His face was long and narrow, two, sharp buck-teeth peeking out from his thin lips as he grinned.

"I will admit, it took more men than I thought it would to get you to this point. But now that you're at your limit, it is _my_ time. I will deal the deciding blow and end your training here, as the man who took down the Watanabe hei-"

"Your voice is annoying." I grunted, looking down at him as he writhed, holding his face as blood spouted from his nose.

Looking to the sky, I groaned as the morning greeted me with mocking glory, sun shining happily as it graced the sky with way too much radiance. Trudging along, I grabbed the wood of the sliding door and sighed as it opened, the next layer of the house opening for me as the fifth day got into full swing.

Blinking tiredly, I looked around the room I had found myself in, wondering if I had ever come in here before. It looked more like a collector's room than anything, miscellaneous items scattering the room. Vases, statues and other pieces of art covered all the surfaces in the room, seven couches of varying size and design scattered through the space.

Closing the door behind me, I stepped in and paused when I saw a slight elevation in the floor. Kneeling, I touched it gently, before placing both my hands on it and pushing with as much strength as I could muster, a slight shift in the height being my reward.

"A pressure pad." I muttered, looking to the walls and nodding.

There were three other doors in the room besides the one I had just entered in, one must lead to the next layer. Looking to the pressure pad, I frowned as I tried to push down again, admitting defeat when I couldn't push it more than halfway back into the ground, the click of the doors relocking reaching me as I released.

"That must be what all you are for." I breathed, looking to the many things in the room.

Glancing to a couch closest to me, I dropped down on it and thought out my route, ideas sluggishly crawling around in my head.

I'd need to move the heavier things in the room to the pad, in my current state, however, that could take as long as a full day. Not to mention, there could be a consequence for overweighing the scale, as unlikely as it was.

Maybe… I could…

* * *

 **|SHAMAL|**

The infamous doctor and pervert hummed merrily as he all but skipped down through the shopping district, a specific destination in mind. Coming to a stop in front of the sign that wrote itself out in large white kanji, the Italian doctor opened the door and listened to the bell ring out a loud call leaving him as he waved to the counter.

"Hello there- Uh." Shamal stalled when he noticed no warm woman waiting for him, the Yamaguchi bakery empty.

"Ah, I wanted to talk to Kaede-chan." He whined, slouching, before letting his eyes go sharp.

"Well, I guess that leaves me with a bit of time on my hands."

Stepping through the threshold of the bakery, the Nami nurse entered the vacant housing behind the store, noticing other scents beginning to blend with the smell of bread as he went deeper into Yamaguchi territory.

When he had realised the young Sun's female body, Shamal had begun to wonder about her bulk up, a sliver of suspicion appearing as the days had gone on. Not wanting to remain in the dark for much longer on the subject, the good doctor had stepped out and decided to see if he could confirm his suspicions.

The old Mist hummed as he trotted up the stairs, pausing to scan a picture of the current Yamaguchi family, shamelessly leering at the printout of the matron's swimsuit-clad body.

"So, Yamaguchi-chan's been like this for a while." He muttered, a frown touching his face as he continued to the next level.

"Now, where is it?"

Shamal looked down the hall to the door of the bedrooms, before shaking his head and crossing it off his mental list, instead turning to walk down the other side and opening the door to the bathroom, a faint echo sounding as the handle twisted. Stepping up to the cabinet, the good doctor opened the panel and gave a noise of success as he plucked the pill bottle from the stocked shelves.

"Oh, no, no, Yamaguchi-chan." The Nami nurse tsked, shaking his head. "These won't do for a growing girl."

 _Testosterone Supplements_

"As your devoted school nurse, I'm going to have to confiscate these." He hummed, dropping the bottle into his lab coat and closing the cabinet.

It's a shame, really, he was beginning to like that Kaede.

 **|SHAMAL|**

* * *

I gave a small noise as I opened my eyelids. heavy from sleep-

Shit.

"Fuck, shit and all of the above!" I screamed, sitting up sharply as I snapped my gaze to the window, the sun high in the sky for what very well could have been a different day.

"Ah! Pressure pad! Pressure pad!"

My eyes jumped around the room as I got to my feet, indistinguishable sounds leaving me as my muddled mind tried to figure out a plan.

Weight. I need something heavy!

Spinning around, I locked my gaze on the heavily adorned sofa that I had slept on and latched my hands on it, lifting the, probably mahogany, frame off the floor and throwing it onto the pressure pad, the matching seat following after. Grabbing another unnecessarily ornate couch, I threw it over my shoulder and prayed it hit the target, arms working to lift the partner of the expensive couple and chuck it on top. Giving a breath, I ran across the room and squatted, my legs tensing as I lifted a solid oak desk and topped the pricey tower, pens and other materials falling as it teetered unsurely.

"More weight! Shit!" I hissed, looking around before giving a noise of frustration and flopping onto the base couch.

 _Click!_

"Halle- _freaking_ -lujah!"

" _Attack!"_

I don't have time for this!

Spinning around, I jump and used the momentum to take out a circle of men, my aching muscles screaming against the action. Dodging quickly, I let my fists fly in bizarre, volatile patterns that floored male after male, heads cracking against the wooden panels as they made way for the next.

The blood and sweat that had crusted over in my sleep was renewed with vigour, fingers buzzing as blood began to flow through the digits again. Shoving my elbow back, I let the sharp joint crack against the nose of a supposed sneak attack, before sending the same arm forwards and the brass fist into the one up front.

Grunting in annoyance, I backed away and felt around, pausing when my hand caught on one of the couches I had dumped on the pressure pad. Letting out a heave of excursion, I lifted the weight, balancing the large seats on my shoulder before pegging the ornate furniture at the party that ran through the door, men jumping out of the way as their companions were hit.

"How heavy are couches again?" I wheezed, rolling my shoulders as there was a pause in the barrage.

" _Usually-_ " One squeaked, before clearing his throat. "Usually 160 kilos, Yamaguchi-dono."

"Ah, thank you." I nodded, before hauling up another weight and tossing it behind me to catch a bunch of sneaky attackers.

Jumping as a man came running, I pushed off the back of his head and leapt at the others, brass coming down to bite skin off bone. Males hit the floor as if boneless, eyes rolled back in their heads as welts and blood surfaced from impacts. I was on a warpath now, racing between challengers like a bat out of hell. Heavy fists, sharp metal and blow after blow rained down on me, but my body was rested now, barely feeling the impacts as it geared up for retaliation.

Giving a shout, I reached over my shoulder and gingerly touched the handle of the throwing knife buried in my back. It was missing anything important and too shallow to cause any real worry, but the thing was stinging like hell. Wrapping my fingers around the hilt, I yanked it free of my flesh, grimacing as I felt the opening stretch and elongate as the angle caused further injury.

"Ah, _bats_ that hurts!"

Letting the blade clatter to the floor, I frowned and looked to the assailant, a miffed expression on my face.

"What day is it? Sixth?"

"Seventh...My God, it's the _seventh._ " He coughed, looking to the men at our feet.

"How did you get this far in _sev-"_

"Seventh day!? Shit, I'm behind schedule! How many more rooms are there in this bats house!?"

Spinning around, I ran at the dazed man, my knee greeting his face easily.

"Late! Late! For a very _fucking_ important date!" I laughed nervously, landing in a clumsy crouch as I finished my airborne attack.

Getting to my feet, I wasted no time in fleeing the weight room and entering the next, door slamming shut behind me as lights lit up the smaller space. Looking around, I breathed quickly as I tried to figure out the situation at hand.

A battle? No, too small, no doors.

Another puzzle room?

I carefully looked around the room, studying the decor. No windows allowed sun entry, artificial light being the only source of illumination in the room. Paintings of previous Watanabe heads lined the west wall, meticulous carvings decorating surfaces, a fireplace laying cold at the front, a sheathed, a low table in the middle with a slip of paper, ornamental sword hanging on the east wall, surrounded by smoking incense and candles, leaving me to eye the rising smoke carefully.

The panel floors and walls were the same as the rest of the house, the oriental, Japanese feels remaining constant despite the variety of traps and tricks thrown at me by the Yakuza family. There were two cushions on either side of the low table, a touch showed that they had not been used recently. Looking in some cabinets rewarded me with books lining shelves, old and string bound, organised from largest to smallest, then mirroring off. The inked kanji was beginning to fade from the years, but what I could make out proved the books to be biographies of the mounted men, covering their victories, getting bloodier the further back it went.

"One day left Daiki, make this count." I breathed, replacing the book and turning back to the room.

Stepping up to the table, I bent and plucked the slip of paper from the surface, reading the little, black kanji with a raised eyebrow.

" _The one who makes it, sells it._

 _The one who buys it, doesn't need it._

 _The one who uses it, doesn't realise."_

…

"Fuck. I'm shit at riddles."

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

"Okay, honestly boy, I think you're going through withdrawals."

The old sushi chef sighed as the son fell back on the couch, sweat from practice still sticking to him in a layer of shine.

"I want my Daiki-kun!" The Rain whined, one leg hooked over the back.

"He said eight days, right? Just wait a while longer." Tsuyoshi tried to reason, the visible leg kicking in rejection.

"But I miss him! And I can't even text or call his phone!" Takeshi responded, sitting up to look at his father.

"I'm sure he misses you too- how about this: when he comes back, spend some time with him." The chef smiled, watching his son's face brighten.

"Really!? I can spend the night at his place!?"

A heaving cough left the old swordsman, his knife stabbing into the wooden cutting board.

" _Ahem!_ Now, I never said 'spend the night'-"

"Thanks tou-san! I'm gonna get my bag ready!" Takeshi laughed, already out the door.

The Rain grinned to himself as he threw himself onto his bed, reaching under, he yanked out his duffle bag and upturned it, sports gear tumbling out. The flipping sounds of paper drew his attention, a small book having fallen from the stash and landing cover up.

Takeshi looked at it for a moment, slowly finding the book's origins, a smile touching his face when it clicked.

"Daiki-kun's old Japanese book! I had completely forgotten about you!" He laughed, snatching it up and opening it.

The workbook was from Daiki's first year as a middle school student, notes and creative pieces written throughout in the same neat handwriting that Takeshi loved to read. The Rain had asked for it the last time he had invaded the Yamaguchi residence, having spied it on his husband's floor.

Daiki, or course, had given it up readily, still half asleep and demanding his immediate return to their sheets.

Flipping past the first few pages of stick in's, the swordsman came to a stop and began reading a little passage written by the young Sun.

 _Question 1: Where do you see yourself ten years from now?_

 _As a 23 year old, employed or running my own business. Well off, good salary. Very possibly married, or engaged._

The Rain let a happy hum leave him as he re-read the least sentence.

 _Question 2: Who do you know now, that you wish to be in your future?_

 _Yamamoto Takeshi, Kaa-san, Sasagawa Ryohei, Sasagawa Kyoko, etc._

"Shujin-kun." Takeshi cooed quietly as he fell on his side, eyes trailing over the way his fiancé wrote his name, practiced and careful. And _first_! Even before his mother he dotes on so much!

The young Yamamoto curled up and began reading through the pages, his mental voice slowly taking on the bass and tone of Daiki's. It never ceased to baffle him, how literate his husband was. Even when they were young, the larger boy would be spinning tales for him, only to be interrupted by the Rain with questions on his tongue.

Takeshi remembered his father and the maternal Yamaguchi joking that Daiki had swallowed a dictionary when he was a child, which may-or-may-not have led the young Yamamoto to press his hands against the other's stomach, as if trying to feel it through the layers of skin and muscle. Of course, he then let his hands longer, only retracting when the Sun copied his action on him with freezing fingers.

The smile on the Rain's face took a softer lilt as he began reading a short creative piece Daiki had to write for class. A quick, six paragraph story about two people bonding over a stray baseball flying through one of their windows.

Placing the workbook down, the young Yamamoto reached out and pinched his phone from the side table where it was docked, the screen lighting up at his command and presenting him a picture of his fiancé. Accessing the text application, the swordsman began clicking away at his keypad, re-reading the short message he had written in the textbox.

 _To: Shujin-kun  
Hope you're doing well over there.  
I miss you._

Takeshi let a quiet noise leave him as he sent the message off, knowing there would be no reply, before letting the device clatter back onto the surface next to him.

"One more day, Takeshi." The boy muttered to himself, rolling onto his back. "You'll survive."

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

"A coffin."

Slowly getting to my feet, I walked over to the nearest wall and thumped my face against it, punishing myself for my stupidity.

"'The one who makes it, sells it. The one who buys it, doesn't need it. The one who uses it, doesn't realise.' A coffin, you fool! They used to throw this around all the time!" I groaned, pulling myself from the wall and looking around the room again.

"So, how's that gonna help me here?"

Muttering the answer to myself like a mantra, I scanned the room and tried to find something that would work with 'coffin', pausing when I thought it over again.

"Coffin, you put dead people in coffins...The past oyabuns?" I hummed, turning around and looking to the paintings lining the other wall.

Taking careful steps forwards, I let my fingers graze the paint that made up a generations old face. Finding no clue, I continued on, fingering each portrait carefully, until I reached the end with no progress. Taking a step back, I crossed my arms and let out a hum of thought, frowning at the line up.

The history books?

Opening the cabinet I had at the beginning, I reached out and grabbed the first book to the left, reading the spine before flipping through the pages in a quick flurry, replacing it with disappointment. Second to the middle, was the one I was looking for, the quick flipping rewarding me with another slip of paper.

" _What always runs but never walks,  
Often murmurs, never talks,  
Has a bed but never sleeps,  
Has a mouth but never eats?"_

"Oooh!" I breathed, perking up as my, usually useless, brain clicked. "I know this one! A river!"

Spinning around, I looked back to the line up of my ancestors, remembering the background of one having a depiction of a river. Placing my hands on the third oyabun's portrait, I let my fingers wonder, pausing when I felt a trigger behind the frame.

"Fucking hell, if I had just spent a little more time, I could have found you three minutes ago." I hissed, withdrawing my hands as the picture swung open to reveal a safe like space.

Reaching in, I groaned as another slip of paper was provided from within, a bottle of water with a little ' _don't worry, this is safe_ ' written on the side.

"Oh, thanks. 'Cause that'll reassure me." I muttered, my fingers lighting up and causing the liquid within to bubble and distill.

Okay, they weren't lying.

Swallowing my first mouthful of water in a while, I pinched the slip of paper that held my next clue and read it, tilting my head as I tried to piece the new riddle together.

" _The more you have of it, the less you see."_

A sigh left me as I dropped the hand clutching it, taking another swing of the bottle as I turned back to the room.

"The more there is, the less there is, ay?"

Crossing the threshold of the room, I hummed in thought as I rolled over the new question in my mind.

The more there is, the less you see. They never said 'of it', so it could be literally saying 'obstruction of vision', like mist or darkness-

"Darkness?" I thought aloud, looking along the walls.

No windows. If I were to turn off the lights, it would be complete darkness in the room.

"Worth a shot."

Putting down my bottle, I took quick steps towards the three switches that were lined up on the wall I had entered through. Swiping the length of my hand across the panel, I dropped the lights in one movement, a moment of quiet passing over me as the intended darkness consumed the space. Turning my head slowly, a glow emanating from the far wall.

" _I am always hungry,  
I must always be fed.  
The finger I touch,  
Will soon turn red."_

Crossing my arms, I gazed at the luminescent characters as I contemplated their answer and how that would connect to the room I was in.

When it touches fingers, they turn red. Now, was that literal or figurative? Touches the fingers and turns them red, if it was literal, that would allude to an injury of sorts. Figurative, would make a jab at stealing, maybe? Always hungry, so it needs to be fed. Again, in what manner is this said? Literal, give it food, give it fuel. Figurative, well, if we follow the trail from before, feed the kleptomania.

Figurative or literal? Which is it?

" _I am always hungry,  
I must always be fed,  
The finger I touch,  
Will soon turn red"_

I chanted quietly, reaching for my half empty bottle.

"I must always be fed...soon turn red. What kind of injury turns the fingers red?"

Tilting my head back, I emptied the last of it into my mouth, closing the crackling plastic as the cool water dropped into my gut. Clearing my throat, I continued my soliloquy as I tried to align my thoughts.

"Well, other than just about every kind, there's irritations, blood, abrasions, burns...Burns?"

Pacing a bit in the room, I let my mind jump around, a hand coming to my mouth as I sorted through the onslaught of ideas.

"Always hungry, will soon turn red, burns? If...Is it fire, maybe? You need to keep a constant watch over fire, always _feeding_ it fuel to keep it going - and God knows how bad it hurts when you burn your hand with fire, not to mention fire itself is described as red..." I muttered, eyes scanning the room as I tried to locate a source of- The fireplace.

Moving towards the hole in the wall, front and centre, I bent and investigated the opening, pushing around fresh logs that sat on the rack. There was no slip of paper, however, and no message through other medium.

"Was I wrong? Is it stealing?" I breathed, placing my hand on my knee.

Frowning, I looked to the unlit tinder for a moment, before glancing at my resting palm, looking between the two.

"Worth a shot, I suppose."

Reaching in, I slipped my hand between the two logs within and pushed the warmth from my core into my fingers, combustion happening almost instantly. Ripping my hand away as the flames become not that of my own, I watched the natural fire crackle away on its fuel, settling after spasms rocked its form.

A click sounded through the room, making me tense and spin around, blinking when I saw a piece of wall swing open to reveal another safe space. Abandoning the crackling fireplace, I stood before the opening and gave a noise of victory when I plucked up another slip of paper.

" _Ripped from my mother's womb,_

 _Beaten and burnt,_

 _I become a blood-thirsty killer."_

"Charming." I commented, raising an eyebrow when I saw the characters were written in red, rather than black.

Waving the slip, I turned back to the open space, scanning the room and its contents for a spark of inspiration.

"Beaten and burnt…"

What could that be in reference to? Torture? That would require it to be an organism- the "ripped from my mother's womb" sort of alludes to that, but literal isn't usually how these things work, despite what the last one showed us.

So, other than torture...shaping? Welding? Smithing?

I become a bloodthirsty killer…

Weaponry? That would make sense, you need to smith swords in order for them to be usable for battle, but where does that 'mother's womb' come from?

Turning on my heel, I looked at the only piece of weaponry in the room, the ornamental sword hanging on the east wall. Reaching out, I gently removed it from its supports, the metal clinking against its sheath.

This was probably the answer, but that damned first line just wouldn't click.

It was written before the rest, and that fact that it was ripped from the womb hints that it was at the beginning if the transformation. So what was it? What state was a sword in before it became a sword? What was ripped from its mother's womb?

Its first state. Metal, unshaped and untouched…

"Ore? Metal ore?"

Pulling gingerly, I slid the sword from its sheath, a nicked, chipped, yet polished blade hissing as it caught the fire's light. A small, red slip of paper fell from the container after it, my sword-filled hand flying to catch it.

" _I am a coffin._

 _I am a river._

 _I am darkness._

 _I am fire._

 _I am iron ore."_

I let out a laugh of pride, a grin coming to my face as I read proof that I was actually smart.

These were all the answers to past riddles, what could it be talking about?

Lifting the sword again, I frowned as I examined it, eye trailing along the multiple indents along the edges of the blade. If I didn't know better, with all of those curves, I would have thought it looked like a…

The coffin opened the painting. The darkness showed me the words. The fire opened the safe.

"The sword is a key." I breathed, placing down the sheath.

Looking over my shoulder, I watched as a small block of the wall was pushed out, a small, palm sized space opening up. Standing in front of it cautiously, I narrowed my eyes when I saw a sliver in the centre, intuition making my point the key-sword at it, before pushing it in up to the hilt. Carefully, I began to turn it, the guard slowly rotating clockwise, before a deep ' _click'_ rang out through the room. The wall gave a groan as the hidden separation began to appear, a breeze coming through as the secret door opened and showed me a room holding two occupants.

" _Daiki-kun, welcome. You made it, just in time."_

" _It is the eighth morning, as you said."_

I let a smile slide onto my face, giving a slight bow as I let the door close behind me.

"Well, in that case; good morning, oyabun-sama, ojii-san."

The two old men smiled just as politely at me, their seated forms showing no hostility as they drank leisurely form their saucers.

"I have to admit," The family head started, lowering the ceramic from his lips. "I thought you were bluffing when you said it would take you but eight days; Yet, here you are."

"I would hate to disappoint."

"I told you he was a good one, Haruko-sama." Grandfather laughed, shooting another cup back as if to get the taste of the title out of his mouth.

"Indeed, he is."

There was a pause as the oyabun swallowed the last of his sake, his jaw shifting as he cleared his palette and began to speak.

"Daiki-kun, I hope you are well rested, and used the water given to you wisely, for your last task will begin."

I straightened further at the statement, feeling alert and sharp despite the time I had spent awake.

"Your last opponents for the training," The two rose from their seats, the head drawing a sword as my grandfather donned some, rather painful looking, brass knuckles. "Will be us."

"I hope you do well, Daiki-kun." My grandfather huffed, falling into a stance.

I watched them for a moment, before giving a wider smile, tilting my head ever so slightly.

"I would hate to disappoint."

* * *

 **SIDEKICK COMMENTARY  
 _|À LA ThePlotbunnyBreeder|_**

 _Warning: A lot of appreciation coming your way._

Can- Can we just- Take a moment to appreciate all the hidden puns and references? The riddles? The RPG-style make-up of the tests? Yes? No?  
(If no, then maybe the next parts may convince you to do so.)

Also, please appreciate Ryohei, Shamal, and the rainbow mafia baby interludes. I really missed them, and am super glad to see- no read- about them again.

Speaking of Shamal and Ryohei, I love how LeNoRi fleshed them out:

Ryohei is the BFF that misses his other half, Shamal's flirty persona is firmly locked away when doing his job, Takeshi and Daiki's relationship build-up, Reborn's boredom and interests in potentials (with Colonello maybe the same way), Lussuria being the awesome fanperson that Lussuria is, Tsuyoshi's understandable and realistic protectiveness over his only remaining family and son (That we know of, anyway.), and Leon's short appearance.

And Jun! My favorite OC so far! He's also so well developed!

That reminds me: Shout-out to brand new OC Adashi Koga, the white-haired swordsman built for speed and maybe future sparring partner for Takeshi.

(Haha, I only wanted to talk about Ryohei and Shamal, but it ended up becoming a wordvomit for other characters as well.)

So! *insert handclap* Take a moment to appreciate these wonderful characters, puns and references, and just this wonderful chapter in general.

Have a nice day!

 **.**

 **LeNoRi: Excuse me, while I giggle like a school girl.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Word Count: 10,498**

* * *

" _Your last opponents for the training," The two rose from their seats, the head drawing a sword as my grandfather donned some, rather painful looking, brass knuckles. "Will be us."_

" _I hope you do well, Daiki-kun." My grandfather huffed, falling into a stance._

 _I watched them for a moment, before giving a wider smile, tilting my head ever so slightly._

" _I would hate to disappoint."_

I narrowed my eyes and tensed as the two mean suddenly moved, both of them in time as they descended upon me from either side.

Taking large steps to the right, I dodged around two consecutive slices sent at me from the oyabun, almost losing my footing when Himura suddenly made an appearance. A sharp drop to the floor and kicking my leg out gave me some room to move as both men retreated a distance.

Pulling myself into a basic boxing stance, I tensed as grandfather crossed the distance between us faster than his age should have allowed. A grunt left me as thorns suddenly bit into the flesh on my stomach, my moment of surprise used to peel away the skin of my cheek with another armoured punch.

I frowned as waves of itchy pain came from the shallow wound, beads of blood coming to the surface and dribbling down.

"Don't underestimate us, my boy. We may be old, but we have earned out titles." He huffed, sending another fist at me.

Giving the wrist a glance, I made a flash decision, any previous concern for the man's elderly body out the window. Grabbing hold of his worn wrist, I yanked him forwards into my lifted heel, the grooves of my sport shoes digging into his sensitive belly and throwing him back into the far wall.

The two men blinked, dazed for a moment by the display of unexpected strength, before shaking it off with adrenalized grins.

* * *

 **|LAMBO|**

Lambo Bovino pouted as he splayed out on his front on Daiki's bed, colouring book tossed aside in childish fury.

Daiki had been gone for so _looooong!_

Giving a whine of annoyance, the little cow dropped from the sheets and crouched to peek under the frame, the white of Mephisto's fur standing out in the darkness. Crawling under, Lambo carefully reached out, before yanking the pup's tail, fleeing the hiding spot as the canine yelped and spun around, snapping at him.

Falling on his behind, the little boy gave a cry as the impact startled him.

Mephisto growled warningly at the teary boy before flopping down beside him, rolling closer to try and provide some sort of comfort. Lambo paused his hiccups, little hands coming to rub along the fluffy back of Daiki's companion before giving a happy giggle.

"Papa's coming back today!" The child whispered to the pup, his secret address for the teen hissing into the sensitive ear.

Lambo had only recently started gathered the courage to speak the words aloud, even in his own privacy. He wouldn't admit it, but the blue haired boy was one of the scariest people he had met in his short life, but none the less, the attachment he felt towards the older was undeniable, so 'Papa' he had become to the Lightning.

Papa was the one who let him climb into his bed when he had a nightmare, or just wanted company. Papa was the one who carried him even when he wasn't tired. Papa was the one who cleaned him when he was messy.

Papa, was Daiki- the sooner Lambo could say it to his face, the better, but for now…

"Ssh!" The lightning hushed, exaggeratedly. "Don't tell Papa I called him that!"

Mephisto only gave a huff of defeat as the child rubbed his fur the wrong way, silently praying for his owner's swift return- and his own rescue.

 **|LAMBO|**

* * *

Why are they so _fast!?_ I thought being old made you slow!

Clenching my hand over the cut just scarce of my jugular, I ducked under the thorny brass of my grandfather, the oyabun's katana cutting the air as I stepped just out of range.

Despite my grandfather's apparent hatred for his younger brother, they worked together marvelously. Weaving in and out of each other's paths, flashy movements distracting me from subtle strikes. More than once, I had nearly lost my head due to the blood relative's cooperation. Himura attacking from below before the oyabun came flying after

Imagine how'd they be if they _liked_ each other?

No, thanks.

Raising my brass, I protected myself by letting the two metals clash together, katana blade clattering loudly as the head and I stood at a deadlock. A growl left me as I heard grandfather step up behind me, yukata doing him no hinderance as he dashed forwards, fists raised. Looking back to the younger of the two brothers, I waited until he was almost directly behind me, before dropping my brass and shooting off, allowing the elderly men to crash headlong into each other.

"Daisuke-san, you fool!"

"My apologies, Haruka-sama."

I let my lips remain in a passive line, showing no outward dislike for their behaviour.

Shaking off the collision, the two brothers were on their feet again, running around me with weapons raised. This time, however, their synchrony was off, only by one step though.

Had the collision thrown them off?

Throwing myself out of the way of a swipe to the face, I brought my leg up and tried to catch the oyabun in the side only for him to move around it and come after me again. With a glance behind me, I dropped to the floor and rolled, putting space between me and the heads.

Wincing as my hip was clipped by blunt metal, I spun to dig my heel into the oyabun's cheek, his fast incoming body being flung off course with a rather painful sounding crash.

I had no idea how long this had been going for. Minutes? Hours? It was all really blurring together, now.

All I knew, was that my time was running short, the orange tinge taking the room warning me of the sinking sun.

Snapping back to attention, I dodged a punch from my grandfather before adopting a boxer stance, three sharp jabs being my response. With brass knuckles, even guarding hurt, the skin on your forearms getting ripped from you in strips and flakes. As I traded blows with the Himura man, I was forced to focus on him or risk grizzly injury, his own knuckles possessing a line of thorns as compared to my own basic shape.

" _I must commend you, Daiki-kun, for making it this far, however you are finished."_

I shifted quickly, intent on getting away, only to freeze.

My grandfather's face didn't change, but I could see the barely hidden flash of panic in his eyes as blood touched his clothes.

I looked down slowly, eventually mustering up the strength to touch the bloody blade that ripped its exit out of my chest, the hilt pressed against my back.

I keep on finding things that hurt more than a sprained ankle, don't I?

"Still standing are you? Impressive."

A cough racked my body, a sticky liquid spluttering out my my mouth and splatting onto the wooden floor. Breathing became hard as every exhale carried blood with it, no room for air to leave. My knees gave out and I hit the floor, the oyabun kind enough to let me slide off his sword in the process.

"Haruka-sama, was stabbing the boy really necessary? Knocking him out would have serviced!"

"Daisuke-san," The oyabun sighed, shaking his head. "Knocking out does not kill."

...He was trying to kill me?

I watched as the slowly growing puddle of blood caught the sunlight, liquid-life looking so much prettier when outside of its home...

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Takeshi tossed his baseball into the air, watching the pattern spin as it descended back into his hand before repeating the action for the nth time that day.

Last day. This was the last day without Daiki, in only a few moments his phone will go off, and he'll be back where he belongs.

The baseball bounced on the mattress as Takeshi gave up the toss, a loud sigh leaving him as the clock ticked over to 3pm.

The Rain had thought Daiki would have been back already, by midday at the latest, but no such activity had taken place. Periodically, throughout the day, the swordsman had snapped up his phone in hopes of seeing the awaited text, only to see an old inbox and an unanswered outbox from yesterday.

"What could he be doing over there-"

Takeshi suddenly stopped as a wave of cold washed over him, his body sitting up quickly and his hand flying to the practice sword resting at the foot of his bed.

What was that?

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

 **|H.K|**

Hibari came to a sharp stop as his instincts rung out in warning, the butt of his tonga stopping just short of Dino's face. Spinning around swiftly, the skylark scanned the immediate landscape for the cause, his blood singing in a manner he knew was not from battle.

Something was amiss in Namimori. A balance was disturbed.

"Hey, Kyoya-kun, what's up?" The annoying Italian asked, tapping the DC head with the handle of his whip.

Swinging around, Hibari swiped his tonfa past the Cavallone's nose, just barely touching the cartilage before the area was vacated.

He'll check on it later, but for now:

" _Kamikorosu."_

 **|H.K|**

* * *

 ** **|G.H|****

"Gokudera-kun! Are you okay?!"

"Tenth!" The bomber yelped, pressing his back against the wall of the hole he had fallen into after his bombs had backfired.

Propelling off the dirt, Gokudera prostrating himself before the Vongola, a flush of shame coming to his face.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like this!"

"No, no! It's fin-"

" _You really do look pathetic."_

At the familiar voice, the Storm sat up sharply, mint eyes widening when they landed on the Shamal, despite his insistence of denial.

"Next time you do something that dangerous, I'll finish you off myself." The Nami nurse warned, looking down at the teenaged Mafia with an aggravated expression.

"You can heal your own damned wounds, I don't treat guys."

"Then-" The Tenth started, before freezing up.

Gokudera abandoned his attention on Shamal and focused instead on the alarmed aura escaping his Boss, the look of concentration putting his own self on edge.

"Tenth? What's wro-" The bomber's mouth clicked shut as a sudden chill filled him, his own attention turning in the same direction.

"Gokudera-kun..." The heir hummed, drawing his Storm's gaze. "What was that?"

"I don't know."

 **|G.H|**

* * *

 **|R.S|**

The Sun sat up sharply, his head snapping to the east as his eyes looked past what he could see. Wrapped knuckles clenched down on the rock he previously resting on, the mineral cracking under the strain.

" _Daiki-kun."_ He muttered quietly, unexplained paranoia bombarding his once quiet mind.

Beside him, Colonello became quiet, his hand already on the gun on his back as soon as he had felt the shift in the Sun's Flame and aura. Something had set off his student in the worst of ways, his usually excitable and rough Flame becoming still and hostile.

"What's wrong, _kora?_ " He asked, watching the boxer slowly turn back to him.

"I...I don't know."

"So, it's nothing then?"

" _No._ " Ryohei growled, looking back to the horizon with a furrowed brow.

"It is EXTREMELY something. I just don't know what."

There was another beat of silence, before the Sasagawa child reached for his bag, yanking his pale yellow phone free from the confines.

"What are you doing, _kora?"_ The Arcobaleno asked, releasing his hold on the firearm, Falco flying a little higher.

"I'm calling Daiki-kun." He responded, bringing the phone to his ear.

 _Calling Bread Bro…_

…

 _Call failed._

 **|S.R|**

* * *

 **|GRANDFATHER|**

That _bastard!_

How _dare_ he kill off my last chance!? That boy was my _last chance!_

Oh, if he didn't have a legion of men at his feet I would have gouged his eyes out years ago!

Himura Daisuke scowled at his brother's back as the younger cleaned his sword of the fresh blood, the body of the last heir unmoving on the floor.

He had such high hopes for Daiki, a young, healthy man that could take in so many in such a short time. Not to mention it was coupled with an able mind.

Maybe, further into the family tree, there was another candidate? He'd have to do a bit of digging ag-

 _ **Danger!Danger!Danger!Danger!**_

Himura and his brother straightened and tensed in an instant, their instincts screaming at them to flee or die. Slowly, the two turned to the, what they had thought to be, cooling body of Yamaguchi Daiki, eyes widening in fear and awe at what they saw.

The Watanabe heir slammed his palm down on the floor as his body lit up in golden flame, muscles spasming and joints jumping as he hauled himself to his feet, a strange sharpness to his movements.

Neither Himura nor the oyabun could make a noise as they watched the boy, roll his shoulder, head arching back as popping reached their ears. Both men gritted their teeth as they fought the desire to flee, the eyes landing on them giving off an unnatural glow amongst the flames and darkening room.

"It takes more than that to kill me, _oyabun-sama_." Daiki grunted, casing his gaze over to the family head

"W-who are you?" The younger brother managed out, his grip on his sword tightening.

"Me?" The heir asked, tilting his head. "I'm the guy that's about to go BATS."

"Bats?" Himura repeated, brass feeling too heavy at his sides.

The grin that spread across his grandson's face was feral, canines standing out more than they should on a human.

" _Break. All. Their. Shit."_

 **|GRANDFATHER|**

* * *

You know, despite having just being run through, I could easily say that I had never felt better.

The constant thrumming of energy that filled my body gave me a high that I didn't know was possible. My movements had more grace to them than usual, yet the strength behind was undoubtable even to the men before me who took a cautionary step back as I made one of my own. My blood sang as it flushed through my system, fingers buzzing with adrenaline as they clenched in the holes of my brass, my mind vaguely aware of how the metal was beginning to heat up.

My Flames were sparse, having spent the bulk of it auto-cannibalising to survive the past eight days without proper nutrients and a sever lack of water. Nonetheless, the warmth that filled me and made my want to bounce on the balls of my feet was welcome to the thick, gluggy mess that once filled me.

Remind me, why did I try to hide these away?

"Daiki-kun? My boy, is that you…?" Himura asked carefully, his fists coming up when I turned my attention to him.

"Who else?" I huffed in amusement, pausing to bring my hand to the little stain on my shirt, a frown coming to my face.

"Hm, I better not let Takeshi-kun see this, he'll get upset."

Glancing up, I blinked when I saw the tip of a sword nearing my face, a movement to the side allowing the weapon to sail past harmlessly. Its wielder, however, did not receive such luxury, the toe of my shoe digging into his intestines and making him double over, a breathless dry-heave leaving him as he crashed into his brother, katana clattering to the ground.

Giving them no time to recover, I launched myself ahead, my foot slamming down on Himura's face, allowing my to flip over the two. Three quick steps made me face the oyabun, my arm already pulled back to send a red hot punch into his jaw, the smell of burning flesh reaching my nose as he flew fast as these men were, they were still old and brittle, so if you landed a hit, they _broke_. Not to mention, Himura was already sickly and frail as it was, this showing through in the slow, subtle degradation of his effectiveness throughout the day, experience being his only fall back at this point.

The oyabun gave a gurgled shout of pain as he clutched his mandible, the skin split and blackened bloody, showing the fractured white beneath. The usual flash of empathy that would touch me when I saw such grotesque imagery didn't register as I shifted my attention, dropping to avoid my grandfather's punch to the back of the head, me elbow shooting back to crack his knee out of the joint, the femur, tibia and fibula meeting in a way they never should to pinch withered skin visibly.

My hands reached out and wrapped around the injured leg, the sizzling that sounded bearly worrying me as I threw the man away. The old man let out a colourful curse as he dropped, thorn-lined hands coming to clutch the leg that refused to bend anymore, his head thrown back in blearing pain.

I gave the blood relatives a plain look as I rose to my feet, wondering what happened next, before grunting in annoyance as my ankle was grasped by the arthritic hand of my grandfather.

"Daiki-kun, my boy, what are those flames?" He gasped, tensing when I raised my red hot brass to my face, viewing the sunshine Flames that danced with way too much glee.

"Why do you have them?"

Dropping my gaze to the two brothers, both twitching in pain, I huffed out air and began to slowly draw the thrums of energy back in, the metal lining my knuckles cooling quickly.

"I'm a Sun, of course." I grunted, walking easily out of his hold.

Moving across the darkened room, I looked at the clock and breathed in relief when I saw it was only just past six in the afternoon, still the eighth day. Stepping up to the platform at the back of the room, I eyed the large, decorated gong, trailing my eyes over the twin dragons curling around the circumference.

"When...when you sound that, the test will e-end." Himura choked out, his brother grunting beside him.

"Well then," I breathed, raising my leg before striking the metal plate with the sole of my foot.

"My test is over. Completed in eight days."

 _"It is over!"_

I turned as more booms and crashes rung through the compound, roars of men sounding and mixing into the noise as fires began to light up the horizon.

A door to the right slammed open to reveal six kneeling men, their heads low as they leant forwards on their knuckles.

"Watanabe-dono, we are here to apply aid." The forwards most breathed.

I turned my attention away and began working my brass off my knuckles for the first time in how many days, frowning at the slick of blood and sweat that filled the slight indents, before pausing.

Why hadn't they moved?

"Well? Why aren't you helping them?" I grunted, looking up to see the lineup flinch.

"W-we were waiting for your blessings, Watanabe-dono."

My eyes widened slightly, information clicking in place, before I quickly schooled my expression and nodded to them.

"Do as you will, then."

They moved quickly, placing the two men on stretchers and abandoning the room, one staying behind to keep the door open and let in a familiar figure.

"Watanabe-dono." Jun bowed, his hands shaking as he clutched a tray holding my items.

I narrowed my eyes at him, a frown touching my face as he was forced to tilt his head back to look up at me from the raised platform.

"Jun-kun, what have I told you about the titles?"

The mousy boy flinched, before his face brightened, hands no longer shaking but instead clutched tightly.

"Congratulations!" He chirped, bowing at a perfect 90 degrees. "Congratulations on becoming the official heir, Daiki-dono!"

His excitement was infectious, even to my own tired self, a smile coming to my face as I dropped down the wide steps to reach him.

"I believe I can return home, correct?"

"Oh, no! You have received too many wounds! Not to mention you inhaled a huge amount of miasma! The doctors here will see that you are fixed before-"

Jun quietened as I brought my hand up, his face scrunching as I messed up his head of brown hair.

"No need, no need. I have a someone in mind already - plus, I'd much rather sleep in my own bed tonight."

He looked just about ready to fight me on the issue, before simmering down when I ruffled his head further a squawk leaving him as he gave a plea for release.

"Thank's for the offer though. Have fun with the repairs, I may have blown out the-"

"East hall," Jun laughed, trying to flatten my mess. "We all saw, Daiki-dono."

"I would say it was an accident, but I'd be lying. Now, let's see how popular I am, shall we?" I huffed, plucking my phone off the tray as I shoved the rest of my possessions into my pockets.

Resisting the urge to yelp, I let my eyes widen as the restart was complete and the messages and missed calls began flow in, names flashing across the screen as they flew past in chronological order.

 _2 missed calls from That one annoying guy.  
17 messages from That one annoying guy._

 _41 missed calls from Sunny Boy.  
89 messages from Sunny Boy._

 _4 missed calls from Flower Crown.  
16 messages from Flower Crown._

 _3 missed calls from Birdy._

 _14 messages from Kusakabe._

 _1 message from Favourite Stalker._

Oh, shit.

"...You'd better get on that, Daiki-dono." Jun breathed, summoning forth my appointed driver.

"Yeah." I squeaked, letting the small boy guide me out of the room.

* * *

 **|REBORN|**

The hell baby smirked at his fellow Arcobaleno, the Rain seated across from him as they sipped at the Sun's favourite blend, the pecan bread á la Yamaguchi accompanying the drink.

Colonnello refused to look at him, a look of annoyance on his childish face as they watched the room on the screen become vacated, Leon scrambling around the box set as he tried to follow the pixel image of the baker's son.

"Hey, Colonello-kun." Reborn called, making the blond turn to him finally.

"What, _kora_." The other huffed, narrowing his eyes.

" _Bragging rights."_

 **|REBORN|**

* * *

"Shamal-sensei!" I shouted, slamming the door of Namimori infirmary open swiftly.

"Ah, Yamaguchi-chan, where have you been?" The old Mist laughed, looking up from his R18 magazine to greet me as I closed the white panel of wood.

His smile dropped when he finally saw my wrecked form, immediately going business mode and gesturing to the bed closest to him, closing the blinds, locking the door and drawing the curtains in fluid motions.

"What happened to you?" Shamal asked, helping me remove my binder without jostling my ribs anymore than possible.

Resisting the urge to cover my exposed chest, I moved my hands to my knees, clutching the hinge joints to keep them grounded. The old doctor didn't show any outward reaction to the skin, giving it no other look than one of a medical expert.

"Eight days of non-stop training and tests. I think I have at least two broken ribs, and a bunch of sprains and stabs. I also inhaled a couple lungfuls of poison." I answered, watching him as he set up his station.

"Haha, the hell? Were you training, or being assassinated?"

"Can't be that bad compared to what you Mafia folk come up with."

The old Mist let out a hum in response before placing his hands on my abdomen, making me sit up straight and let him feel out my rib cage for imperfection.

"Two, more like four. The fifth is probably just cracked from such long binding." He grunted, pointing out the numerous bruises that obviously weren't caused by confrontation.

"Yeah, probably. I was thrown into a few walls, though."

"You're not going to be able to bind for a while, I hope you realise this." Shamal commented, pulling out a needle and some surgical suture.

"Do you want to lay down, or remain sitting, 'cause I'm gonna have to sew up that split on your back."

I blinked in surprise, a look of amused disbelief coming to the Nami nurse's face when he saw my own. Placing down the items, he went out of the shroud before coming back with a mirror in hand, moving to show me the large wound that stretched across my birthmark.

"Shit, didn't even notice it." I breathed, the old Mist giving a huff of laughter and discarding the mirror.

"Stupid little Yamaguchi-chan."

Shamal came back into the little box, holding a bowl of steaming water and clean towels. I shifted as he began cleaning my back off, the water slowly become more and more murky as blood, sweat and other tainting properties were added.

"I'm taller than you, Shamal-sensei."

"You're not cute at all. I'm going to give you some anaesthetic before I sew you back up." He warned, showing me the needle before disappearing behind my back.

Ah, fuck.

"Hey, do you know anyone who can do tattoos? Someone who can keep their mouth shut?" I asked, trying not to tense as I felt the prick of the metal.

"Hm, why do you ask? Thinking about being a bit of a rebel?"

"I am required to get a tattoo at the end of this month, it's going to reach up to my shoulder blade so the binder's going to need to come off at some point."

"End of the month? Cutting it a bit close, aren't you, Yamaguchi-chan?" Shamal laughed, chucking out the empty syringe and collecting the surgical suture and sewing needle.

"I'll look around, consider it repayment."

I blinked, twitching as the plastic pulled my skin together.

"Repayment? For what?"

"Your testosterone tablets."

My body tensed up in a wave, the old doctor letting out a tsk of disapproval as the sewing was pulled taught.

"Don't tense. You'll rip my work."

"You went into my home." I growled, glaring at his blurry reflection in the stainless steel equipment on the little table beside me.

"Yes, I was, but don't worry, Kaede-chan wasn't there." He laughed, a snip reaching my ears after he tied it off.

"Where was she then?" I hissed, watching his hand move past me to grab another damp cloth.

"No idea. Maybe she was out on the town?"

"What else did you take?"

"Only the pills, my cutie."

"Don't call me that."

He let out another laugh before dropping the towel back into the water, taking up more surgical suture and moving to the site of a stab.

"Honestly, how many people were you fighting?"

"...245."

I let out a yelp as my lower back was slapped, just above my belt line, and the old doctor let out a long, loud sigh.

"What were you doing fighting 245 people?"

"Trainin-FUCK!"

"Shamal-sensei, you bastard! You dug deep just then on purpose!" I shouted, glaring as he tugged the suture and tied it off.

"Anyway, back to your supplements." He hummed, ignoring my pain.

"How many do you usually take? What's your dosage?"

I gritted my teeth in annoyance, but relented when I was once again pierced.

"I take two a fortnight."

"When was the last time you took a dosage?"

"Eight days ago." I responded, shifting as he wiped my back down again.

"This will be your last double. Next fortnight, I want you to half it. We'll go from there." He ordered, fingering the stab that had run me through.

"But-"

"Testosterone isn't good for a growing girl, Yamaguchi-chan. It causes an unbalance in your body and messes up your hormones."

The doctor moved to my front, gently parting the bulge of my breast to sew up the exit point, not once commenting on them, to my relief.

Honestly, it was luck that I hadn't been struck down by the oyabun. The slight shift had gone a long way, his sword piercing me through the right, saving me quite a bit of trouble.

"Removing them suddenly would do more damage than good at this point, so I'll slowly wean you off."

Narrowing my eyes at the white sheet separating us from the rest of the room, I let him manoeuvre his way around my body, wrapping a generous amount of bandages up my torso, protecting both the stitches and injured ribs.

"...Fine." I relented, allowing him to grab my forearm and clean off the wound Adachi dealt on the second day.

"I think this is infected, this may sting."

Biting my cheek, I fought to remain quiet as the cut bubbled as the alcohol was poured into it, Shamal clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"How old are some of these?" He asked, removing my blood soaked beads.

"This one is six days old." I breathed, wincing as I saw the needle break skin.

"What was your situation with food and water? Hygiene?"

"I had some lollies and a bottle of water on the seventh day." I answered, allowing the man to manoeuvre my arm into a bandage.

"When you get home, eat and drink. Plenty. I don't want these bandages to come off, so if you want to bathe, clean yourself off with a wet towel." He ordered, moving to clean the cut close to my jugular.

"And I was looking forward to a hot bath." I huffed, tilting my chin up as he wrapped my neck.

"Chin down, let's fix that pretty face of yours."

I whined and closed my eye as he dabbed the newest scrape on my cheek, ignoring the eye roll sent at me.

"You didn't even notice the huge split of your back, but you complain about a scrape."

"It's not my fault I didn't feel it."

The doctor gave a grunt of amusement before slapping a plaster on my face, a yelp leaving me as the strike stung my cheek.

"Oi, bastard!"

"Okay, so, because you can't bind, those bandages should give the illusion of a flat chest. Try not to do too much strenuous activity in the meantime. Sleep plenty, and stay warm, you've lost a lot of blood. Come back to me in three days, and we'll see how you're doing."

"You got it." I hummed, pulling my shirt back on and stuffing my binder into a plastic bag tossed at me by the good doctor.

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Takeshi stood sharply when his phone went off, sword clasped tightly in his hand as he ran over to the table where it rested, the ID that read causing a grin of absolute glee to split his face.

 _From: Shujin-kun  
Hey, I've been freed!  
I'll be back in Namimori in less than an hour or so._

"Tou-san!" The Rain called, sheathing his sword as he fled the dojo, his father looking away from the TV.

"Daiki-kun's coming back! I'm gonna get ready to go!"

The young Yamamoto paid his father's call no mind as he turned back into the hall and entered his room, throwing off the traditional garb he had adopted for practice and tossed his sweaty body under a stream of water from the shower, aches and strains relaxing from the warm pelting. Glancing down, the Rain lifted the blue Vongola ring that hung from his neck, dotted with droplets.

"I wonder if shujin-kun got one..." He breathed, looking slightly to the side as the other ring freed itself from his shoulder and fell down the rest of the thin chain.

A flush came to his face as a giddy smile spread, the partner ring tucked in the box within the duffel bag, ready to be gifted to his intended.

Giving his body a final scrub down, the Rain shut off the flow and stepped out, drying and clothing himself quickly as he spied the clock, showing he had only 20 minutes remaining. Grabbing up his duffel bag, the boy paused for a moment, looking to his sword, before snatching it up and racing out the door, screaming a farewell to the older Yamamoto as he closed the door behind him.

It took ten minutes to get to Daiki's, so he had an extra ten minutes to greet Kaede and situate himself in the house before his fiance got home.

Oh! Maybe he could jump him!

"Haha, that'd be fun!" The Rain laughed, jogging around the corner and spying the white on green sign that marked the Yamaguchi bakery.

As the young Yamamoto slowed, he waved at the butcher's family, recognising the aging couple and son as they called out to him. Opening the door, Takeshi listened to the bell ring before he greeted the matron, a bright smile pasted onto his face as his hold on the door tensed automatically.

"Afternoon, Kaede-kaa-san!"

"Ah, Takeshi-kun!" She laughed, looking up from the register.

The swordsman let the small woman wrap her arms around him in greeting, more than happy to allow the arm's length separation afterwards.

"I bet you're here for Daiki-kun. He's not home yet, but you can just drop your stuff in his room. It'll only be a bit before he's making a ruckus again." Kaede smiled, patting his back to send him up.

"Thanks. Is there anything I can help with in the meantime?" He asked, bringing the strap of his bag over his head.

"Oh, when you're all set up, you can help me with dinner. Daiki-kun's gonna be hungry when he gets back, knowing what he went through!"

The Rain paused, but forced himself to continue on up the stairs, entering the room and immediately narrowing his eyes.

What he went through?

"Yamamoto-kun!"

Takeshi's head snapped to the call, a grin splitting his face as he caught the flying child and laughed, his feet immediately attacked by the white pup.

"Hey, Lambo-kun, you been behaving while Daiki-kun was gone?" The Rain laughed, tossing his bag to the floor, Mephisto going to sniff it cautiously.

"Yeah! Yeah! Lambo-san has been behaving, just like Papa told hi-"

The young Yamamoto blinked as the child let out an 'eep', his body coiling up as his hands flew to his mouth.

"Did...Did you just call Daiki-kun 'Papa'?" He breathed, holding the little calf up in front of him.

"...No?" Lambo squeaked, before bawling and grabbing hold of the swordsman's shirt.

"Don't tell Papa I called him 'Papa'!"

"Eh? Why not?" Takeshi yelped, glancing at the empty hall behind him.

"Daiki-san might not want to be my Papa, and might get mad, and-and -Waaaa!"

The Rain recoiled as Mephisto began to bark along with the wails, the noise beginning to alert the other animals in the street.

"Lambo-kun, Lambo-kun! Don't worry, I won't tell him!" He tried, bouncing the child to calm him like he had seen Daiki do before.

"R-really? You won't tell Daiki-san I called him Papa?" The child hiccupped, rubbing the tears from his eyes.

"Yeah, but I don't think he'd mind being called 'Papa', he really dotes on you." The Rain smiled, the small Lightning blinking unsurely up at him.

"Let's go downstairs, yes?" He laughed, placing the child on his shoulder and padding back to the living space, the maternal Yamaguchi already setting up her work station.

"Ah, Lambo-kun, you've finally come down stairs! You slept most of the day, lazy boy!" Kaede chirped, plucking the small boy off Takeshi's shoulder and whirling him around, a stream of laughter leaving the child as he was dumped onto the couch.

"Ready, Takeshi-kun?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips as she walked back to the kitchen, the Rain trailing after her.

 **...**

Kaede paused in the middle of washing up and let out a sound a surprise, catching Takeshi's attention quickly with his already alert senses.

"Daiki-kun should be getting home around now." She chirped, looking over her shoulder to her helper.

"How about you go and receive him from the front? I'm sure he'll be happy to see you after so long!"

A warmth bloomed in the Rain's chest at the thought, a large grin splitting his face as he nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah!"

"Only a few more minutes!"

The young Yamamoto quickly padded into the genkan, eyes widening as he saw a silhouette begin fiddling with the door.

"I'm ho-"

"Dai-"

Both boys were cut off as Takeshi heaved, a pain registering as he was slammed against the wall, Daiki's arm pressing on his neck and pinning him, keeping him off the floor. The Rain's eyes were wide as they watched recognition eventually flash through the Sun's own, the film that once covered his eyes clearing as he quickly dropped the young Yamamoto.

"Takeshi-kun!?" Daiki yelped, catching the smaller boy before he could hit the floor.

"W-welcome home, D-daiki-kun." The other coughed, a smile still on his face despite the faint buzz he still felt.

"Oh shit, Takeshi-kun. Shit, shit, shit. I'm so sorry." The Sun hissed, lifting the Rain up and bringing them into the living room.

Setting the younger boy down on the couch, his fiancé gently began rubbing his arms, trying to calm his breath.

"Oh dear, what happened to Takeshi-kun?" Kaede gasped, coming out of the kitchen to witness the two boys.

"Haha, I gave Daiki-kun a bit of a scare!" The Rain laughed, rubbing his throat slightly, the pain fading as his husband slipped sunshine into his system.

"I'm so sorry. You gave me a fright and after all that time at the clan compound-"

"Compound?" Takeshi asked, narrowing his eyes when the older boy flinched.

"Ah..." Daiki glanced off to the side, before sighing and dropping down on the couch next to him.

"I'll tell you soon, just when things settle."

The Rain watched his husband for a moment, noticing fatigue, before sitting up sharply and scrambling closer, hand flying to the large plaster on his cheek.

"When did that happen?" He hissed, turning the larger's head to see the generous covering, a faint redness coming through the material.

"Ack, careful."

The Rain flinched back, lifting himself off the older's lap quickly when he noticed the recoil of pain the action caused, curiosity and distress bombarding his mind.

"Daiki-kun?" He murmured carefully, reaching to place his hand on the blue haired boy's shoulder.

"Sorry, it's just...I'm a bit tense." The Sun apologised, giving a small smile.

 _"Daiki-kun! Takeshi-kun! Dinner!"_

The two boys looked to the call before turning back to each other, the Rain's fiance leading him into the dining room by the hand.

 **...**

"Don't be too loud, okay you two?" Kaede called, waving as the Rain and Sun began ascending the staircase to the bedrooms.

"Yep!"

"Will do."

Takeshi watched his husband carefully as he released a yawn, a slight sway in his walk, free hand clutching the railing of the stairs. Grasping the blue haired boy's other hand tightly, he subtly helped the older the rest of the way, closing the bedroom door behind them.

"I'm gonna take a shower. Do you need the bathroom?" Daiki hummed, gathering his night clothes out of the drawers.

"No, I've already had a shower." The Rain negated, shaking his head.

"Okay, I won't be long."

Takeshi tapped his foot before quickly changing into his pyjamas, Lambo and Mephisto making a ruckus down below. Shoving the clothing into his duffel bag, the young Yamamoto paused when he didn't hear the shower running, a glance at his toothbrush made him sigh before he steeled himself and began walking.

Reaching the bathroom door, the Rain didn't give himself time to think twice, turning the knob and pushing the barrier open.

"Daiki-kun, do you mind if I-"

Takeshi's eyes widened when he saw the figure before him, their own amber-earth eyes showing surprise. Daiki's shirt was dropped at his feet, the white undershirt collecting at his wrists as his hair slowly settled from the release.

"What...What happened? Why are you all bandaged up?" The Rain managed, walking towards the other with an outstretched arm.

The Sun didn't respond immediately, frozen in shock as the younger trails his hands across the wrappings, fingering the uncovered cuts and scrapes.

Why was Daiki hurt? What happened? Who hurt him?

"Who do I need to kill?" Takeshi breathed, looking up to his Daiki's eye line.

This seemed to startle the other boy, his muscles jumping under the Rain's hands. Eventually, he settled, and gave a response, but not the one Takeshi wanted to hear.

"I ask that you do not hurt them."

The young Yamamoto's eyes narrowed at the response, but he allowed himself to be lead further into the bathroom until he was standing in front of Daiki as he sat on the bath's edge. He looked ready to say something, before bowing his head, seemingly losing his confidence.

"What is it, shujin-kun?" The Rain asked, absentmindedly noting that this was the first time he had seen his husband's shoulders.

"I..." A loud breath left the Sun before him. "I can't move much, I'm too stiff. Can..."

The Rain let out a small noise as he let his free hand come to brush through the blue hair, feeling the oil of days come off onto his fingers, but didn't complain.

"Can you help me bathe? Only my top, I'm too tired." Daiki finished, glancing up cautiously.

"Help you bathe?" Takeshi breathed, looking over the bandaged form again.

"There isn't much to do. The bandages aren't allowed to come off for another few days." His fiance reassured unnecessarily, pausing when he saw the swordsman begin filling the sink with warm water.

"Yeah. No problem, shujin-kun."

The Rain fought back the jitters he was getting, random fluttering in his stomach causing him to fumble the towel in his hands as he rung out the excess water. He could feel eyes on him as he felt out the temperature of the water, before turning back to his partner, cautiously bringing the damp cloth to the other's face.

"So, what happened? You never told me." Takeshi hummed, tilting the older boy's face up so he could wipe along his jaw.

"My family. They decided that training me to fill in my station was priority."

The Rain glanced up to urge him onwards, carefully patting sweat and grime off bare shoulders.

"I had to do a lot of fighting. A couple puzzles. Nothing too bad."

"Can you list off all your injuries for me?"

Daiki paused before relenting, his hand coming up to press against his ribs.

"Four broken ribs, one cracked."

Takeshi trailed his hand along the bandages there, catching the other's digits in his own and let them be guided to his throat.

"Inhalation of poisonous gas. Deep cut just scarce of the jugular."

The Sun and Rain both brought their hands to the wrapped forearm.

"Incision on the forearm."

Eventually, the older boy brought their hands to his cheek, seemingly drained as he rested his face against the young Yamamoto's palm.

"That's all at the front." He breathed, pressing closer to the other's hand.

"And your back?" Takeshi hummed, reaching around to gently touch the bandages.

"Skin split, required stitches. Stab wound, required stitches. And, stab wound, all the way through."

All the way through. So many wounds.

"Nothing too bad, you say." Takeshi huffed, moving to wipe down the Sun's arms.

"They'll heal. Already would have, if it weren't for my inexperience and fatigue."

The Rain gave another hum, moving the Sun's head lower to clean off the back of the other's neck, pausing to stare quietly. Bowing slightly, the young Yamamoto kissed the warm column, Daiki jumping in surprise.

"Takeshi-kun?"

"You should be more careful," The swordsman mumbled against the other's skin. "This body doesn't just belong to you. It's mine, too."

Takeshi let out a sigh as two hands rested on his hips, nuzzling closer as Daiki pressed his own kiss through the Rain's shirt.

"I'm sorry I hurt you."

"It's fine, I shouldn't have jumped on you."

"Now," The Rain hummed, pulling back to look down at his fiance. "What's this station you were talking about?"

"My family, we're...we're Yakuza. And, I've been dubbed the heir."

Takeshi blinked down at the other for a moment, before giving a rather attractive snort.

"Haha, cool!"

Slowly, a tired smile came to Daiki's face, a gentle tug forcing the Rain to bend and allow for another kiss to take place, not that either minded after so long apart.

"I'm home, shujin-kun." Daiki hummed, feeling the other smile against his lips.

"Welcome home, shujin-kun."

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

I sighed in content as I pressed my face into Takeshi's stomach, my arms wrapped around his hips as we laid out on my bed.

"You look happy down there." The Rain laughed, his hand coming to slide through my hair in a manner that I so loved.

"Doc said I need to keep warm, lost too much blood." I hummed, pausing to look up at my partner.

"Guess I'm good for the night."

"Haha, guess you are, shujin-kun." He laughed.

The sound forced a smile out of me, unable to cap my bliss after so much distress and physical pain. If I came home to this every time, I'd take the test every fortnight.

"So, my fiancé is a big bad Yakuza boss?" Takeshi asked, gently rubbing a spot in my skull that made me purr into his flesh.

"You better stop doing that if you don't want me to fall asleep on you." I breathed, looking up at him with half-lidded eyes, just about ready to konk out.

"Hm, doesn't sound too bad, if you ask me." He purred, but paused his attentions.

"How long have you been a Yakuza?"

"Well, I've known about the fact that we had connections since I was eleven, I think. But, I only learnt about my position, maybe, two months?" I answered, piecing together a blurry timeline.

A yawn cracked my jaw, making the Rain laugh quietly and his hand to start moving again, the feeling beginning to lull me.

"Thank you for the answers, Daiki-kun. You can sleep now."

As I drifted, I couldn't help but wish.

Maybe...maybe I could…

A flash of courage urging me forwards.

"Hey, Takeshi-kun?"

"Hm?" Came the response out of the dim distance.

"If I had a secret, one I hadn't told you, that had the potential to change people's perspective about me…Would you still love me?"

...

"Daiki-kun?"

"Nevermind," I smiled, pressing a kiss to his exposed hip. "I get weird when I'm tired. Just sleep, love."

Waiting, I shifted carefully when I heard the Rain's breath even out, the young teen lost to sleep. Cautiously removing myself from the bed, I padded over to my door and pulled it tight against the jam, my face schooled into one of careful apathy.

"Good night, kaa-san." I called through the wood.

" _Good night, Daiki-kun."_ She breathed, so much closer to the door than I had previously thought.

The barrier shifted as she pulled herself off of it and padded down the call, a ' _clank'_ reaching my ears just before she closed her own door. Eventually, I opened my door and peeked out, my jaw clenching when I saw the item on the floor, quietly calling for Mephisto, and by extension, Lambo.

"Eh, Daiki-san? I'm meant to sleep in obaa-san's room." The child murmured, but gave no complaint as I lifted him off the floor and into his crib, Mephisto scrambling under my bed frame.

I was not leaving Lambo with her tonight.

Leaning over the bars, I gently tucked the little boy into his sheets, his thumb already taking refuge in his mouth for the night.

"Good night, Bo-kun." I breathed, before returning to my door and slowly turning the lock.

 _Click._

That sound ensured safety for Takeshi, Lambo, Mephisto and Kaede.

Stepping back, I carefully slipped back under the sheets, wrapping my arms back around the Rain's hips and relaxing against his lower body, listen to his pulse as I drifted again.

* * *

 ** **|Y.T|****

With Daiki laying on Takeshi's stomach, there was no way the young Rain wouldn't have felt his swift removal, too in tune to his warmth to not notice.

He remained quiet, however, as he suspected that his conscious self was not welcome to Daiki as he reached for the door to his room, only to force it further shut.

" _Good night, kaa-san."_

" _Good night, Daiki-kun."_

It took everything the Rain had to not tense up and vault off the bed, the voice of the Yamaguchi matron resulting in a very clear and upfront alarm. A gentle, low whistle sounded next, the familiar tapping of nails following as Mephisto made his way over to the summons, Lambo following after.

It seemed that his husband had similar feeling towards the attitude of the matron, calling the others into their sanctuary and locking the door behind them.

" _Good night, Bo-kun."_

There was a few more seconds of rustling, before the bed dipped slightly, the cold that had roused the Rain chased away easily as Daiki laid himself back down, wrapping Takeshi back up in his arms, exhaling as he relaxed against him.

Something was definitely wrong with Kaede. That secret, had Daiki known she was there and clamped up? Was the mother forcing Daiki to do something? To _hide_ something?

Takeshi's attention was drawn back to his sleeping husband, little noises of content leaving him as he exhaled against the Rain, a smile coming to the awake boy's face. Reaching out, the young Yamamoto threaded his fingers through blue, a quiet coo leaving the other when he felt it in his sleep.

"Love you, shujin-kun."

…

Oh.

Oh shit.

"Hmm…"

Oh shit!

Takeshi squirmed as he tried to get away, freezing up when Daiki started waking, nuzzling closer in rebellion, the action not helping the Rain's own problem.

"Ah, Daiki-kun, could...could you not move so clo-Mmph!" The Rain clamped his mouth shut when the Sun dug deeper, a long breath leaving him as he sank down.

"Daiki-kun!"

"Huh?" His fiancé hummed, lifting his head from Takeshi's pelvis at the call.

"Ah, I...I have a problem…" The Rain muttered, fidgeted slightly.

"Oh…" Daiki blinked, still half asleep as he pieced together the issue.

"Deal with it, it's poking me." He grunted, falling back down.

"No, Daiki-kun!"

"Don't be so loud, kaa-san and Lambo-kun are still sleeping." The Sun hushed, patting his hip to try and calm his frazzled fiancé.

Takeshi was not okay with the situation. This was probably one of, if not _the_ , most embarrassing moments to date.

"Why?" He whined, wondering why he was cursed so.

"Well," Daiki groaned, looking up at him slightly. "At least you didn't shoot. Then I'd be annoyed."

"Don't say that!"

"Too early." The blue haired boy huffed, pressing his face down.

"Daiki-kun, help me!" Takeshi wailed quietly, his hands pressed to his face in an effort to hide.

"Fine." Daiki grunted, pushing himself to his arms and grabbing hold of the smaller's waist band before yanking it down.

"What're you doi-?!"

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

I couldn't help but laugh as I stepped back into my bedroom, towelling off my hair after washing it in the sink. The young Yamamoto hadn't moved from where I had left him, still looking as boneless and blissed out as before.

"Hey, shujin-kun." I hummed, sitting on the edge of the bed and leaning to press a kiss on his cheek.

Takeshi didn't waste time in wrapping his arms around my neck to keep me down, tongue wriggling into my mouth before a noise of complaint left him, tasting mint rather than bitter salt. I laughed as he tried to coordinate the kiss, still clumsy from the sudden rush of dopamine that I had supplied him with.

"Shujin-kun." The Rain whined weakly as I pulled back, stitches throbbing a bit from the position.

Smiling down at the younger boy, I paused when I saw blue and purple spots dotting his hips, pants still riding dangerously low.

"Ah, sorry." I breathed, gently prodding my handy work.

"Why'd you do that?" He breathed, making adorable little sounds as I pressed the points.

"You would have choked me otherwise."

"No, not that. Why'd you…"

"Oh," Came my response, finally understanding. "You asked for help, and I always aim to please, my love."

I grinned as another wave of heat touched Takeshi's face, honestly surprised he had any more to spare.

"Well, that, and I've probably still got some adrenaline in my blood."

The Rain looked about ready to throw me off my own bed at this point, if not for the continuous massage I was giving his closer hip.

"Here, I'll get rid of these marks for you." I started, moving to spread my hands across the bruises and prepared my sunshine, only to be stopped.

"Wait, no!" Takeshi yelped, sitting up quickly and grabbing my wrists.

"I wanna keep them! Please?"

I blinked in surprise, before letting a smile bloom across my face. Moving my hands away from his hips, I pressed my palms against his body as I drew them up, little noises leaving him as sensitive points were touched, eventually slipping them over his shoulders and drawing the young Rain towards me.

"Careful, love. Keep looking at me like that and I'll mark you all over."

A laugh escaped me as my younger partner gently pushed me, my frame falling back across the bed as he crawled over to loom above.

"Then why don't you?" The swordsman asked, any shame out the window as he stared pointedly at me.

The expression on his face startled me, before I managed to gather my wits and tilt my head to the side, a challenge on my own face.

"I think I've marked you enough as of recent, how about you try marking me again?"

I gave a quiet snicker as Takeshi's face began to slowly heat, the waves reaching me even from our distance. Reaching up, I guided his slow descent, helping him pick out an uninjured spot along my shoulder.

"Have fun." I hummed into his ear, before letting out a noise of surprise.

It was odd at first, pinpricks of pain coming as blood vessels were burst and the mark came to realisation, but then the good hit and I clamped my hand over my mouth to shut myself up. Takeshi seemed to be having none of that, however, as the block was swiftly removed and pressed to the mattress.

I could have easily wrestled the limb back into possession but decided to submit to my partner's wishes, if only to begin channelling my vocals directly into his ear, the boy reacting perfectly. Giving a huff, I felt him release my skin and pull back, looking down at his handy work with an almost obsessive eye.

"Needless to say," He breathed, letting me grasp his face in both hands. " You aren't allowed to heal that, shujin-kun."

"Wouldn't dream of it, _shujin-kun_."

Takeshi growled at me as I planted my lips over his, prying the younger mouth open and coaxing his tongue to play with my own.

Yeah, I'm definitely still high on adrenaline.

I should do this more often.

…

 _Gone with Orihime to Tokyo last minute! We'll be back late, don't bother about opening the bakery today.  
See you tonight!  
-Kaa-san_

"Well, that explains where she went." I hummed, leaning against the kitchen counter, note in hand.

The house had seemed too quiet, with Lambo and Mephisto deciding today was a lazy day and not waking up even when I flicked them with water. Takeshi was slowly extracting himself from the bed, gathering up the damn to face the day.

Kaede had probably foreseen the issue, and had left me with a counter top full of basic ingredients, the baking and sugar addict inside me instantly picking out what their powers combined created.

"Okay, let's make a bunch of biscuits."

From there, it didn't take long for the smell of chocolate to draw out the Rain, long arms wrapping around me from the back as he used my form as a support to keep himself upright.

"Morning, Takeshi-kun." I hummed, glancing at him over my shoulder.

The younger boy's response was muffled by my back, his hand patting my side instead.

"Here, have this." I laughed, offering a heap of moist biscuit dough.

The Rain eyed it for a moment, before using his teeth to scrape it off my fingers, happily crunching down on the choc chips riddling the lump. He rested his cheek on my back, allowing me to feel him chew as I finished mixing the ingredients, the boy following me as I moved to place the dough onto the tray then oven.

After washing my hands and ridding myself of my apron, I dropped down on the couch, morning news playing on low volume. Takeshi flopped beside me, claiming my hand and messing with my fingers.

I blinked when his messing became apparently not so, a cool band encompassing my finger, making me look to him. The Rain was nuzzling my palm happily, the golden metal twining the one on his own hand and giving me a shock.

"You know, people usually ask, before they put a ring on it." I huffed, managing to keep my voice steady.

Jesus Christ, nearly six years later and he can still yank out my carpet.

Ah, I don't know if this is bad or not. I mean, a 15-year-old has just officially put a ring on me. Say that to someone and not get a talking to. But this is _Takeshi_ …

I suppose, even engagements can be broken off is their participants so wish...He still has a chance to change his mind in the future.

"Fine." He sighed, moving to straddle me.

"Yamaguchi Daiki, will you marry me? Even though, I'm really just repeating myself after six years."

Reaching up, I grabbed his cheeks and pulled, the young Rain giving a squawk.

"Don't sass me in a proposal." I muttered, before wrapping an arm around his neck and yanking him down, the collision less than soft.

Neither of us seemed to mind our teeth clashing, however, as strong arms were thrown over my shoulders, giggles muffled slightly as Takeshi bounced from glee.

"You're officially mine now!"

"Dummy," I huffed, flicking his forehead. "I've been officially yours since you kissed me in front of Nami Elementary."

"Oh yeah, fun times."

"Oh, I'll show you a fun time." I growled, narrowing my eyes as he laughed at my expense.

Shifting, I raised one knee and ground it, my success coming in the form of the gasp that left my fiancé.

"Daiki-kun!"

"Why do you sound so scandalised? That was in my mouth before."

"Stop it!"

* * *

I'm gonna need a chain for this.

Rolling the ring of gold in my hands, I leant against the inner wall of the Asari dojo, Takeshi going through each form seamlessly before me.

I'm a boxer, I can't wear rings. Not to mention when I go BATS, or use my brass knuckles. That'd hurt like hell.

Lambo had gone over to the Sawada's house to play with I-pin for the day, Mephisto following him like the good guard dog he was. I was honestly surprised by Nana's insistence that I stay to play with Tsuna, thinking that she would have understood my lack of desire to be around the walking target after so many years, but that's Nana for you.

"Daiki-kun, how was it? Don't I look cool?!" Takeshi called, dropping down in my lap carefully.

"Uh-huh, very cool. Makes me almost want to use a sword." I smiled, watching him glow from the workout and praise.

"Eh, why don't you try a sword then?"

"Nah," I declined, shaking my head. "I haven't got the patience for that. I'll leave the swordsmanship to my cool fiancé."

If the praise before made him glow, this made him absolutely beam, his grin coming at me full blast as he wrapped his arms around my neck and nuzzled his mark, hidden beneath my collar.

I'd be killed if Tsuyoshi saw any of the marks we gave each other.

Pressing a kiss to the Rain's face, I helped him back up and let him get back to his training, my own form restless after such a drop in activity.

Maybe I could do some light weightlifting? Only just, 150 kilos, nothing too bad.

"Takeshi-kun, so you have any weights in your dojo?" I called, drawing his attention.

"Weights? Yeah, in the back room."

"Thanks." Came my hum, my feet carrying me over to the small store room, practice swords and the like lining the walls.

Finding the weights, I sighed when they were only 100 kilos max, gathering up the box and walking back out.

"Daiki-kun, remember your injuries." Takeshi warned, pointing his sword at me with his other hand on his hip.

"Yep, yep."

It was nice, having someone to train with again, rather than an opponent. I was still as stiff as hell, so the first few lifts were uncomfortable, to say the least, but eventually, my muscles warmed up and relaxed, allowing me to lift the box steadily.

What's the best vantage point in the school to below the Sun battle? It's held on the sports ground, right? In that big cage-y thing.

"Hey, Takeshi-kun," I hummed, remembering something that he should probably know.

"Yeah?"

"I'm getting a tattoo at the start of next month. An irezumi."

When there was no reply, I dropped my gaze from the ceiling to look at my partner, stalling when I saw his interpretation of a tomato on display. Raising an eyebrow, I watched as he spluttered mutely for a few moments, before speaking up again.

"Something wrong, love?"

"A Yakuza tattoo?" He squeaked, another noise leaving him when I nodded.

Would you look at that, Yamamoto Takeshi has a thing for tattoos.

The Rain turned pointedly away from me, a stumble forcing him to stop walking and remain still as I stepped up behind him, amusement clear on my face.

"I'm gonna take a guess and say you like that idea."

"...Maybe." He murmured, glancing off to the side as I moved in front of him.

I gave a small laugh before leaving him to recollect himself, dropping the box of weights on the floor as I massaged my wrist.

So Takeshi won't mind me tattooing myself, it won't put him off. Good to know.

Looking to the sky, I let out a breath as the sun reached its peak, the ninth day in full swing.

"One day to go." I breathed.

"What did you say?" The young Yamamoto asked, pausing his swing.

"Hm? Oh, nothing."

* * *

 **SIDEKICK COMMENTARY À LA ThePlotbunnyBreeder**

Hot damn. Wow. LeNoRi, instead of holy water, just ask Tsuyoshi for mercy instead.

Looks like the Vongola X have their own unique spidey sense, except for Mukuro and Chrome of course. Speaking of the latter, I wonder how she'll be incorporated into the story… And Mukuro of course.

Soon Basil will arrive! Woohoo! And then the whole Gollum- I mean Ring Battle Fiasco Thing will happen!

Have I already told you that I absolutely _loathe_ Daiki's grandfather? No? Well, now I've done that. And that I really, really dislike Kaede? Well, now you know as well.

Reborn is the smug little asshole hellspawn as always, rubbing his achievements into others. Poor Colonello.

Lambo is surprisingly cute! And I like how you portrayed his insecurity. (Mephisto has to babysit- I mean pupsit him… Poor mutt.

You go Mephisto.)

I think that's it… Yeah.


	20. Chapter 20

**Word Count: 10,882**

* * *

I groaned as I felt the blunt pressure of paws digging into my side, the dog of the house trying to rouse me from my sleep. Waving my arm, I chased Mephisto away and gained a moment of peace, curling back up under my sheets, before a loud bark blasted my eardrums and his whole weight came crashing down on me.

"Fuck, _Mephistopheles_!" I snapped, sitting up sharply in time to see the blur of white disappear out the door.

"Bloody mutt." Came my hiss, a twinge of pain coming from my stitches as I pulled myself from the bed.

The feeling of something yanking against my neck made me look down, my eyes widening in recognition as I spied the chain, Takeshi's ring bouncing against my back. Ignoring the resulting heat in my face, I fixed the chain to rest the ring against my chest before moving across the room. I peered over the bars of Lambo's crib, a laugh escaping me when I saw him sprawled on his back, mouth gaping as he snored amazingly loud for his size.

"Hey, hey, Bo-kun." I cooed, gently tapping the little boy's belly to rouse him, little gargles of rebellion escaping him.

Sighing, I scooped him up, the Lightning letting out a whine as I held him against me, using my free hand to close my door behind me. Stepping down the stairs, I looked to Kaede, my eyes straying to the knife in her hand as she chopped vegetables.

 _The barrier shifted as she pulled herself off of it and padded down the call, a 'clank' reaching my ears just before she closed her own door. Eventually, I opened my door and peeked out, my jaw clenching when I saw the item on the floor…_

"Morning, kaa-san."

"About time you two woke up!" She called out, putting her hands on her hips as she watched me come in, Lambo just waking up at the smell of food.

"Honestly, you boys, sleeping the day away."

Humming in response, I placed the child in my arms on his booster seat, gently prying his hands off of my shirt. Petting his frizzy hair, I returned to the kitchen to help my mother set up for breakfast, plates and cups balanced in my hands as she dodged around me to place the steaming pot on a different surface. Setting the table quickly, I moved out of the way to collect the utensils as Kaede dished out portions for the lot of us.

After dropping the things in my hands on the table, I reached for one of many cans lining the top shelf of the pantry. Looking through the drawers, I sighed when I couldn't find an opener, before letting my gaze drop to the obediently seated Mephisto, patiently waiting beside his bowl with an expectant look.

Giving a sigh, I glanced to the can and deflated, squatting down next to the pup. Holding the can above the shiny metal bowl and turning it on its side, I grabbed the two ends of the aluminium cylinder and twisted, crackles and the faint shrieking of metal reaching my ears as it gave out and the contents fell out. Shaking out the last bits of dog food, I stood and dropped the tatters into the bin, washing my hands in the sink before looking back to Mephisto, still seated.

"..." I watched him carefully, the white canine looking at me with full attention.

"Eat."

In less than a second, his snout was buried in the metallic bowl, the sounds of happy eating emanating as I walked past. Seating myself down at the table, I sighed when I saw the mess that was Lambo's face, my hand immediately coming up to rub the rice off his cheeks.

"You'd think you couldn't miss your mouth, with how big it is." I hummed, the child letting out a shout of indignation at the comment.

The three of us paused as the doorbell went off, the small speaker on the kitchen counter alerting us of a non-customer that needed our attention.

"I'll get it." Kaede breathed, getting to her feet and exiting the house, stepping into the bakery's front.

"Daiki-san! Lambo-san is still hungry!" The little hitman announced, slamming his empty bowl.

"Don't hit the crockery." I reprimanded, before grabbing up the ceramic and refilling it with more rice.

Placing it back down, I tipped the last of my own grains down into my mouth before stacking my plates and disposed of them in the sink, taking Mephisto's empty bowl from his jaws and tossing it in after.

"You done there, Bo-kun?" I hummed, plucking the stuffed child from his chair and clearing his space.

Drying my hands off with a dish towel, I raised an eyebrow at the little Lightning, already laid out on his stomach and watching the children's programs.

"Don't lay down after eating." Came my order, towel thrown over my shoulder for the time being.

"Why not?" He huffed, rolling onto his side to look at me.

"You'll turn into a snake." I responded, a smirk coming to my face when I saw his panicked expression.

Ignoring the resulting shouts of fear that left the small calf, I glanced around the door frame to watch my mother bound up the stairs, a bright smile on her face and my name on her lips.

"Daiki-kun! Daiki-kun, come here!"

Stepping up beside the matron, I looked at the long box in her hands in question, the woman quivering in excitement.

"What's it?" I asked eloquently, glancing up at her.

"A present! From otou-sama! For you!" She giggled, looking between me and the brown wrapped box.

"Open it! Open it!"

"Okay, okay." I sighed, hooking my nail into the wrapping and tearing it swiftly.

The box inside was glossy and black, matte yellow designs curling in carved patterns along the surface in a manner that reminded me of the brass knuckle box. Reaching to it, I pried it open, magnets clicking in defeat as the lid popped open, my jaw slowly descending as I looked at the contents.

"Forearm guards?" I blinked, picking up one of the set.

Glancing down at the skin on my own arms, I hummed when I saw scabbed over grazes and scrapes, most of which were scored on the flesh when defending against the brass of my grandfather. Guess these are a sort of countermeasure, hey?

They were made of the same material as my brass knuckles, shiny and glossy, clearly unused and new. There were little to no special aesthetic designs added to the guards, as expected of a protective item. The only real eye catcher on them was the twin dragons of the Watanabe, which seemed to either be their motif or their official symbol.

"Oh, otou-sama was always so smart! Of course he knew you would need something like these! Be sure to thank him, Daiki-kun!"

I glanced at my mother out of the corner of my eye, nodding in understanding as I slid my arm through the left guard, rotating my arm as I inspected the fit. Designed like a bracelet, the metallic material wrapped around the extent of my forearm, an opening going along the length of the underside, allowing the guard to flex and mold to fit my size

Shit. It fit really well.

Too well.

…

"Oh," I blinked, looking down at the grinning face of Fuuta and I-pin. "You want Lambo-kun?"

"Yes please, Ki-nii!" The Ranker responded, the girl beside him nodding rapidly.

"I'll go get him. Where are you going, may I ask?"

"To the park with Kyoko-nee and Haru-nee!"

"Ah, tell them I said 'hi'." I hummed, before turning on my heel and moving the living room where Lambo was pestering Mephisto again.

"Bo-kun, Fuuta-kun and I-pin-chan are here. They want you to come out and play." Came my call, the white pup bolting the second he was relieved of duty.

"Fuuta-kun! I-pin-chan!" Lambo cheered, streaking out the door and barrelling into the Ranker.

"Be safe, listen to Kyoko-chan and Haru-chan. Don't talk to strangers and, for the love of God, _please_ don't blow anything up."

"Yep, bye Daiki-san!" The little Lightning laughed, already hauling his company away.

As I closed the door, I let the smile fall from my face, my tight grip on the knob forcibly loosened.

The Varia was here today. And as a result, letting Lambo out of my sight was the last thing I wished to do, but as memory serves, he was needed to move the plot.

"Only so many hours until sunset..." I glanced at the clock and gritted my teeth.

"I should study for that test."

Forcing my feet to carry me from the door to my room, I sat myself down heavily, book open and ready for me to get to work, before I paused and glanced at my phone.

Tests...How many classes had those boys missed because of this ugly business?

These past few days were intense, lessons had been skipped, tests had been missed. Grades would no doubt be dropping for the Vongola party at this rate. Even if they did get back to class, would they pass with so many gaps in their knowledge?

I drummed my fingers against my desk before sighing and kicking off my desk, my wheelie chair rolling across my room to my book shelf, a box of blank books within.

Gokudera's a genius, he'll be fine. Lambo doesn't attend school yet. Hibari's technically already graduated.

Grabbing up three, relatively thick, books, I sailed back to my desk and laid them out in front of me, a pen already in hand as I began scrawling on the front covers.

 _Takeshi Notes_

 _Sawada Notes_

 _Ryohei Notes_

With a few more movements, I pulled my textbooks and workbooks out, opening Takeshi Notes and began writing.

Everything I knew academically went into the three little books, definitions, examples, illustrations, formula, _everything_. Highlighters and pens littered my desk, randomly opened texts piled high as I filled page after page of each book, intent on making sure those boys could still survive school after they survived the battles.

 _The difference between mitosis and meiosis is… To calculate relative humidity you must… By adding 1 to a parabola you shift it… You add an apostrophe S to an English word when..._

English, Japanese, maths, world history, Japanese history, biology, chemistry, physics, geography, legal studies. Everything I had crammed into my head that I thought could help them along in their schooling as they slowly began to fall more and more behind due to hospitalisation, disappearances and the likes.

I was in the middle of copying everything into Sawada when I suddenly was yanked from my concentration, I blinked when I noticed the darkness of my room, a panic hitting me as I spun around, the sky bleeding red as the sun began to sink.

"Varia..." I breathed.

Getting to my feet, I walked over to the window and threw open my curtains, bathing my room in light again. A sigh left me as I saw nothing on the horizon, my arms dropping to my sides.

A flash of movement caught my attention, my head snapping to the side to look at the source. My eyes narrowed when I didn't catch the origin and I stepped back from the window, sitting back down at my desk. Carefully, I turned back to the half full book and began writing again, glancing between Takeshi and Sawada as I copied prior thoughts and layouts, adding extra and some dumbed down explanations for the Sky's goldfish mind. After finishing the second glossary that day, I dropped my pen and massaged my hand, hours of nonstop writing finally getting to me.

 _Bzzzt!_

Looking to my phone, I snatched it up and flipped it open, grimacing when I saw the ID.

 _From: That one annoying guy  
Daiki! (^^)_

 _From: That one annoying guy  
You'll never guess where I am!_

My face fell deadpan as I read the message.

 _To: That one annoying guy_

 _Namimori._

 _From: That one annoying guy_

 _*LE GASP*! How did you know!? \\(°○°)/_

 _To: That one annoying guy_  
 _You said you were coming._

 _From: That one annoying guy  
_ …

 _From: That one annoying guy  
Anyway! (-) Guess who I found!_

My entire body tensed when I opened the picture attached, blood running cold and thin as the pixel collage of Takeshi filled my screen, his sword in hand and his face meaning business.

My lack of response seemed to send the message across, my phone buzzing with activity as another text came through.

 _From: That one annoying guy  
Don't worry, I won't tell him about us! (^o^)  
Need to amp up the suspense! :D_

I clutched the device as I tried to calm myself, legs twitching to get up and hunt down the Vongola party, if only to just give them time should they need it. Gritting my teeth, I kept myself in my seat, tapping away at my phone.

 _To: That one annoying guy  
I'd be careful if I was you, he knows how to use that sword. It isn't just for show._

 _From: That one annoying guy  
Oh, I'll be a good girl! :3_

Not bothering to resist the urge to roll my eyes, I clicked up my response, easily imagining the exaggerated pose the exuberant man would strike if we were talking in person. Making a mental note to high five Lussuria's face next time I encountered him, I sent the message off.

 _To: That one annoying guy  
Whatever. I have some work to do, so I'll be ignoring you now.  
Be nice to my fiancé._

With a satisfied smile, I dropped the phone back onto the table and returned to scratching away at the book.

* * *

 **|LUSSURIA|**

 _From: Daiki the Adorable  
Whatever. I have some work to do, so I'll be ignoring you now.  
Be nice to my fiancé._

…

Lussuria the fabulous looked at his phone in an utter stupor, the man talk between Squalo and the competition barely registering.

Daiki has a…His a- _dork_ -ble~ little brother has a…

" _Hey, Squalo,"_ He breathed in Italian, drawing the long haired Rain's attention.

" _What do you want?"_ The other snapped.

" _Catch me."_

" _What-VOOOIIII! DON'T FAINT WHEN WE'RE INTIMIDATING THE ENEMY!"_

 **|LUSSURIA|**

* * *

"I wonder if Ryohei-kun will be angry with me after missing so many calls." I wondered, dodging around another student as I followed the path to school.

The three books were squished together within my bag, brimming with the basics and beyond of the syllabus of everything I knew at the moment. While I wish I was able to include facts and mannerisms of Mafia folk, I could only go as far as give instructions and tips for persuasive speaking, bargaining and hint at loopholes in laws.

"It's not much, but it should do them."

A loud sigh left me as I stopped abruptly, the two girls in front of me pausing their pace to titter loudly and force to to side step. As I walked, I slowly began to notice the flood of students tapering off, a more than uncommon occurrence at this time of morning. Before long, I was standing alone in the street, the chatter of children long faded.

" _Yamaguchi Daiki."_

My body seized up painfully at the voice, deep, unfamiliar and sounding from just behind me.

"Yes," I managed to answer, somehow keeping my voice flat. "That's me."

Taking a breath, I turned around and gritted my teeth instantly, the bright orange construction uniform and hardhat giving away the man's identity in an instant.

"My, you've grown up. Last time I saw you, you were still in diapers." Iemitsu laughed, hand coming to tip up the brim of his hat.

"Sawada Iemitsu, I'm guessing."

"Haha, does my boy look that much like me?"

I gave the man a tight smile, wondering what the hell he was doing in my path.

"Why are you here, Iemitsu-san?" I asked, wanting this walking foreshadow gone.

The Mafia man's face fell into a pout at my abrupt brush off, before he brightened, his grin equally as large, but just a tiny bit alarming, as he pulled out a box and handed it to me, a letter following after.

Glancing up from the items, I raised an eyebrow in cautious confusion, wondering what he had given me. The blond only gave me an eager nod, the action hinting that he wanted to see what was inside just as much as I didn't.

Tucking the box under my arm, I tore the top of the letter off, allowing me to reach within and pull out the contents, a frown coming to my face as I read the little kanji.

" _Night soon fell, and the hunter grew worried for his elderly mother still at home. So the hunter told the dog to watch the cart and went home to check on his mother. When the man returned, he saw the dog on guard. So he gave the dog a reward for his master, a silver coin, to carry in his mouth. The dog ran all the way home and brought his master the coin. But the hunter flew into a rage.  
'I told you to watch the cart, and what did you do? You stole from it!' So the master killed the dog."_

 _The dog was just trying to help the master, and he got punished for it.  
Isn't that funny, son?_

 _-Yamaguchi Yamada_

…

My hands clenched down on the paper, material breaking under the pressure of my nails, letting them bite into the flesh on the other side. Gritting my teeth until they shot pain back at me, I forced my arms to move until I could open the box under my arm, a blaring rush of rage and _paranoia_ bulldozing me when I recognised the item inside.

The bastard...When had he…

"Are you okay there, Daiki-san?" Iemitsu asked, glancing at the pieces in my hands.

Why was Iemitsu in contact with that _son of a bitch!?_

" _Daiki-kun!"_

" _Fuckin' giant!"_

" _Yamaguchi-san!?"_

Harsher than I should have, I spun around and glared at the three incoming boys, Tsuna, Gokudera and Takeshi reacting to my attention in different ways. The Sky looked about ready to make a U-turn and keep running, and his Storm looked ready to fight me, but his Rain found concern instead, moving to my side faster.

"Daiki-kun, what's wrong? What are those?"

"Tou-san? Why're you talking to Yamaguchi-san!?" Tsuna yelped, joining us before the Mafia man.

"Don't glare at the Tenth! I'll blow you up!"

"Daiki-san's old man asked me to deliver something to his kid!" Iemitsu responded with a grin, the young Yamamoto snatching the paper out my hands the second the words left his mouth.

"His dad? The hell?" The silver haired Italian huffed, tilting his head.

"They haven't spoken in a while, a falling out apparently. He wants to rekindle their relationship, with Daiki-san being a teen now and all."

 _Rekindle?_

He wants to fucking _rekindle!?_

I'll set him _a-fucking-_ _blaze_ _!_

"Daiki-kun?"

I blinked at the call, looking to the three boys as they gave careful looks, Takeshi's hand on my arm to ground me. Frowning, I covered the smaller hand in my own and gently pried it off my shirt, my attention on the ground. A scowl bloomed across my face, before something clicked, before the marr turned into a grin that made the little fish shuffle behind his Storm.

Snapping my phone out of my pocket, I dialled the intended number quickly, ignoring the calls of the others.

" _What do you want, Chattering Herbivore?"_

" _I'm gonna be late, don't bite me."_

"Shujin-kun, don't ignore me! What're you doing?" Takeshi huffed, following me for a few steps as I began making my way, box and its contents clattering to the floor.

"Daiki-kun!"

"I'm gonna write a reply to _tou-san._ Can't keep him waiting." I cooed too sweetly, things crunching underfoot.

You want funny, dad?

Okay then, I'll show you some of my own humour.

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Takeshi watched after his fiancé worriedly, not recognising the turn his stride had taken, but felt like Ryohei or Hibari would be very familiar with the certain lethality to it.

Daiki was thinking. And he was think about something _bad._

"What the hell is that?" Gokudera asked, drawing his attention away from the distanced back.

The Rain followed everyone's collective gazes to the brightly coloured item on the ground, a sharp stab of cold penetrating his mind when he recognised it.

Isn't that...

"...Tsuna-san's dad, you said that this was from Daiki-kun's dad?" Takeshi asked slowly, never taking his eyes off it.

"Yeah." The blond man responded, not quite getting the panic.

Walking forwards, the young Yamamoto pinched the wrecked piece, bringing it to eye level and cursing both mentally and aloud.

Shit. Oh _shit!_

"Yamamoto-kun, what's that?" Tsuna inquired, stepping up beside him along with his Right Hand.

This is definitely…

"Mephisto's favourite chew toy. Daiki-kun's dog." He answered, the rope and ball gripped tightly in his hand, identifying the tear that had formed when he, himself, had wrestled with the stubborn pup.

"Wait, the fuckin' giant has a dad?" Gokudera blurted, raising an eyebrow as he crossed his arms.

"You didn't know, I'm not surprised. He's been missing for nine years or more."

"Missing?!" Tsuna yelped, glancing at his own father.

"Why?" The Storm prodded, wanting to know all he could about the Tenth's surroundings.

"Daiki-kun chased him out. He hurt Kaede-kaa-san."

The tension suddenly became apparent, all the men knowing how protective the large Sun was of his mother.

"But...If his dad had the toy then..." The Sky started, his eyes widening as he made the connection.

"Yeah, Yamaguchi Yamada was in Namimori recently." Takeshi hissed, taking off after his fiancé on a hell path.

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

 **|G.H|**

Gokudera glanced at his Boss and paused, a shiver creeping up his spine when he saw his Sky's eyes flash a blazing orange, the piercing glare directed at the CEDEF's head.

"Tou-san, I think it's time you got back to your business." The Boss warned, gripping his bag strap and shoving past to continue on his way to school.

The Storm paused for a moment, turning his gaze on the quiet father.

"Why are you in contact with the giant's dad?"

"..." Iemitsu didn't answer, still looking after his slowly moving son.

"Gokudera-kun, let's go."

"Coming, Boss."

Taking quick steps, the bomber caught up with the younger boy, glancing carefully at him every now and then as he felt the other's agitation leave pin pricks along his closer arm. It wasn't until they were a good distance away, that Tsuna finally let out his first noise, Gokudera tensing when he hear the uncharacteristically angry sigh.

"He disappears and leaves kaa-san on her own, and now he comes back to not only mess up my life, but causes trouble for my friends...He really has no boundaries."

 **|G.H|**

* * *

I hummed a sickly little tune as I finished writing the short note and fitted it into an envelope, just as my father had did. It had taken me a little while to collect all the pieces required to create the punch line of my little joke, but it all worked out in the end, a small, paper wrapped box sitting on my desk.

"You don't have to wait there, you know." I breathed, glancing over my shoulder at my seated fiancé, his hands bundling my sheets.

"I'm worried about you." He responded, frowning slightly.

"Now, now, don't make that face. There's nothing to be worried about."

"Shujin-kun..."

"Really, my father can't do anything to kaa-san anymore." Came my reassurance, standing just before him.

This caught the boy's attention, his eyes widening and sharpening as he snatched the words from the air.

"Anymore...Daiki-kun, you've told me he's done things to Kaede-kaa-san, but you've never said...what did he do to you?" He asked, shifting closer.

I blinked, before smiling softly, a hand coming to play with the shell of the Rain's ear. When the gentle action did not distract him like I had intended it to, I spoke again.

"...Nothing. He did nothing to me."

"Lie." He breathed, his face unchanging.

"Maybe, but now," My smile became a grin and I held the wrapped box in my hands up for my little lover to inspect, his face showing alarm. "I want to get this to Iemitsu-san so he can send it to tou-san."

The Rain didn't take his eyes off the box, the crackling and shuffling that sounded from inside obviously discomforting him, my more than a little crazed smile not helping.

…

"I'm going to be busy after school for a while, so we won't be able to go out much." Takeshi confessed to me, clasping my hand as we made our way to Nami-chuu with more stable heads.

"Ah? Is Sawada-san pulling you into another grand adventure?" I laughed, the smile on his face allowing for the faux-ignorance to slip out easier.

"Haha, something like that! I'm gonna verse this long haired guy, and I'm gonna beat him if it's the last thing I do!"

Squalo.

"Have fun with that then, my dear. You seem excited for it." I smiled, managing to keep my voice steady and bright.

"You bet!"

A sharp pain rung through my back as a laugh jolted my stitches, the attempt to cover my flinch not working against my little fiancé as he made us stop in our walk, his hand coming to lightly trail along my spine, feeling out the bandages.

"Are you sure you should be coming to school? You're still pretty hurt." Takeshi asked, giving me a worried look.

"I'm fine, there's no PE today so I should be good." I reassured, knowing my efforts were in vain.

The frown on his face didn't budge as he tugged on my shirt as if to untuck it and check himself, only to smooth out the wrinkles he caused and rest his forehead on my shoulder, my own head lowering to allow me to hum into his hair.

"If you're so concerned, how about we spend lunch together? The roof sound good to you?"

The Rain was quiet for a moment before nodding, dropping his hand from my back to wrap it around my own, careful of any wounds.

"I don't like it when you're hurt."

"Hm..." I breathed, nuzzling the younger slightly, before coaxing him to keep walking.

"Let's get going, love."

At his sound of rejection, I laughed and tugged him along, a small whine leaving him as he forced me to pick up his slack. As we entered the school building, I hummed quietly, glancing through the windows of first years before ascending the stairs with my younger companion feeling him squeeze my hand in preparation of our separation.

"I'll see you at lunch, then." I breathed, bringing his hand up and pressing a kiss to his ring finger, a habit I had fallen into since the exchange, and one that Takeshi seemed to want to stick.

"Yeah, later shujin-kun."

A laugh left me at the dejected tone of his voice, finding humour in his pouting face before detangling my hand from his, the younger stopping at 2-A. Continuing up the next level, I came to the class of 3-A and pushed the door aside, waving at the teacher blandly.

"Morning, sensei."

"You're late, Yamaguchi-kun. Care to tell me why?" He huffed, looking at me over his lens.

"Family business, Hibari-san gave me permission." I responded, walking in the rest of the way as the educator paled at the name.

"A-ah, take your seat then! And don't make this a habit!"

"Sorry, sensei."

Dropping my bag, I sat beside Ryohei, already feeling the impending lecture he had bubbling away in his throat, his eyes fixed on me as I set myself up for the lesson.

"You are _extremely_ getting it when class is done." My fellow Sun hissed at me under his breath.

"Can't wait." I grunted, leaning away slightly when he began to glare.

…

" _YAMAGUCHI DAIKI WHAT THE EXTREME HELL!?"_

I held onto my chair and desk as the bellow almost blew me over, the teacher shaking his head as he exited the room, leaving me to the mercy of the raging Sasagawa.

"Good to see you again too, sunshine."

"You disappeared for _eight days!_ "

"You disappeared for ten." Came my rebuttal, the twitch of his brow showing I had done so effectively.

"Damn it Daiki-kun, at least I answered my phone!" He roared, looking ready to pounce on me.

"My phone was unavailable to me, I was too busy to answer, anyway."

It was obvious by his reactions, that my responses were railing him up more than settling him, so it was no surprise when he snagged my collar and jerked me forwards. My expression didn't change as the worry-driven Sun got in close, the classmates around us beginning to get restless as they tried to gauge when someone should try to step in and act as mediator.

"Daiki-kun, I swear to God-"

I blinked at the sudden cut off, and even more sudden change of expression. Ryohei's face was one I recognised, but it was from years ago, when he had visited me in hospital because of my split forehead. Wide eyes and straight lips, fists clenched tightly as he concentrated on the injury.

" _Why are you covered in bandages?"_

My wrist was grabbed and I was hauled from my seat, a sound of confusion escaping me as my fellow Sun dragged me out of the class, shoving classmates and the teacher out of the way.

"Ryohei-kun, what're you-"

"Shut up, Daiki-kun."

The clack of my jaw shutting sounded at the order, my eyes wide as the Guardian took me to the exterior stairs of the school, both the roof and back strip of land occupied. With the door slammed shut behind us, I was shoved against the wall, the other third year glaring openly up at me before he began prying my shirt open.

"Shit- Ryohei-kun, what the hell?!" I yelped, hands coming up to try and fight off his advance.

"You disappear off the face of the EXTREME Earth, EXTREMELY don't answer your phone, then come back to school with an EXTREMELY wrecked body and expect me to not EXTREMELY worry!?" He roared, moving to yank up my undershirt, only to get pushed away harshly, his back hitting the railing.

"Dude! Cool it, okay!"

I brought my hands up between us to allow for a buffer, both of us breathing heavily as we tried to calm ourselves down, watching the other carefully. It took a few moments, but the boxer eventually let out a long breath, his shoulders falling as he leant back against the railing, his head tipped back.

"You done?" I asked, slowly lowering my hands.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"What was that all about? You're not usually this...irritable."

Ryohei sighed and pushed off the railing, moving closer to me as I tensed, but turned and slumped against the wall beside me, dropping to the floor. Looking down at him for a moment, I slowly began to slide down and join him on the ground, his gaze still not meeting mine.

"Ryohei-kun, what's up?"

"What happened to you, Daiki-kun? You're all banged up." He breathed, carefully grabbing my arm and pulling the sleeve back to show my bandages.

I flexed my hand for a moment, feeling the stitches under the wrappings tug against the movement. Looking back up at my friend, I let out a hum before removing the limb from his hold.

"You aren't the only one getting stronger. Mine just involved breaking my body."

Ryohei watched me carefully for a moment, his usual grin and blaze withheld as he simmered low, caution flavouring his Flame.

"How badly is your body broken?"

I tilted my head and smiled at him, my hand coming down on his shoulder as I pushed myself to my feet.

"Pretty bad, but who really cares? Let's get back to class. Oh, and by the way,"

Ryohei looked up at me, waiting for the next comment.

"We have a test today, hope you studied between those training exercises."

A bout of laughter left me as I walked back into the building, the sounds of a doomed boy fading as the door closed behind. With the barrier separating us, I no longer had to hold back the pained gasp that left me, my stitches screaming at me for letting the strong ass Sun throw me against a wall so brutally.

"Ow. God damn it Ryohei-kun, you got better."

…

"I definitely failed that."

I hummed in amusement as I watched Ryohei hand his paper back, his hard head meeting the desk immediately after.

"Just gonna have to do better in the make-up, hey?"

A groan rumbled our table, the idea of the impending tests paining the boy more than he already was.

"Ah yeah. Here." I chirped, perking up as I remembered the note books crammed in my bag.

"Eh, what's this?" My table partner asked, taking the book out of my hand and flipping through.

"You've missed quite a bit, so you're behind. That covers everything you've missed, and a bit more."

"' _And a bit more'_? Daiki-kun, this might as well cover the whole curriculum! Not to mention the whole education system after!" He heaved, all but pressing his face against the Finals examples.

"Then you should be fine should you fall behind due to absence." I responded, standing as I began to gather my stuff, plucking my bento box and two other books out of my bag.

"Where are you going?" The Sun asked, pausing his frantic flipping to look at me.

"I promised Takeshi-kun that I'd eat lunch with him. I'll be on the roof if you need me." I answered, waving over my shoulder as I left the room.

" _Daiki-kun!"_

Turning my head, I smiled and raised my hand as I spotted the Rain come jogging down the third year hall, his own box in hand.

"Hey, Takeshi-kun. You ready to go?"

"Uh-huh!"

I laughed as my hand was snagged and used to guide me to the top level of the building, a quick scan proving the space safe of the skylark's influence. The Rain sent me a glance when I assured him it was safe, as if questioning how I knew, but seemed to brush it off to push the door open and enter the sunshine.

"How're your stitches?" He asked, sitting cross legged against the fence, before helping me down to the floor.

"Ah, they're fine." I hummed, blinking when I saw the other narrow his eyes at me.

"You're lying. Something's wrong." He frowned.

Both of us paused when the door to the roof opened again, our eyes drawn to the new dwellers before a buzz of resignation touched me.

Of course. The Vongola trio can never be apart for long.

"Eh? Tsuna-san, Gokudera-kun? What're you doing here?" Takeshi asked, grinning up at the approaching duo.

"What're you talking about? You left suddenly and made the Tenth worry! Apologise, baseball freak!" The Storm roared, dropping his bag.

"Haha, sorry, sorry. Daiki-kun and I agreed to spend lunch together since he's not in that good a shape."

I resisted the urge to slam my hand over the younger's mouth as he spilt the story easily, his friends sending me a glance at the mention of injury.

"Takeshi-kun, they don't really need to kn-"

"Yamaguchi-san's hurt? Why?" Tsuna yelped, crouching in front of me suddenly, hand coming dangerously close.

Both Takeshi and I snapped our heads around at this, the little fish scrambling away quickly when he caught my fiancé's gaze, hand pressed against his chest.

"You're not the only one who's got a bit of trouble in their lives, Sawada-san. But I'm fine, nothing too majo-"

"You're entire abdomen is bandaged, including your right arm TO THE EXTREME!"

My God, there is no escape.

"Yeah, and having you throw me against a wall didn't help, sunshine." I grunted, tensing when my shirt was suddenly yanked from my pants and hands were on my back.

"Shujin-kun! You said you were fine! Damn it, Daiki-kun!" Takeshi hissed, fingers feeling the outline of my stitches to make sure they were still intact.

"And I didn't lie. I'm fine, love."

I flinched as the Rain touched an especially ginger spot, the sound of outrage that left him setting me on edge as he smothered his face against the wrappings.

The others on the roof shifted carefully, before shrugging at one another and setting themselves up for the break. Gokudera and Tsuna were closer to Takeshi than they were to me, and Ryohei was seated on my side of the malformed circle, the diameter separating the third years from the second.

Reclaiming my clothes, I tucked my shirt back into my pants, careful of pulling any of my sutures before accepting Takeshi's invitation to lay down, my head propped up on his thigh as he talked animatedly with his fellow Mafia.

Feeling eyes on me, I opened my own and made contact, large brown orbs staring at me from across the circle, the owner surprisingly not breaking the connection despite his skittish nature. I kept watching Tsuna out of the corner of my eye, waiting for him to either address me or back down, but when neither happened, I raised my halved eyebrow expectantly.

What's up with him?

Seconds ticked by as we continued to watch each other, barely blinking as neither of us dropping our gaze. I had no idea what the Sky wanted, but he seemed both indecisive and determined at once, an impossibly strange combination, but one he conveyed to me nonetheless.

"Daiki-kun."

I looked up to the call and sighed, the well hidden look in Takeshi's eye telling me he had seen the look his Sky and I had shared. Reaching up, I let my hand clasp on the Rain's shoulder, thumb coming to rub along the chain that held his rings. A hum left me as he bowed, mouth moulding against mine as his hand came to fiddle with my own chain, tugging it free from under my layers in an obvious display to our company.

The sounds of confusion, surprise and embarrassment that left the others was enough to make me laugh into the kiss, Takeshi taking the opportunity given to him to kick it up a notch and slip his tongue into my mouth.

"You two! Don't do such things in front of the Tenth!" The Storm hollered, his Boss red in the face from catching a glimpse of the intrusion.

"A-a-ah Gokudera-kun! I don't think we should-!"

Ah hell, Takeshi took that as a challenge.

My fiancé, as I had learnt, had come to enjoy messing with his fellow Mafia man, doing the exact opposite of what he was demanded of to rile up his easily triggered friend. Of course, more often than not, when I was around that seemed to be focused on the blatant public displays of affection, resulting in quite a few oral attacks.

One such example, would be now, where Takeshi completely ignored the Storm to begin stroking my hair, still very invested in the kiss he had initiated. Deciding to play along with his torment, I drew his rings out from his shirt like he did mine, before looping my arm over the back of his neck to press him down further, a little noise escaping him that I identified as a laugh, but others would do so differently.

"Fucking giant! Baseball freak!"

Looking out of the slit between my eyelids, I spied Tsuna looking just about ready to spontaneously combust, face a full on red as he tried desperately to divert his eyes, and failing miserably. Gokudera was in only slightly better condition, probably from having been exposed to worse scenes than this in his life, but he still had a flush on his cheeks that stood out against pale complexion. Ryohei, well he really didn't care, the Sun was just stuffing his face without worry.

"You two are just _insufferable!"_

Oh my Lord-!

The pitch that the Italian's voice hit made us separate quickly, heaving laughter leaving us as the sound repeated in our ears for prolonged enjoyment.

"Gokudera-kun, are you okay?" Tsuna, bless his heart, asked, legitimately worried about his Guardian at the voice crack.

"I-I'm fine, Tenth! It was just an air bubble!"

"You hit an EXTREMELY high pitch, Gokudera-kun!" Ryohei roared, snapping out of his food frenzy.

"Shut up, turf-top!"

"Hey, hey, Daiki-kun!"

Looking to my fellow Sun I smiled at his enthusiasm as he displayed a small container brimming with cherries, complements of Kyoko. The others on the group glanced at each other curiously, not quite getting what the challenge in our smile was for.

"Race?" I chuckled, accepting a single cheery and plucking off the stalk.

"EXTREME! I'll defeat you, bro!"

Without further ado, both of us dropped the stalks in our mouths, tongues immediately going to work and beginnings to bend and soften the plant matter.

The Vongola trio gave us looks of confusion and interest, watching closely as our jaws shifted to accommodate movement, before my hand came up and I stuck my tongue out, knotted stem on the tip, Ryohei doing the same less than a second after. Tsuna's eyes lit up with interest at the feat, his tongue moving inside his jaw as he tried to figure out the steps. Gokudera looked begrudgingly impressed, his arms coming to cross in front of his chest.

"Shujin-kun." The Rain called, making me draw my attention towards him.

"Yea-Hmmph!"

The cherry stalk hit the ground as another tongue replaced its station, a hand coming to my hair to force me closer to my partner.

"My God, could you two stop shoving your tongues down each other's throats for _one second!?_ "

With a little effort, I managed to break the connection between us, a rather loud ' _smack'_ sound accompanying the removal. Turning to the Storm, I gave him a grin that set him on edge, his eyes narrowing as he tried to steel himself against my next comment.

"Oh, I've had a lot more than just Takeshi-kun's tongue down my throat."

Tsuna screamed, Gokudera went still and Ryohei just blinked in confusion.

Bless these boys.

"Shujin-kun!" Takeshi wailed, hand coming to bat my side gently as his face bloomed an attractive red.

"Yes, my love?" I asked, giving an expression of perfect innocence.

Suddenly, the swordsman's eyes narrowed and he leant forwards to loom over me, a shine coming to his eyes that I recognised.

"If you keep talking about it, I'll make you do it again. Except this time, you're the one who's gonna be pinned to the bed."

My eyes widened for a moment before my expression spoke of a challenge, my hand coming to tuck behind my head as I showed no particularly strong reaction to the declaration, a smirk on my face. Tilting my chin up slightly, I looked directly at my partner, recognising that he would very well attempt to carry out his threat, if not for one minor detail.

"You can try, but you might find that a bit hard to _make_ me do." I hummed, causing the Rain to raise and eyebrow.

"And why is that?"

I grinned wide, his response exactly what I had been after.

"Shujin-kun, I'd do that _willingly."_

My fiancé made a small noise as his eyes glazed a bit, arm coming to wrap around me as he pressed his face into my shoulder. Booming laughter left me as I gently patted my partner's short hair, the smaller boy obviously having very interesting day dreams right now.

"Someone save me, I have to deal with perverts everywhere." The Vongola Storm breathed, looking thoroughly defeated next to his brain dead Boss, the poor fish's brain boiled.

"Haha, you and Takeshi-kun are EXTREMELY close, Daiki-kun!"

"Too close!" Gokudera screamed, waving his hands wildly as Tsuna logged back onto reality.

"Why am I friends with such people?" The Vongola heir muttered beneath his breath, his words having no real venom.

"Because we are the best people." I answered without thinking, fighting to keep my expression the same as Tsuna's head snapped up and his eyes brightened.

"Ain't that right!" My little lover joined, finally prying himself from whatever salacious scene he had fantasised.

Reaching out to the red faced Storm, I pushed my unused cherry against the seam of his lips, the startled expression that coloured his face allowing me to break the bond and shove the sweet fruit into the chasm. Grinning at him, I watched as his expression upgraded to a mixture of embarrassment and rage.

"What the hell, you fucking giant!?"

"You're welcome. Think of it as an award for finally hitting puberty." I smiled, referring to the lovely voice break from before.

"I'll blow you away!"

"Wow, you're very forward with your advances, little one."

Ryohei fell into a fit of booming laughter, Gokudera's face at its capacity as Tsuna looked torn between comforting the Storm and submitting to immature humours.

Retaining my hold on Takeshi's neck, my smile slowly fell as I took in the scene, the Vongola party looking happy and childish, free from stress as they bickered amongst themselves over trivial matters such as a voice break and perverse topics of conversation. Looking up, I watched Takeshi give open laughter, all to pleased with the chaos he and I had caused for the group.

They fight the Varia tonight.

Sighing, I rolled and pressed my face into my fiancé's stomach, hiding my troubled expression from the others, lest I ruin the bright mood.

A coo left me as the Rain pressed me closer with a hand on the back of my head, my arm coming around to wrap up his waist. Tsuna's laughter reached me, harmonising with Gokudera's roar, and Ryohei's extreme hollar, sounds of adolescent joy flooding my senses for the nth time since I had become acquainted with the hellbringers.

You all better be safe, or I might just make an enemy of the Mafia.

* * *

"They sure are taking a long time." I hummed, apple poised to bite as I sat in the canopy of a tree a fair distance from the cage-like ring on the sports field.

After school had finished, I had snuck off from the masses of student, taking refuge in an empty classroom for the afternoon. It was a bit of a chore, the late stay forcing me to dodge Hibari at every turn, but once I had found myself a safe haven and bunkered down for the sunset, I was good to go.

Now, with all my homework done and a dinner to go with the show, I was as ready as I would have ever been for the battle for the Sun Rings- Well, except for one thing.

"Fuck, I forgot sunglasses. Knew I'd screw up somewhere."

Leaning back against the main trunk, I sighed in annoyance before sinking my teeth into the fruit, eyeing the silhouettes of the Varia that had just arrived on the scene. A frown came to my face as I paused my chewing, eyes widening when I finally saw what was setting off my alarms.

Seven. There were seven people standing up there.

In an instant, I recoiled my sunshine fire to a candle's size, making sure to fly under the Mafia's radar again, not wanting to alert them of their watcher. Closing my eyes, I called forth my Flame and jumped my perspective to view the Flames flickering on the rooftop, almost choking on the piece of apple in my mouth when I identified the spare spark.

Calm, yet volatile. Blisteringly hot and hostile in every sense, that Sky Flame was not one I wanted to tangle with. Anger and grudge bubbled beneath the skin of the possessor, a constant heat haze blurring its tongues.

Xanxus.

What the hell was he doing here!? Weren't you meant to be brooding, mysterious and not give a crap about your subordinates!?

Swallowing the fruit caught in my teeth, I shifted my gaze, memories sparking when I saw a Flame sputtering weakly. Yet another Sky, this one purer and more harmonious than Xanxus' Wrath Flames. The gentle orange fire was in the subdued, cooled state that I recognised as a sleep state, showing the body was unconscious.

Vongola Nono, Timoteo. He was trapped within the Varia Cloud, yes? To be used as a scapegoat for later, a plan 'B'.

' _Who the hell are you?'_

That wasn't a language. It wasn't spoken or telepathically conveyed. That was _greed_. Xanxus and his Flame _wanted_ , and it knew exactly what it wanted. Shots of intent were sent flying into my own Sun and triggering understanding, demanding the desired response.

A coal chill fell over my body as my muscles locked up, eyes glued shut as the unspoken question echoed in my senses, wrathful Sky Flames targeting their attention on my barely visible, candle wick. I didn't know how he had found me, hiding my Flames had become a speciality of mine after such intense surveillance on Reborn's part.

' _I asked, who you were. Answer.'_

' _I am-_ _Fuck off_ _!'_

I gasped as I almost physically shoved the other's presence away, hands twitching and threatening to cave in the fruit clasp in them as I felt the backlash of rejecting the man.

Shit, Xanxus is no joke.

Forcing myself to relax, I called my Flames to my perspective and began letting them simmer lower, the light growing duller and duller until it was just barely an ember. The commanding waves that had been thrust at me derailed without a target, shifting around me as it tried to find the lost sunshine.

' _Where are you? Trash, answer when I ask you a question.'_

I beg your pardon, I am not trash, thank you very much.

Frowning at his 'tone', I bit irritably into my forgotten apple, chewing with a little too much vigour as the silhouettes shifted.

"Boss, the kiddies have arrived!" What must have been Lussuria, called, fluttering his hand frantically.

Carefully, I watched the figure of Xanxus disappear from view through narrowed eyes, waving sarcastically after him.

"So, they finally show up, hey?" I breathed quietly, tossing my core into the garden as compost.

After a few moments of silence, the two competing parties came to the sports field, the Sun representatives jittery with energy as they prepared for battle. I remained quiet as I felt Wrath Flames just barely miss me, obviously scanning the environment for my Flames, but failing due to there being almost none to find.

" _We will now begin the tournament for the Vongola succession."_

Looking away from wine-red eyes, I focused on one of the two attending Cervello girls, her mild voice carrying through the scene. On her cue, the Sun arena lit up in blinding light, my eyes throbbing from the sudden bombardment after so long in the twilight.

"What the heck is that?!" The Vongola heir yelped, stepping back from the imposing structure.

"A special ring we have prepared for the Guardians of the Sun Ring." The forward most replied, before her double carried on.

"We have set up this ring in accordance with the abilities of the given Sun Guardians. Each versing combatants will be given their own special combat arenas."

"What!? That thing's huge!"

Tsuna, please, let the ladies talk.

"Must've laid down a tonne of cash for it." Belphegor chuckled in all his princely glory.

"Yeah, but we know who's going to win." Mammon hummed, nestled on the hand of the faux-Cloud.

I broke my gaze from the Varia to look at the Vongola, raising my eyebrow when Takeshi looked at the Sun arena appreciatively.

"These conditions look perfect for you, Sasagawa-kun."

"The ring is my territory." My fellow third year smirked, thumping his fist into his hand as he began the adrenaline rush.

The ring is Ryohei's territory? Well, I can't deny that.

"Ah! I'm so nervous!" The young Vongola Sky cried, crouching as he clutched his head.

A sympathetic smile came to my face as I watched the spectacle, the barely concealed bubbling of trepidation working away at the walls of my mind as I prepared to watch my childhood friend get more beat up than he really deserved.

"Someone's _glaring_ at you, Mammon-chan." The Varia Storm giggled, causing the Mist to shift in annoyance.

"I know," He hummed, turning to the blond teen. "He's not even a Guardian. I should charge him a fee for watching."

I sent Reborn a glance, the Arcobaleno showing no outward reaction to the jab, his face a blank slate if not a bit disconcerted.

"Guardians of the Sun Ring, please come to the centre of the arena." The Cervello girls called, causing the two Suns to snap to attention.

"Time to have fun! Watch me Boss, I'm gonna shine tonight!" Lussuria exclaimed, waving as Xanxus turned the other cheek.

"I look forwards to watching, Lussuria-san."

"Knock 'em dead."

The flamboyant man gave a giggle as he turned back to the structure and continued on his way, hands in feather-lined pockets.

Shifting my gaze, I focused on the Namimori residence, biting my inner cheek to stop myself from making a loud noise of amusement when I saw Takeshi and Ryohei physically drag the other two teens into their circle of friendship and rainbows.

"Go, Ryohei-kun!" They cheered with varying enthusiasm, my own muted one joining them as they carried on.

With the competing men in the ring, the two pink haired women stepped up, preparing to speak again, only for the suited Arcobaleno to interrupt, raising his hand to draw attention.

"I'm sorry, but we're still waiting on someone." Reborn announced, making the people around him blink in confusion.

"Waiting for someone? You mean Mukuro-san, the Mist guy?" Takeshi asked, squatting to reach the hitman's level.

I took in a large, silent breath, the name ringing clearly in my ears prematurely.

Why do they know that Mukuro is their Mist? Was it…Shit! My platypus! The TYL toy had its name _stitched_ into the spine!

Biting my knuckles, I slowly calmed my nerves, trying to reassure myself that there were no serious repercussions of this event. A little foresight for the Vongola wouldn't change anything. But how did I let that slip past me? I should have covered the kanji the second I saw it! I guess I can just thank my lucky stars that they seemed to overlook the detail when the battle between them had taken place, panic obviously blinding them to the memory.

"No, no. Not Mukuro-san, someone else." The Sun corrected, shaking his head.

There was someone _else_ that needed to be there?

I scanned the parties before me, mentally listing off each person as I tried to remember if there was a vacant spot.

Was Shamal the missing person or something?

"The area is sealed off, no one can enter the Namimori Middle school grounds as of fifteen minutes ago. Whoever you're waiting on will not be arriving." One Cervello woman stated, making me frown in concern.

The Vongola team showed outwards worry, glancing between Reborn and the moderators as they tried to find the missing mate.

"Oh, that's no problem. He's already here. Has been for a while." The Sun Arcobaleno reassured, a sliver of panic entering my mind as people reacted, and the hell baby turned his void gaze on me.

"Well, you coming out?"

Maybe he's not talking to me? Is Mukuro here? Chrome? Hibari?

"Who're you talking to, Reborn-san?" Tsuna asked, voicing my own question.

"Come out. Now."

Suddenly, there was a gun in his chubby hands and bullet holes where my feet once were, my body already airborne before I could register the threat. Tapping down on the concrete, my unamused expression was turned on the little hitman as he coaxed Leon out of his firearm from, the lizard wiggling its scaly body in greeting.

" _Yamaguchi-san!?"_

" _Fuckin' giant!?"_

" _Daiki-kun!"_

" _EXTREME ENTRANCE BRO!"_

"Hi guys." I hummed, waving half-assedly, my mind reeling in the background.

Casting my eyes over the Varia, I fought to keep my expression blank as memories and facts bombarded my mind, Belphegor's smile dropping for some reason as my attention shifted to the next down the line. Shoving my hands into my pocket, I rolled my shoulders as the strap of my bag dug into the muscle from the jump, my gaze on the de-aged man, waiting for him to explain himself.

"Well, I'm here. What do you want?"

Reborn looked up at me with his usual smile, the one that told you he was running the show, and pointed to the cage that contained my fellow Suns.

"Wow, Ryohei-kun's in a ring! Don't see that everyday!" I gasped, voice absolutely saturated in sarcasm.

"What are you waiting for, Yamaguchi-san? Get in the ring with Sasagawa-san."

My head snapped back to black eyes so fast that I was legitimately surprised I didn't get whiplash, my own eyes wide in disbelief.

He couldn't possibly…

"Pardon me?" I managed, just barely capping the pleading tone.

"You're pardoned. Get in the ring, and acquire the Sun ring from Lussuria." He said slowly, as if talking to a particularly slow child.

"No."

The statement was harsh and swift, perfectly mirroring the steps I took to put distance between myself and the Mafia group.

"No way, Reborn-san. I ain't getting tangled up in this crap." I continued, steeling myself against the unimpressed look the baby was giving me.

"Heh!? Reborn-san, I thought Nii-san was the Guardian of the Sun Ring. How can Yamaguchi-san be fighting?" Tsuna yelped, coming to the non-child's height.

The hitman turned to his student and began explaining for not just him, but the rest of the company, the Varia muttering to themselves as things got out of hand.

"Sasagawa Ryohei is the Sun Guardian, but so is Yamaguchi Daiki. They complement each other, so having them both would benefit the family much more than only possessing one."

"But Sasagawa-kun has the Ring." Takeshi joined, ignoring my turmoil.

"Yes, that's because there is only one ring to possess. Sasagawa-san is the Ring Bearer, but that does not make Yamaguchi-san any less of a Guardian."

No, no, no, no. I can't be a _Guardian!_ Like _fuck!_ That's like, 'things to not become no.1'!

Oh, how much damage have I caused to canon!? They know about Mukuro, there's an extra Guardian- what next, Tsuna's going to start taking the Vongola seriously?

"Bro! Look at this EXTREMELY cool ring they got for us!"

I glanced at the ring, gritting my teeth as Ryohei waved ecstatically, his blood obviously pumping at the mere mention of a fight.

"Those who represent the Sun Guardian must participate in the match. If any of the Guardians do not step up, the match will be counted as forfeit." One of the masked girls declared, standing stiffly beside one of her many twins.

They need that ring in order to tie.

I glanced at Tsuna, he was sweating profusely, panic obvious on his face. Takeshi's jaw was set, his grip jumping unsteadily. Gokudera was chewing on the end of his cigarette, sending me the harshest glare I had yet to receive from him.

They need that ring in order to _win_.

"EXTREME! Is Daiki-kun gonna fight with me!?" Ryohei roared, the sound abusing my ears.

I didn't need to stay here and participate, I doubt Reborn would actually stop me if he saw how willing I was to abandon the 'Family'. Nothing truly bad would befall me if I were to turn on my heel and forget this ever happened…But they'd be in a _world_ of trouble. Would they be able to regain their ground if they didn't get the Sun? Would they survive this encounter if they rightfully lost?

Unlikely, to both.

Tilting my head back, I gripped my bag tight, before yanking it off my shoulder and letting it drop beside the Arcobaleno, my teeth bared in annoyance as I undid my tie.

"Fucking hell!" I hissed, Tsuna physically flinching back at the tone as I stormed up to the ring.

Am I doing this? Am I _really_ doing this?

Stepping up beside my friend, I held back the agitated rumble in my throat as the girls began explaining again, my temper drowning out whatever the hell they were talking about.

"Eh? Daiki-kun, aren't you going to strip down for me?"

I looked to the call and grimaced when I saw the green haired man gaze at me from in front of Ryohei, his hands just barely holding back from groping the poor teen. Glancing over my fellow third year's body, I gave an annoyed, yet relieved, huff when I saw him chained to the Vongola Sun Ring, keeping the damned thing away from me.

"Like hell I am, Lussuria-onee-chan."

The area was still for a moment.

" _ONEE-CHAN!?"_

My God, they're all so loud.

I gritted my teeth as the volume did wonders to my aggression, the simmering anger coming to a boil as Tsuna flailed for reason.

" _Why does Yamaguchi-san know the enemy!?"_

" _Oi, baseball freak. You seen this guy around the giant before? You're always with him."_

" _No...I've never seen him. I'd remember someone like that."_

"Wah, Daiki-kun, you're so mean to me! Please can I see? I swear to only take _some_ pictures." The older Sun bargained, fluttering over to me.

"No."

"Daiki-kun, have a heart!"

"Bro, you EXTREMELY know this guy?!" Ryohei bellowed, stepping up closer.

"Yeah- well, sorta. He's been texting me since we met at the bakery." I huffed, before looking to the Cervello girls, urging them to get this damned conflict on with.

"EXTREMELY STOP!"

"My God, Ryohei-kun, can we just get this over with!?"

I blinked when a finger was suddenly jabbed at my face, the possessor giving me a stern look as determination burned in his eyes.

"You are not starting this EXTREME fight until you put them on!" He roared, making me bite the inside of my cheek.

Put them on? My brass?

"You want me to use my brass knuckles." I grunted, both Suns across from me lighting up as the words left my mouth.

"You have brass knuckles?!" Lussuria squealed, his hands coming together in glee.

"EXTREME! Get them on, brother! WE'LL FIGHT TO THE EXTREME!"

"Put 'em on! Put 'em on, lovely!"

The loudest sigh yet left me as I unlocked my brass, metal clinking softly as the chain fell out of the finger holes. Slipping the set on, I flexed my hands as they became comfortable, my fellow Suns all but bouncing in excitement.

"Fine. I'm all set." I huffed, trying -and failing- to settle my temper before the conflict started.

The two masked girls nodded and motioned for us to separate, Lussuria's jacket flying off his shoulders with flourish before fluttering to the floor of the ring with way too much grace. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Ryohei, I frowned as the two males grinned with adrenaline, fishing through my mind for ways to a) survive this, and b) get out of this. Though, the latter seemed an impossibility.

This is going to be hard to win, I doubt Lussuria will go easy on me, prior affiliation or not. As a matter of fact, our association might just make him more willing to crush me.

I gritted my teeth as Ryohei fell into a familiar boxing stance, a sourness filling me as my mind flashed through ways I could use that form against him, before a chuckle drew my attention to the flamboyant man across from us.

"Boxing? So unstylish!" He cried, before moving his body, flipping his mohawk.

"I'll fight you with Muay Thai, it has the strongest throws in all of martial arts."

A grin split his face before he turned his gaze on me, an eyebrow coming to rise when he looked at my crossed arms.

"What kind of style are you going to use, Daiki-kun? Boxing, like your cute little friend here?"

I opened my mouth to give him an oral flip off, only to have my right eardrum blown out as the Vongola Sun released a huge sound.

" _HE WILL USE THE EXTREME STYLE OF BATS!"_

Cupping my ear, I winced as the ringing slowly faded, the desire to stomp on his foot rising as the declaration caused our mutual opponent to become excited.

"Oho? Bats? What does that mean?" The man giggled, still balancing on one foot.

"It'-"

"-Hardly matters. Right, Ryohei-kun?" I hissed, watching him pout as I cut off his grand explanation.

The Cervello women seemed to finally deem the time for talk to be over, both of them coming to attention as they declared my death sentence. My teeth gritted and my fists clenched around the palm-piece of the brass knuckles, anger replenishing as the girls reminded me of the absolute fuckery taking place.

" _The battle for the Sun Ring, Lussuria vs Sasagawa Ryohei and Yamaguchi Daiki, begins now."_

I really hate the Mafia.

* * *

 **Story in Father's Letter: Extract from** ' _ **A Funny Story'**_ **from the RPG Horror game** ' _ **The Witch's House'.**_

* * *

 **|SIDEKICK COMMENT-|**

Nope. Not today.

'Tis a special chapter, so there should be something equally special.

 **|SPECIAL EDITION: LeNoRi & Plunny INTERACTIONS OF CH. 20_Version Reader Insert|**

You gasp mentally after reading the chapter. How _dare_ she?! _Another_ cliffhanger?!

'Man,' you think. 'If she wouldn't update so fast _and_ I wouldn't be so addicted to this-'

Suddenly, the subway telly flickers on and off, images buzzing wildly.

You frown, and wait for that grumpy old person that loves to grumble about the horrors of technology to have a field day.

But nothing happens. The telly is still broken, you are still frowning, the subway is still as ever-  
Wait.

You look around wildly. That's right. Everybody is frozen. Or more like _everything_.  
(Everything except _you_.)

Before you can start shaking the guy next to you the speakers turn on with a crackle, and an _obviously_ edited voice- _nobody_ is _that_ chirpy and happy- is broadcasted.

" _Greetings everyone! This show is sponsored by PlunniesAreSneakyShits &Co. I am your hostess ThePlotbunnyBreeder, also 'Plunny' for short, and today's Event is the remembrance of this wonderful and e_special _ly_ special _Chhhhhhaaaaaaapppppptttttteeeeeeeerrrrrrrr!_

 _ ***wild applause***_

 _Woah there, I haven't even told 'ya what it is!_

 _ ***murmurings, occasional shouting and laughter***_

 _...Wait, you guys already know? It's in the title? What am I here then?! What is this_ _ ***beep***_ _?! I demand a refund-_

 _ ***bzzzzzzzzz***_ "

You blink, trying to process what just happened. A part of you is screaming to sock that woman that is trying to pickpocket a kiddo in the face, one part is satisfied in knowing that you were right- the voice _was_ fake, and another part is just screaming.

Before you can do anything, your phone buzzes and you see that the chapter _you were just reading a minute ago_ became longer, words being typed right across your eyes.  
('Whoever is doing this,' you think. 'Has really bad taste in horror.')

You read the words.  
('Special Edition? What? Some variant of Sidekick Commentary?')

 **L:** Drown me in holy water.  
 **L:** Pray for my soul after Tsuyoshi has had his way  
 **P:** I will. My culture has a custom to burn paper stuff for the dead. Paper phones, paper cars, etc. Should I do that?

 **L:** *highlighted "I am not trash"*  
 **L:** I really am, depending on the topic.  
 **P:** Shhhhhh... Let's be undercover trash- together. Delivering our trash over the world. Via this fic.

 **L:** *highlighted "-Yamaguchi Yamada"*  
 **L:** Hey Dad, long time no see! (Dick)  
 **P:** Oh, that _*ss_. F*ck him.

 **L:** *highlighted "You'll turn into a snake."*

 **L:** My mum used to say this to me all the time as a kid.

 **L:** That, and if you don't wash your hands you'll turn into a dog.  
 **P:** My mum said I'll turn into a pig...

 **L:** *highlighted "You have brass knuckles"*

 **L:** Lussuria is a strange one. A strange one indeed.

 **L:** It started raining on me as I wrote this

 **P:** Watch out! Maybe it'll start hailing!

 **P:** It sure did on me...

 **BONUS:**

 **L:** "Still fiddling with a few parts, still needing to chug holy water."

 **P:** *huehuehuehue-s dumbly in front of screen*

 ***hours later***

 **P:** *looks around for threats* *finds none*

 **P:** *softly* huehuehuehuehuehuehue...

You crack a smile, and with that, the world resets itself again.

'I guess that weird chick, Plunny?, is right. That _was_ an especially good chapter.'

The stop you need to get out is the next, and before that, you still need to rescue a kiddo from being pickpocketed.

('But seriously,' you muse later while fiddling for your keys. 'That Plunny-chick was weird as fu-' You halt, eyes widening, replaying what you just did unconsciously.

You just 'huehuehuehue'-ed.)

(Somewhere in the universe, the 'weird Plunny-chick' cackled confusedly.

"Why did you cackle confusedly? How does that even _work_?"

"I dunno, man. I dunno. I think I accidentally did a nefarious deed?"

"...Why are you like this. _Why_ are we friends?"

"Oi!")

…

...I have done good. Probably. Yes.  
(Should I do this more often? It's kinda fun.)


	21. Chapter 21

**Word Count:11,314**

* * *

 _The Cervello women seemed to finally deem the time for talk to be over, both of them coming to attention as they declared my death sentence. My teeth gritted and my fists clenched around the palm-piece of the brass knuckles, anger replenishing as the girls reminded me of the absolute fuckery taking place._

" _The battle for the Sun Ring, Lussuria vs Sasagawa Ryohei and Yamaguchi Daiki, begins now."_

 _I really fucking hate the Mafia._

* * *

 ** **|S.T|****

Tsuna stood at the door of the Skylark's nest, his usual fear replaced by cautious hesitation as the restless Rain and irritated Storm bustled behind him. Seeming to reach his limit, Gokudera reached around his Sky, slamming the barrier open and prompting him to step inside, Yamamoto following after at a more reserved pace.

"Oi, bastard! Where the hell is the fucking giant!?"

Tsuna flinched away from the roar, his eyes darting between the DC head and his friend.

Yamaguchi Daiki. They hadn't seen their upperclassman since the conclusion of the battle for the Sun Ring.

Hibari looked up from the papers in front of him, little piles stationed around his desk. He gave the invading trio a bland look, completely uninterested in their plight and worry for the missing third year, before reclining back in his chair, the leather giving squeaks and wheezes.

"Why would I know where the Chattering Herbivore is? He is free to roam."

Yamamoto deflated at his side, frown curving deeper on his face. Since the disappearance, the Rain had been quite, not breaking into laughter or smiles like he usually did. This was no doubt caused by the absence of his fiancé, the engagement ring that hung around his neck subjected to regular fiddling.

"Oh...Okay then, thanks, Hibari-san." Tsuna breathed, the bomber stepping back and shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Now, get out or _kamiko-"_

The Vongola Sky was out the door before the Cloud could finish his threat, his Right Hand trailing after.

" _Are you sure you can't tell me where Daiki-kun is?"_ Yamamoto asked, still within the reception room.

" _If he doesn't want to be found, he won't be."_ Came the blunt response.

" _True...If you find him, tell him that the notes really helped us. Tsuna-san and I got above 70 percent this time."_

The small boy paused and looked to his book bag, the notes written by Yamaguchi slipped neatly inside, a stark contrast compared to his own, cramped and crumpled work.

" _Hm, tell him yourself when he calms down."_

" _..."_

The Rain came out of the room with a downcast look, the Storm giving a tsk of annoyance, his shoe scuffing the floor of the hall.

"Sorry, Yamamoto-kun. It's my fault that Yamaguchi-san's avoiding us." Tsuna apologised, lowering his head as brown eyes shifted to him.

"It's not your fault, Tsuna-san. I should have spoken up when I noticed how against it he was." He sighed, shaking his head as his hands came to pinch at his ring.

Gokudera gave a sound of aggravation before whipping out a cigarette, the fire catching the end of the cancer stick.

"Whatever." The Storm huffed, blowing a lungful of smoke out of his mouth.

"He's bound to show up sooner or later, right? The fucking giant is too invested in his education to not attend classes and do his homework like a _good little boy_."

Tsuna bit his lip as Yamamoto bristled momentarily, bringing his decorum back under control before the mocking teen could notice.

"Right! Yamaguchi-san wouldn't dream of skipping school! Especially with Hibari-san breathing down his neck! He'll show up, eventually!" The Sky yelped, bringing focus to the Storm's legitimate point before the Rain could snap and cause even more unrest.

"Yeah...I guess so." The swordsman breathed, looking unwell as he turned and began walking back to their class, the bell accompanying his departure.

The Vongola watched after him worriedly, guilt flooding his system as he noticed the tight fist that had become of the other's hand.

Ah, if he had just been able to tell Reborn to shove off!

"Damn Yamaguchi-san, why the hell is he able to get such a reaction out of us?" Gokudera hissed quietly, stalking down the hall.

Because he's our friend.

Tsuna gave a glance to the door again, frowning as his mind told him something was wrong, before shaking it off and chasing after his Guardians.

 **|S.T|**

* * *

".. Thanks, Hibari-san." I breathed, my legs drawn up to my chest as his feet nudged my side.

The Skylark gave a noise before rolling his chair back, light bathing my little hide away as he looked down at me.

"Hm, why are you hiding, Chattering Herbivore?" Hibari grunted, jabbing me gently.

Pausing, I looked to the far side of my cover, Hibari's obscenely large desk managing to cater to my own size.

"I've made too many mistakes as of late, and they're all starting to make themselves known."

The Skylark gave me a most unimpressed look, slate eyes showing annoyance and exasperation as they gazed down at me.

"So your solution is to hide? You're being childish, handler."

A frown touched my face as no argument came to mind, knowing full well he was right. My hand came up and gently rubbed my shoulder, bruises recolored and stitches renewed.

"I know...but I'm scared."

* * *

A grunt of surprise left me as my eyes were bombarded with light, the split second hum of electricity sounding around the arena as UV lights bathed our bodies in warmth. I brought my hands over my brow as my lids closed instinctively, Ryohei in a similar condition at my side.

" _Ah! So bright!"_ Tsuna yelped from a distance. " _What is this?! The ring's shining!"_

They expect us to fight blind, and seeing Flames wouldn't help me. Not this time.

My grimace intensified as the limit of whatever 'Flame Sight' I had gotten showed up again, the non-Flame attacks that made up Lussuria's arsenal giving me an upper hand in anything but having an idea of what he was going to throw at me.

"This ring is illuminated by an artificial sun designed especially for the battle between the Guardians of the Sun Ring. It is a sun coliseum." A masked woman informed, shades exchanging hands in the Vongola party.

I became alert as Lussuria's Sun Flame started moving, quickly advancing on my partner with hostile intent. Stepping before I registered doing so, I planted my feet solidly on the concrete of the arena and heaved loudly, an impossibly hard knee grinding against my fractured and bruised ribs, winding me as well as undoing any healing that could have taken place.

" _Ah, Yamaguchi-san!"_

" _Shit, fucking giant what the hell!?"_

Taking deep, pained breaths, I gritted my teeth as I felt waves of barely restrained emotions waft off of the Flames surrounding us, disorientating me for a few blaring moments.

"Bro, you took a hit for me?!" Ryohei roared into my ear.

"Of course, there was no way you were going to get out of that." I coughed, a shudder of the repercussions rattling my ribs.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit, I've really done it now. I'm wading waist deep in fuckery, ain't I?

My hand came to my front to cradle the blow, my friend's fist gently bumping my back in reassurance as well as identification. Damn, Lussuria's knee was hard as fu-

Doesn't...Doesn't that guy have, like, a metal knee implant?

"Ohoho? Daiki-kun, you managed to intercept my attack!" The flamboyant Sun chirped, his position moving further back in caution.

"Did I really?" I asked sarcastically, flinching as the stitches in my front throbbed.

"You're a lot more muscular than you seem, darling. I like you even more now!"

Ryohei gave a sound of competitive annoyance before stepping out from behind me, giving sharp jabs to the area around him as he blindly tried to land a blow on the opposing Sun.

"Hey, Ryohei-kun." I hissed, grabbing his shoulder and dragging him back to me until he was flush against my front and I could mutter into his ear.

Bringing my hand up to cup my mouth, I ignored the high pitched squeal that left the Varia member across from us, his fire flickering in a certain joy.

"That guy, Lussuria-onee-chan, be careful of his knee. It felt too hard to be natural, metallic almost."

The boxer shifted against me, an annoyed sound leaving him at the idea of restraints on his punches, before he voiced his disagreements.

"I can't see him! How am I meant to know if I'm punching his knee or his face!?" He roared, blowing any cover I had made for us.

Dropping my hand, I gave a throaty noise of done-ness, before yanking him to look at me, pressing our foreheads together to shade our eyes and allow him to see and obey my next order.

"Fine. In that case, make sure that when you punch, you do so with the intent to _break._ "

It was obvious, the exact moment the command clicked in place. Ryohei's eyes widened and his whole arm tensed as his fists clenched, flashes going off behind his eyes as he planned out the moves and strength required to pull off the feats expected of him.

"Okay, Daiki-kun." He huffed, coming back to attention.

Giving a nod, I pulled back, the two of us squinting as the cover was removed and we were subjected to the blearing lights again. My fists came up as I viewed Lussuria again, careful to keep all the other occupants of the ring in my perspective.

"Here I come!" The Varia Sun sang, moving forwards swiftly.

I tensed as he came in front of me, preparing to defend against metal plated blows, only for his footing to throw him to the side, the sound of heavy impact and a grunt of pain telling me he had landed a solid punch on my partner.

" _Nii-san!"_ Tsuna yelped, confirming my suspicions.

"You're getting nearer to my perfect body! My idea of that is ravaged, unmoving and rapidly cooling." Our opposing Sun cooed, making an obscenely loud ' _slurp'_ as he licked his lips.

Gritting my teeth, I launched myself away from Lussuria's reach, a _woosh_ of air showing me just how close a call that had been. Tapping down on the floor a bit further back, I watched Ryohei come to his feet, Flame still steady despite the near-KO.

"Screw you!"

A grunt of success left me as the Varia member was sent flying back with brutal force, my allied Sun connecting our first attack. I couldn't help the twitch of my lip as the groan of regret left Lussuria, the man obviously not expecting the punch to be as hard as it was.

"Good on ya, sunshine!" I called, a roar of approval leaving the other.

"Owwy! Daiki-kun, don't encourage violence against the fabulous!"

Shit! Damn it, that punch needed more strength!

"Wait, I can sense him…He's in the air!" Ryohei muttered, Flame shifting to a more stable version of his own.

My breath hitched as I scanned the ring, realising just what Lussuria had done. He had separated us.

"You're not getting away this time! You're mine!"

The ground started moving under me as I launched myself across the ring, knowing full well I wasn't going to make it in time, the cocky lilt to the Varia Sun's Flame telling me he knew it too. I clenched my brass as I sped up, because like hell I wasn't going to try.

"Ryohei-kun, careful of his knee-"

 _Crunch_

Ryohei let out a choke of pain as his body was flung back, crashing against the ropes before splaying across the floor in muted agony.

"Shit, shit, shit." I hissed, stationing myself in front of my downed partner and across from Lussuria.

"I have overcome adversity just as the Guardian of the Sun should! My left leg has a steel plate embedded in it. A metal knee. Your poor hand is useless now, no doubt."

I gave a warning growl as he inched towards us, the result being a large step back and a bout of laughter.

"Come now, Daiki-kun, No need to be so angry! I just gave him a little... _nudge_!"

Immediately, my arms came up, my body jolting as they took the impact of a bone shattering kick, the shout of pain the left the attacking Sun confusing the people around us. Despite the block, I was still sent flying with amazing strength, a muted gag of pain leaving me as my back made contact with the blunt bars of the cage.

Cold dread flashed across my hazed mind as I felt a snapping release in my skin, my only saving grace being the pained Varia Sun hopping around as he clutched his abused shin.

" _What's wrong?! Why is that guy hurt?"_

" _Lussuria what the fuck!? The hell happened there!?"_

"I thought your knee was impossibly hard. Fortunately," I breathed as I began rolling up my sleeves. "You're not the only one with a bit of metal on them."

"Forearm guards!? Daiki-kun, why must you tease me?" He cried, pouting as he rubbed the expanse.

Grunting with effort, I grabbed the bar behind me and dragged myself to my feet the last few stitches giving out as muscle and skin shifted to allow for the stretch and movement.

"Fuck. Doc's gonna bash my head in." I hissed, feeling my bandages wetten and stick to me, sounds leaving the Varia behind me.

" _Shishishishi,_ is that blood I see?"

"Even Lussuria-san's kicks aren't that destructive. He must have been injured prior to this." Mammon noted dully, making the boys on the other side of the cage perk up as they pieced together what the fuss was about.

"Daiki-kun! Your stitches!" Takeshi yelped, spying the redness on the bars as I pushed off the edge and raised my fists again to knock off another attack sent at my head.

"Yamaguchi-san's still hurt from before!"

Stop talking. Stop talking- _You're all the reason why I'm here!_

Dropping to one knee, I managed to avoid a foot the face, and by rotating on my hand, I forced Lussuria to become airborne, my legs kicking over to switch to a painful cartwheel as I dodged another kick. With my stitches burst, I seemed to have thrown all previous caution to the wind, no longer having anything to consider as I twisted my body and slammed my knee into vacated space.

With a wince, I brought my arm up and let out a hisses breath between my teeth, the sounds of metal screeching against metal filling my ears and making me shiver involuntarily as Lussuria's knee clashed with my arm guards. Again and again, I was forced to defend against the other, having no time to sent blows of my own at him as legs, arms and fists came at me with bruising speed.

"Why do you know where I am? Can you see me or something!?" He whined, running at me full speed.

"Yes, because these fucking lights totally aren't burning my pupils to hell or anything." I responded with heavy sarcasm, stepping out of his range and dodging to the side when he tried to bulldoze me.

"Don't be lying to onee-chan, Daiki-kun."

"I'm not lying. I legitimately can't see shit!"

God, it's hot as hell in here. I'm fine, the litre of water I had downed before stepping into the ring coming to my rescue, but Ryohei's Flame was showing signs of fatigue, tongues becoming sluggish and weak.

"God damn it, why is it so _fucking hot!?_ "

"Oh, would you like me to leave, then?" Lussuria asked, pausing his barrage.

' _Smack!'_

I think Squalo just facepalmed.

"I'm gonna attack you, now."

Launching myself at the other man, I slammed my fist down into the suddenly vacated concrete, a grunt leaving me as flecks of the surface grazed my face and the repercussions of the action reverberated up my arm, pin pricks stabbing my skin.

"Waa!" The man gasped, surprise lacing his voice. "Daiki-kun is stronger than I thought!"

Swinging around, I grunted when I felt my heel connect with the other Sun, a hiss leaving my as I felt something, that definitely wasn't sweat, drip down to my pant line, an itch forming in some places. With a huff I quickly shot off, the painful cartwheels and stabbing dodges finally getting me to where I needed.

Moving swiftly, I came in front of Ryohei, ignoring the sounds of distress that left the Vongola team as they saw the, what used to be white, back of my uniform shirt. Planting my feet in the concrete, I batted away a blow to my head.

"Oho, Daiki-kun managed to get back to his damsel!"

Sounds of pain left my partner as he grabbed my shirt, a disgusting ' _shluck_ ' emanating as the material peeled from my skin to take the strain of his body. I leant forwards to balance as Ryohei pulled himself to his feet, swaying slightly as he painted his hand red on my back.

" _Use your own strength! Kora!"_

A Flame rivalling the size of Reborn's appeared in my view, bright, blue and powerful enough to make me wonder how I hadn't noticed it before.

Colonello?

"VOOIII! So that runt's Colonello-san, one of the Arcobaleno, huh!?" Squalo roared, crossing his arms.

"I got stuck with Kyoko-chan, so I'm late. _Kora._ It's about time, show him your true strength, Ryohei-kun!"

My friend's Sun Flame flashed at the order, making my head snap to the size as if it would help my perspective.

"Colonello-shisho, that's all I needed to hear!" Ryohei bellowed, his hand coming off my back and releasing the pressure on the newly opened wounds

A sizzling reached my ears as perspiration began scenting the air, annoyance bubbling in my stomach as I noticed the sudden dryness of our skin despite the copious amount of sweat that dripped from us just prior.

Was it really that hot?

"There is a difference between our bodies. You won't last longer under these lights, you especially, my dear Daiki-kun." Lussuria hummed before giggling maniacally.

"I can't wait for you two to become part of my collection! Reborn-san was right, you two have to come in a set!"

Just. Take. _Ryohei!_ You don't need me, for God's _fucking_ sake! That boy can take you alone!

I bristled as the Sun behind me swayed on his feet, fists raised but leaning closely to me as a precaution in case of his knees buckling.

"Looking like that will do you no good; your punches have little effect on me!"

"Maybe," He huffed, perspiration disappearing off my shoulder almost instantly. "But so far, I've only used my left hand!"

I twitched as the memory came back, the lack of current visuals unhelpful when it came to these details.

"This right hand of mine is for overcoming EXTREME disadvantages!" My fellow Sun roared, stepping out from behind me and coming shoulder to shoulder.

"Oh my, how comical!" Lussuria cheered.

"I don't know how strong this punch you've been saving up is, but...It makes no difference if you can't hit me!"

Shit. Lussuria's fast.

Gritting my teeth I tried and failed to lock onto the fleeting Sun Flame, wisps left behind by the fragile tongues only giving me a hint as to where he had gone to.

Ryohei let out a grunt of pain as he was struck, the solid sound of his body bouncing off the walls reaching my ears just before a metallic knee was shoved beneath my ribs, the air in my lungs rushing out of me as I dropped.

"Now, now, Daiki-kun, don't get distracted!"

Giving a huff, I pulled myself to my feet again, my allied Sun doing the same.

"I'm not done yet." He choked, back no doubt bruised to hell. "Let's go."

A low hum left me as I saw his Flame settle, the random sputters of energy finally coming under control and concentration.

"The second you miss, will be your last."

For some reason, I don't think he's gonna miss.

I watched Lussuria's Flame dance around us before Ryohei flared, a shout of success leaving him before the Varia went flying.

"Maximum Cannon!"

The faint sound of Lussuria's glasses cracking reached my ears as he gave a grunt of pain, a whoosh following as he flipped himself to land on his feet.

I tilted my head as a faint tinkling reached my ears, not in front, or behind, but above…

Ryohei released a roar as he quickly doused the ring in darkness, bulbs shattering as glass came falling to the ground.

"Looks like we're evenly matched now, hey, Daiki-kun?"

Slowly lowering my arms from above my head, I opened my eyes, allowing them to adjust the difference, before looking to the opposing Sun.

"'Bout time too." I huffed, falling into a mirroring stance.

"...It makes no difference whether you can see or not, though I would like to know how the force of his punch managed to destroy those lights!"

"Lussuria-san," Belphegor called, a rather conniving smile on his face. "Look closely at his body."

Following his instruction, both the Varia and I looked to my partner, a moment of confusion passing me as I noticed that Ryohei was literally _sparkling._

"Oi, Ryohei-kun, you're sparkling."

"Huh? Thanks!"

"No as in-"

"Crystalised salt? I see, you were dehydrated from sweating, and the heat from the lights made the moisture evaporate! But the salt from the swea-"

"Yeah, and he shot it off like bullets, we get it, Lussuria-onee-chan." I grunted, cutting him off.

"Can we get this over with? I'm not exactly having a great time over here."

The older man gave me a disapproving look before pouting, his arms coming to cross as a hand cupped his cheek.

"What's wrong, Daiki-kun? You've been grumpy this whole time! Lussuria-onee-chan doesn't like it when her little Daiki-kun is grumpy!"

I gave a noise off annoyance and thinning patience, before obliging and answering the other.

"I'm not here of my own will, like you are. Let's put it like that."

The Vongola party behind me shifted awkwardly, obviously knowing my bitterness was sent at them.

"Aw! But you should be excited to fight me!"

"Perhaps if I weren't almost forced into this cage at gun point, I might've been."

No. No, I wouldn't be. Lussuria's _scary_ as all fuck.

"Okay, okay. Let's get back to it then, hey, cutie?" He cooed, looking to Ryohei.

"Here I come-Eh?"

The Varia Sun stood atop the third year's head in a show of speed and balance, his arms still crossed as he let out hooting laughter.

"Oh please, don't make me laugh so hard! My abs will get more define-!"

Once again, the flamboyant man was cut off as he was thrown across the ring, his back crashing against the bars on the far side as I slowly drew myself out of the end position, a scowl on my face.

"As I said, Lussuria-onee-chan, I intend to end this fast. Stepping up my own game is unavoidable."

Ryohei blinked at me as I slowly began calling for my strained Flame, it's ember form erupting back to its original size. Out from behind the now standing Varia Sun, I noticed Xanxus glance my way, easily recognising the disobedient Flame from before.

"Ooh, there are those Flames of yours! They're so... _flexible._ " Lussuria cooed, patting himself down.

"Oh well, I have no fear of either of you, really. All that concerned me was that punch you threw before, my little cutie. I thought you broke the lights through sheer force, but I guess there really is only one man who could do that, the one who earned the designation of the Shining Punch: the first Guardian of the Sun. But, as for your paltry technique, even I could do that."

Moving my feet sharply, I got myself out of the Sun's reach as he launched himself into our space, a low curse leaving me when Ryohei wasn't as lucky, and only narrowly missed the punch. The lights shattered above us again, but I gave no time for the man to boast as I ran back, a glance to Ryohei getting him ready to go.

We weren't doing well in terms of what we were expected to do, cooperation wasn't our highest of priorities at the moment. Boxing was an individual's sport, sharing the ring with an ally was unheard of, as well as jarring. Add this to our current emotional instability, my anger and Ryohei's confusion, and you have two gears that just weren't going to click.

But that was fine. We didn't need to work. The easiest way to solve this issue; get rid of the less useful piece. And I was more than happy to step down. We didn't need to figure ourselves out, no need to work out a system. We just needed that Ring, then I was outta here. For good, this time.

Swinging my fist as Reborn went on about ' _Varia quality'_ , I stepped back and around Ryohei as he filled my space and swapped styles on Lussuria, making the man fumble for a moment as he swapped mind frames. Coming up behind the flamboyant man, I swiped my leg out at him, forcing the Sun to jump, his newly airborne state giving him no way to avoid the punch sent to his stomach.

"Alright!" Ryohei cheered, Lussuria now standing awkwardly a little distance away from us.

"Aww! Look at you two finally getting along!"

"That's not something you should be happy about." I muttered, casting a look to my friend before launching myself at the Varia Sun.

Reeling my arm back, I prepared to punch the flamboyant man with as much power as I could muster, knowing full well that if Ryohei was having trouble, I needed to get rid of whatever moral hold I had on my strength. Lussuria saw this coming easily, and counteracted y raising his plated knee, my hand flying inches from it, before I tilted my head with wide eyes.

If I can't punch it…

My fist unravelled and my fingers hooked, the direction of my force being switched from forwards to a swift and brutal _down._

I can sure as hell _tear it of-_ Wait fuck!

The Varia Sun let out a shout of pain and surprise at the sudden yank as the metal implant was almost torn from its station, only to breath quickly and leap away when I freed him, wide eyes fixated on me through cracked lenses.

Not my job. Not my job. Not my job. Stay out of it Daiki. You don't mess with the predetermined.

" _What was that?"_

" _It looked like...Shit, was the fucking giant going to tear it off!?"_

" _Why'd Yamaguchi-san stop though? He had him, we saw!"_

Cause, that 'pleasure' belongs to Ryohei.

"You ready to go, sunshine?" I called over my shoulder, a flash of pride coming when Lussuria tested his knee to find the plate loose.

"..."

"Oi, what's wrong with you?!"

Ryohei seemed to snap out of whatever daze he was in, but couldn't pry his eyes from my back, forcing my to roll my eyes to high heaven.

"You _just_ realised? The guys out there had a little fit about it ages ago!" I hissed, making him look to me with a worried expression.

"Daiki-kun, look at the floor of the ring."

Blinking, I dropped my gaze and cringed. Ah shit, that'd be hell to clean up. Foot prints and skid marks all coloured half red dotted the ground, there wasn't an obnoxious amount, but there was enough to make itself known, and my head to finally feel light.

"I feel sorry for whoever is on cleanup duty, now let's get back to it. If you're really worried about my health, hurry up and get us out of here!"

Snapping my attention back to my self-proclaimed sister, I lept out of the way of another kick, glancing over my shoulder as Ryohei cooled himself down and set up for another Maximum Cannon. A turn on my heel allowed me to see the painful moment where a Sun fueled fist collided with the plated knee, potential energy buzzing wildly in the limb to the point of visibility.

"Fuck, Ryohei-kun!" I yelped running back and kicking at Lussuria, forcing the man to back away from my downed partner.

"Ah, that sure is a nice sound he's making there, Daiki-kun!" The flamboyant Varia cried, the last Sun letting out grunts and wheezes of pain.

Risking a look over my shoulder, I gritted my teeth as Ryohei pressed his head against the concrete floor, arm spasming as adrenaline tried to mute waves of pain. A hasty breath left me as I dropped, the shadow of a leg sailing over my head as I brought myself back around, Lussuria tsking at me.

"Now Daiki-kun you should know better than to look away from your opponent!"

Narrowing my eyes at him, I let myself snap up and launch my hand out, eyebrows rising up from behind tinted lenses as a ' _crack'_ sounded before the man was sent sprawling. It didn't take long for the pain to kick in, Lussuria's shout of pain reaching us from across the ring as he clutched his newly broken finger.

" _Hahaha! I hope you learnt your fucking lesson, Lussuria!"_ Squalo roared from outside, sword-adorned hand raised.

The Varia Sun got to his feet with a rather annoyed look on his face, before it was sloppily schooled into his usual smile.

"Owwy, this hurts. Onee-chan will forgive you, though, since I broke both of those boy's hands now."

" _Nii-san!"_

My eyes widened as I recognised the voice, head snapping around as Kyoko ran up to the ring, Hana following close.

A flash of orange made me turn my gaze across the group, my teeth crunching against each other when I saw the damned CEDEF man, looking all too pleased with the contents of this fucking cage.

Use this time. Use this time.

Shaking off the bubbling in my gut, I took advantage of the confusion and bustle that came with the new appearances, my foot moving back until it brushed Ryohei's broken hands. A gasp of pain left him when the contact was made, before he quietened, a warmth entering his skin as a faint glow came to the air between us.

"Nii-san, Ki-nii, what are you doing!?"

Lussuria finally turned his attention from me to face the younger girl, a self-satisfied smirk coming to his face as he made the connection.

"You're these two's little sister, hey? You came at the perfect time! Once I finish up dear Daiki-kun here, it'll be over for them!" He laughed, moving to spread his arms thematically.

"Nii-san, stop! You promised me you wouldn't do this anymore!" Kyoko cried, turning her gaze on me.

"Ki-nii! Your back is all-"

She covered her mouth and stepped back, Hana coming to stand by her.

"Nii-san, even Ki-nii is bleeding! You said you wouldn't fight if it got him hurt!"

I glanced over my shoulder when she said that, trying to remember the specifics of the original route, more panic clawing into my mind. Just how far back have I changed things? Oh God, what have I put at risk just by being near these people!?

"-If it makes you cry, and gets my friends hurt, then I promise not to lose!"

A gasp left me as Ryohei's Flame went up, an almost tangible warmth radiating onto my back as he pulled himself to his feet, replenished drive moving his battered body. Second hand energy began buzzing in my veins as excess Flame began slipping into my skin, my partner releasing loud pumped roars as he began to practically give off light.

"You really are persistent." Lussuria huffed, before leaping at us.

Raising my fists, I locked my attention on the incoming Sun, before my eyes widened and a signal went off in my head. It was like how Xanxus had tried to reach me before, but different all the same.

 _This one's mine._

Obeying instantly, I moved my right foot out and crouched, hands splaying out on the ground to balance as I watched Lussuria's face fall as the sudden removal of me gave way to the once obscured Ryohei. I held my breath as a Sun packed fist crash into the Varia's metal knee, a sound of success leaving me as the plating shuddered before fragmenting, pieces hitting the ground in random parts of the ring.

"This is the real MAXIMUM CANNON!"

Rising when the beaten man hit the floor a ways away from us, I turned my gaze Ryohei, frowning when he grinned widely at me, fists still clenched from the final punch.

" _Now that was a shining punch, kora. Way to go, Ryohei-kun."_

"Colonello-shisho!"

" _Let's go, Kyoko-chan."_

I gritted my teeth as the rush of battle calmed, my screeching pain in my back finally coming to mind as well as the malformations in the cannon I had caused.

Get the ring and leave. Get the ring and leave.

"Give me the Ring, please." Ryohei asked, reaching out to retrieve the damned item.

Alarms went off in my mind as Lussuria began to shake, raw knee straining as he pulled himself to his feet, brow furrowed as he began to sweat, despite the heat lights gone.

"N-never! I'm Varia, I can win with one leg! It'll be easy!"

"Lussuria-onee-chan." I grunted, pain making my temper take front seat again. "You're done, onee-chan, give him the Ring."

"No, no, no! Daiki-kun, let's continue!"

The Vongola Sun looked to me in confusion and concern, as if to ask me why the once cocky man had become so frightened.

"What's the rush, pal?" He asked, uncertain about how to deal with the almost hysterical Varia.

"Hurry up-!"

I tensed painfully as a gun was set off, the faux-Cloud's free hand raised in the background as Lussuria was struck by ammunition. Ryohei stepped forwards, hands ready to assist, but my arm came up and blocked his way, my eyes set on the Varia party across from us.

"Gotta take care of business." Mammon hummed, nonchalant. "You're a fine aide to the Boss, Gola Mosca."

" _Kill the weak. That's the Varia's policy, and the reason they remain strong."_ Reborn hummed, catching up the too naive Vongola who remained stunned by the action that had taken place.

A grunt left me as I nudged Ryohei back a step, the uncomfortably familiar smell of burnt skin reaching my nose. Moving towards the unconscious form of my self-proclaimed sister, I gave him a once over before crouching beside his body, snagging the chain around his neck and carefully unclipping it.

" _Lussuria-san knew this, and panicked._ "

Standing from Lussuria, I let the Cervello woman move around me to check on the Varia's state, before walking up to my friend and pushing the Ring harshly against his chest, tender hand coming to catch the blood-stained trinket before it fell.

"The Vongola Sun Guardian, Sasagawa Ryohei, has possession of both halves of the Sun Ring." I called, drawing the girls' attention, as well as the Mafia around us.

"I believe that that equated to a win to the Vongola, yes?"

The two masked woman looked to each other before nodding and returning to their task, the furthest to the right amplifying her voice to make the announcement.

"We have determined that Lussuria-san of the Varia can no longer fight, and Sasagawa Ryohei holds the Ring of the Sun. Therefore, Sasagawa Ryohei and Yamaguchi Daiki, you have won the match to decide the Guardian of the Sun Ring."

I clenched my fists and walked out, not bothering to let the Cervello continue their speech, the girls pausing as attention was drawn to the one moving member of the crowds. Pushing the door of the Sun Coliseum open, I descended the steps heavily, a childish part of me wanting to make my footsteps resound as loudly as possible, but I managed to cap the desire to instead make my walk brisk.

"Y-Yamaguchi-san!" Tsuna yelped, stepping towards me as I snatched up my bag and tie from the ground.

"Good job in there, Yamaguchi-san." Reborn smirked, resting on Takeshi's shoulder.

I looked up from the strap of my bag and regarded the Arcobaleno coldly, my fists jumping as I reigned in the need for more conflict.

"Sawada-san," I called, making the Sky flinch. "Make no mistake, despite what Reborn-san may tell you, I am _not_ your Sun, and you are not my Sky."

Ignoring the flash of pain that went past too emotive eyes, I pushed past the thin boy, working my brass knuckles off my fingers and shoving them into the bag as well. The withdrawal of my hand dragged items out of the holder, a curse leaving me when I saw the two books that fell to the ground.

 _Sawada Notes. Takeshi Notes._

Tsuna bent and picked up the pages, his Rain stepping up beside him as they read the titles, looking to me in confusion.

"Keep them. They were meant for you two, anyway." I grunted, preparing to step away again.

' _You are unclaimed...'_

A shiver left me as I felt something alien, but mildly familiar touch my Flame, my head tilting in confusion, before the temper that had been bubbling in my stomach snapped and I _retaliated_. Setting my Flame ablaze, I sent claws of Sun screaming up the tongues of wrathful Sky that dared to provoke me, sinking the fiery talons into Xanxus' Flame before ripping them all the way down.

Shouts of anger and pain left both of us as we recoiled, the repercussions of a violent Rejection rattling our nerves. I brought a hand to my chest as my lungs burnt in punishment, my head snapping around to glare fiercely at Xanxus as he breathed hard and heavy, his face twisted in rage and suffering.

"Keep your fucking Flames away from me, Xanxus-san!" I roared, straightening as I fought off the waves.

Growles rumbled around me, making me widen my view and freeze, nails sinking into my palm like butter when I noticed the sudden proximity of the Vongola Guardians, all of them having taken steps towards me.

"Daik-"

I tensed and slapped away the hand that came down on my shoulder, eyes wide in alarm as I turned around to face a rather stricken looking Takeshi.

Too much. There's too much that's wrong here…

"I'm leaving." I stated simply, pushing past their group and shaking off the attempt the Vongola Rain made to hold onto me.

"Wait, Yamaguchi-san!"

" _You cannot leave yet, Sawada-san. You must be made aware of the next battle's opponents."_

" _But..."_

 **...**

Mephisto sat up sharply when I threw the door open, my bag hitting the far wall before dropping to floor with a heavy thud. My footsteps were loud and my movements stiff with restraint as I stormed up to my bed and roared into my mattress, the faint tapping of his claws sounding as he paced the length of the bed frame.

"Dumbass! Dumbass! Daiki, you mother fucking _dumbass_!" I snarled, pegging my pillow at the wall to let it fall along side the bag.

"The relationships between Takeshi-kun and Sawada-san, wrong! The timing of their knowledge of Mukuro-san, wrong! The Guardians, wrong! I've made everything wrong!"

Breathing heavily, I gripped my hair as I rested my elbows on my knees, not bothering to look up when Mephisto bolted from the room, my raised voice spooking the pup. My teeth ground against each other, squeaks and clicks sounding as enamel slid across double layers.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. I've screwed up. It's all incorrect. Inconsistent. Malapropos.

A faint clink sounded before Takeshi's ring fell from my shirt, hanging freely in suspension and dropping directly into my eye line. The amount of panic that bloomed in my mind was amazing, the ring representing what I should have avoided from the beginning. Relation.

I should have asked the teacher to move me in kindergarten when Ryohei bothered me. I should have said no to Takeshi when he asked me to play. I should have left Tsuna alone when he fell, he would have been fine...right?

Someone would have help him, surely. The lifeguards would have jumped in to save a drowning kid, maybe Nana or some other adult would have noticed…

"I...I don't know. I don't know if he would have survived that if I hadn't of helped him." I breathed, eyes widening.

"Where...where did cannon derail, exactly? When I met Ryohei-kun? When I was born? When Yamada-san met kaa-san? When the bloody Watanabe Clan set up shop just outside Namimori borders?"

The ring around my neck glinted, drawing my attention back to it. My breath hitched and my hand found itself clamped around the precious metal, my brain sending off signals to rip off the marital symbol and rid myself of an incorrection...but my arm won't move. A shallow breath left me as my eyes burnt, my grip tightening as I hugged my almost abandoned gift closer.

God damn it...God damn all of those idiots.

Why can't I believe that they can take care of themselves? I've seen them do it, chronological, ocular proof had been displayed to me through two mediums of media, and yet the thought of them stepping out onto that stage made my stomach flip.

 _Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt!_

Snapping my gaze to my phone, I reached out and stiffly retrieved the device, reading the ID and letting out a sigh as I tried to regain myself.

 _Incoming Call: Pervert_

"...Hello, Shamal-sensei."

" _Yamaguchi-chan, why haven't you come in yet?"_

"Come in? What do you-"

" _Don't try me, I know your stitches have gone to shit. You know what, don't come. I'll go to you, you're probably in no condition to walk right now. Damn it, Yamaguchi-chan, why didn't you just come straight to me? The Vongola kid and his pals came running to me after you left!"_

I remained quiet as the sounds of movement came through the line in amplified shuffles, the pain in my body reawakening as my panic died down and attention was drawn to the open wounds.

They were...worried. Why were they worried?

Takeshi and Ryohei, sure, I get, but Tsuna and Gokudera? I've treated both of them with nothing but open hostility, my attitude around them was flip of the coin at best when it came to how I would address the two.

" _Yamaguchi-chan, you still there? You better not have dropped from blood loss!"_

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, just...Oh my God, Bo-kun!" I yelped, tensing up when I finally noticed the lack of cow pattern in my room.

"Shit, shit, shit- I left Bo-kun at Namimori Middle! He was asleep so he didn't make any noise and after all that bull shit-! Oh God I have to get-"

"' _Guchi-chan, 'Guchi-chan, cool it. I have the kid here, hasn't woken up yet. I said I'd take it to your house, used your mother as an excuse."_

The relief that I felt was enormous, a loud sigh leaving me as the familiar feeling of absolute drainage filled me once again.

"I left Bo-kun. I left my son at school. What kind of a...Thanks, Shamal-sensei, I'm sorry."

" _It's fine. You've had quite the past few days, I must say."_

"...And there's only more to come."

…

"Yamaguchi-chan, I thought I said no strenuous activity."

I ignored Shamal's tsk to instead race forwards and take the sleeping Lambo off him, bringing the little bundle of Lightning to me and hugging him closely. I swayed slightly when he let a noise leave him, the continuous rocking lulling him back sufficiently as the doctor watched the interaction.

"Can you tell me how bad you think it is?" The Mist man breathed, placing his case down on my desk and unclasping it.

"Not too bad. Hopefully." I responded, pressing a kiss to my child's cheek before moving to his cot and placing him down.

I was forced to pause and tinker as Lambo's sleeping body latched onto my chained ring, a high pitched whine leaving him as I gently pried off his little fingers. Pulling the blotch pattern blanket up, I quietly watched the little Lightning toss his body into a comfortable position, a random assortment of pieces falling from his head of hammerspace, leaving me to pinch them up and dispose of them in a small crate dedicated to his knick knacks.

"Yamaguchi-chan, let's get this done. Again." Shamal grunted, sutures and needles already out and ready.

I breathed quietly as I locked my door, pulled my shirts off and sat down on my bed. Shamal groaned when he saw the wrappings, easily deeming the bandages unsalvageable as the doctor peeled them from my wounds with a tsk of annoyance. A wince left me as he began pulling out the burst stitches, medical thread pulling themselves free from red and tender skin.

"This wouldn't of happened, if you had listened to me."

"You think I _wanted_ to take part in the conflict?" I snapped, hushing quickly in caution of my sleeping child.

"Either way, you're in it now. No getting around that, Yamaguchi-chan."

"No, I'm not. I never wanted to get involved in this madness, and no bloody baby is gonna make me. Reborn-san can shoot at me and throw a tantrum all he wants." Came my response, my glare shifting over my shoulder to pin on the stoney-face Shamal.

The good doctor let out a breath, shaking his head silently before gesturing me to turn back around as to not disturb his work. His cloth came to my skin as he began wiping away dried sweat and crumbling blood, the hand that slid down my side making him give a huff before he assured me that I had undone just about all my healing.

"Honestly, Yamaguchi-chan, totally uncute."

"I'm not trying to be cute." I grunted, wincing as he shoved the needle through my flesh and injected the first shot of anesthetic.

"Obviously. Ah, about your tattoo artist; I'm sorry, I couldn't find anyone." Shamal hummed, pulling the stitches tight before snipping it off.

My teeth sank into my lower lip as I fought off commenting on the sudden change of topic, before sighing and nodding understandingly.

"Yeah, it's fine. I did ask on short notice. Thanks for trying though, Shamal-sensei."

A sound left the Nami nurse as he continued to sew me back up, my attention halved to focus my ears on Lambo's sleeping form, half in case he wakes up, and half to quench my paranoia.

I had left him. With the Vongola group, yes, but I had left my son and gone home in a blind rage.

Shamal seemed to notice my attention, and removed himself from me, walking over to the crib to rearrange the spotted blankets, allowing me to view Lambo's face through the bars. I let out a heavy breath as I relaxed, the sight doing a number on my tension.

"In the call, you called him your 'son'. What's that all about?"

I blinked up at the doctor as he came back to my bedside, taking up the needle and thread again.

"Bo-kun is my son. That's all there is to it."

Shamal gave a short laugh at my statement before he straightened my head and began sewing up smaller cuts.

"You've adopted a Mafioso, and if the rumors are true, you're engaged to a future Mafioso. And yet you still believe you can get away with not falling into our ranks as well. Very naive, Yamaguchi-chan."

"And we're back at it, again." I sighed, spinning around as instructed to allow for further care at the front.

"I'm just saying, if you expect to be able to get out of this, you're in for a surprise." Shamal shrugged, cleaning off my split knuckle.

I forced my lips into a thin, straight line as he continued to bustle, allowing me my silence.

Did he think I didn't know that already? The second I stepped in that ring I knew I had signed my sentence…

But surely, surely there is a way to get Reborn to reconsider his decision. I have no place in that set, no likeness to the Primo's line up. There is no counterpart to Yamaguchi Daiki in the first generation, so why was I added to the mix?

"All done. Now, please, for the love of Mary, don't rip out your stitches again. I'll be expecting you in three days. Think you can handle that long without the Mafia coming down on you?"

"Three days?" Lightning. Storm. Rain.

"Yeah, I think I can handle that." I hummed, lifting my arms and testing out the grip of the new bandages.

"You know, Yamaguchi-chan, the easiest way to get out of this would to be cut all ties with the Vongola and his pals. Of course, that would include ridding yourself of your best friends, sweetheart and son."

I jolted at the statement, eyes widening at the far wall as a sudden pain panged in my chest, unwelcome.

Shamal closed the door after him, giving me a pointed look to remain at my bed, saying that he could show himself out. I waved halfheartedly and gave another thanks before the barrier clicked in place.

Tugging on a set of night clothes, I prepare to settle into bed, before a faint sniffle reached my ears, making me turn around immediately. My feet carried me quickly over to Lambo's cot, his face reddening as tears welled in the corner of his eyes, sounds leaving him despite still being deep in sleep. Reaching out, I gently pet his hair in attempts to calm him, a stab coming to my chest as a little cry sounded.

"Hey, Bo-kun." I called, waking him up easily.

"H-huh? Daiki-san?" He whimpered, eyes dangerously wet.

"What's wrong, champ? You're all teary."

A look of fear flashed across the little one's face, as if he had just remembered the nightmare, hands clamping down on my fingers as a hiccup left him.

"I had a bad dream…"

I frowned at the confession, his voice too small to be coming from someone like Lambo. Reaching my other hand into the crib, I carefully plucked the 5 year old from its confines, holding him to me gingerly as I crossed the room and sat down on my own bed.

Little hands tangled themselves in my shirt as a small patch of wetness bloomed at my chest, my attention too drawn to my distressed son to bother with the pain that came from the salt invading my wounds. Gently petting his back, I laid us down with his small form on top, hand making the continuous rubbing motion.

"Do you want to tell me about it? The nightmare?"

Lambo didn't respond vocally, instead shaking his head and burying his face deeper into my chest.

"Okay, then. Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

That got me a nod, prompting me to situate us properly with the sheets drawn up to cover him, not really caring about how my arms and shoulders got cold. A hum left me as he started to calm, grip on my shirt no less strong, however.

"Daiki-san, can I get a song?" He asked, surprisingly careful.

"A song?"

"Uh-huh, Ryohei-san and Yamamoto-kun told me that you used to sing them to sleep...You don't have to…"

Sing someone to sleep? I haven't done that in ages. They've all grown too big.

"Daiki-san?"

"Yeah. Yeah, sure. Do you have a song you want?" I finally responded, looking down at the small child.

"No, anything's okay." Lambi muttered, pressing closer as his eyes went big.

A lullaby. A lullaby. What do I know that could...okay, let's go with that.

" _Somebody's taking the train to Sleepytime Junction._

 _Somebody is so tired he can barely function._

 _So he's hoppin' on that train to Sleepytime Junction._

 _Somebody's taking the train to Sleepytime Junction."_ I hummed, remembering just who had made up this song.

A smile came to my face as the story flashed through my head, but I capped the desire to bellow and kept the volume consistent, not wanting to wake up the slowly drifting child.

"' _All aboard!' Cried the engineer. 'Sleepytime Junction is so near.'_

 _Somebody's taking the train to Sleepytime Junction._

 _Somebody is so tired he can barely function."_

At some point, my rubbing had become rhythmic patting, the high pitched music of the song echoing in my head.

"' _All aboard!' Cried the engineer. 'Sleepytime Junction is so near.'_

 _Somebody's taking the train to Sleepytime Junction._

 _Somebody is so tired he can barely function."_

I smiled softly as light breaths left the little hitman, shirt still wrapping his fist.

"Good night, Bo-kun."

"Hmm...Night Papa…"

Cut all ties…

...Must I? Really?

…

I sat up with a start, the boom that sounded waking me up to a faceful of smoke, a cough leaving me as I fanned away the particles, free hand clenched in a fist, ready to cave in the face of the bastard who woke me up.

" _Oh, hey Papa."_

A sigh fell from my lips as I looked to the teen sitting at the foot of my bed, donned in cow print pyjamas and holding a cup of milk in his hands. The TYL Lambo looked completely at ease, a little milk moustache lining the top of his lip as he downed another mouthful.

"Wipe your mouth, Bo-kun." I hummed, throwing the tissue box on my side table at him.

The younger boy followed my order easily, dabbing the mess in a surprisingly well mannered fashion.

"How the hell did you get your hands on the TYL Bazooka?"

"I dunno." He shrugged, tossing the tissue in the bin.

Sighing, I pulled myself up against my headboard and looked to the teen, raising an eyebrow when he slurped the liquid loudly.

"So, battle for the Lightning Rings tomorrow night, remember it?"

Lambo blinked slowly at me before making a sound of realisation, cup coming to balance on his knee.

"Nope, not at all. I think I slept through most of them. The others don't talk about it often, so I have no memory of it."

I nodded in understanding, before frowning slightly, my hand coming to the throbbing stab wound on my chest. This seemed to gain the teen's attention, a sour expression taking his face as his hand fell over his stomach.

"What's wrong with you, champ?" Came my huff, covered foot nudging his side.

"Is it the stab that's hurting? You got it around this time, right?"

I stared for a moment, before nodding, wondering just how many of these wounds scarred despite my Flame.

"Yeah, but I'll be fine."

He frowned momentarily, before placing his cup down, something else going down with it, and crawling up the bed, flopping on top of me with his head on my stomach. Startled by the action, I tensed up and gave him a wide eyed look, before calming when I remembered the familial connection.

"You're always getting hurt. It makes everyone worried."

Everyone.

"Bo-kun, you know that I'm not getting involved with the Mafia, right?" I breathed, letting my hand come to brush through his messy hair.

"Hmm, you sure made us work for it, keeping you with us." He sighed, before looking up at me with a tight smile.

"But who knows, maybe you might do it, this time 'round. This might be the last time I call you 'Papa' when I come back."

The tightening in my chest was reflected by his sudden grip on my shirt, the material giving sounds of strain as the fibers were pulled to their limit in his hand.

Am I willing to give up what I want, in order to avoid what I don't? Am I willing to give up my family, in order to avoid the Family?

"You'll be summoned tomorrow, I bet. So we'll just have to wait, Bo-kun."

"I don't want to lose my Papa. In any timeline."

Damn it, these boys know how to pull at my heartstrings, don't they?

My teeth fell tight against each other and I wrapped an arm around the TYL Lambo, the time-traveller accepting the embrace whole heartedly. He lowered his head back to my chest, low hums leaving him. I blinked when the sounds began to take on a lyric, my eyes widening when he opened his mouth and began singing instead.

" _Somebody's taking the train to Sleepytime Junction._

 _Somebody is so tired he can barely function._

 _So he's hoppin' on that train to Sleepytime Junction._

 _Somebody's taking the train to Sleepytime Junction."_

I hummed along, before quietly joining him, hand still combing his hair.

"' _All aboard!' Cried the engineer. 'Sleepytime Junction is so near.'_

 _Somebody's taking the train to Sleepytime Junction._

 _Somebody is so tired he can barely function."_

"Haha, you know, Papa, one time, we screamed this at the top of our lungs to wake up Ha-nii. You ran with me on your shoulders when he chased us out in only his briefs. Mu-nii took pictures." Lambo laughed lowly, a smile of reminiscence on his face.

"Mu-nii. Rokudo Mukuro, The Vongola Mist."

"Uh-huh. I hope he get's out of Vindice faster in this time. He was really thin after he got out and stopped using Chrome-nee as a vessel all the time."

"I can imagine." I responded, remembering the tank he was confined to for so long.

"There was also that time that Papa fell asleep on the couch in the main living room, and when you woke up, everyone had come to join you and we all slept together. I had to bunk with I-pin though. She kicks in her sleep."

"Is that so?"

"Another time, you, Kyoko-nee, Haru-nee and Chrome-nee were in the swimming pool, and these men who came over for a meeting started staring. Everyone saw them at the window, and got really angry. I don't think they got the deal with Boss. Everyone kept on smothering you guys after that, Kyoko-nee and the others couldn't go anywhere without someone, and Boss kept on calling you up to the office so you couldn't go out."

"Really?"

I knew what he was doing. He was telling me about all the times I could have if I stayed, if I didn't abandon the Vongola Family. These were stories about what could be waiting for me out on the other end of the Katekyo madness, the fun I could have. Lambo was trying to convince to not leave him and the others behind.

"' _All aboard!' Cried the engineer. 'Sleepytime Junction is so near.'_

 _Somebody's taking the train to Sleepytime Junction._

 _Somebody is so tired he can barely function."_ I sung, moving his hair out of his face instead of calling him out.

"Papa, please don't leave us."

A smile came to my face as I glanced to the window, the sun's luminescence peaking over the horizon.

"I'll see you tonight , Bo-kun...Maybe."

"See you, Papa...Hopefully."

…

Resting my chin on my palm, I let out a long sigh, a very familiar looking set laying on my desk in front of me. The things that TYL Lambo had left beside his up hadn't gone with him after the time limit had expired, leaving me with some rather battered looking conducting horns.

"Honestly, even ten years later he's still leaving his stuff everywhere."

" _Chattering Herbivore."_

I looked up from my desk, a look of exasperation on my face as the little clock on my side table ticked past 9am.

"I'm not even three seconds late, how did you manage to get to my house so fast?"

Hibari glared at me as he dropped into my room, curtains bellowing dramatically behind him as he stalked over to me, his hands on the metal peeking out of his coat.

"Why aren't you at Namimori Middle? Class has begun and you look fine."

"I'm not coming in today." I responded, turning back to my assignment, due in three weeks.

There was silence for a moment, before I was harshly spun around and caught between my chair and a looming Skylark, the boy's unamused expression rather close to my own tired one.

"And what is so important that you would dare to jig?"

I frowned up at him, his left arm supporting himself off my desk as the other held a shiny tonfa at my chin, ready to leave a bruise should I step out of line.

"I'm unwell. Injured." Came my response.

Not untrue, just not the reason.

"Oh? Show me."

I reached around and pulled up my night shirt, bandages lining my abdomen and allowing me to reveal myself without fear.

"Hm...Get up, you will spend the day assisting me instead." Hibari ordered, grabbing me and yanking my form to its feet.

"Wait, what?"

"Either change or come as you are, you have three minutes."

"Hibari- Fucking hell!"

* * *

"You're scared, so you hide. Pathetic." He snapped, nailing my broken ribs with the toe of his shoe

"Ow! Fuck, careful!" I hissed, whacking the limb away as I nursed the side.

He glared down at me before pushing himself out further and flicking his hand up gracefully, his chin lifting along with it as he called for me again.

"Get up."

I blinked before shifting, my legs stiff from the small space. Being careful of my head, I moved to my full height before the seated Cloud, unsure of what he was doing.

"Sit down."

Where?

"I said, sit down." He growled, hand coming to push me back against his desk.

With confusion and caution painting my expression, I grabbed the edge of Hibari's desk before seating myself properly, knees hanging off the sides. My eyes widened as the Skylark rolled his chair forwards, pushing my knees open to allow him closer.

"Um…" I breathed, very unsure about this situation.

Hibari didn't react or make note on my attitude to the matter, instead grabbing a two page file and leaning back in his chair, which would have been fine, if it weren't for the hand that made itself a home on my knee.

I remained tense and very uncomfortable for the next few minutes, just about jumping when the hand on me stated adding pressure and moving, similar to a lazy massage. The hand didn't go higher than mid thigh, nor lower than mid calf, but it touched just about everywhere between on that leg, leaving me rather distressed.

"Did you know that we were going to get a new transfer soon? Tomorrow, in fact." He said suddenly, flipping the file shut in his free hand.

"Oh?" I responded, keeping my voice stable by some miracle.

"Yes, a first year. Another herbivore." Hibari huffed, handing the sheets over to me.

Taking them from him, I opened the document before stalling, the familiar mousy boy captured in a small image in the corner of the page.

"Jun-kun?" I muttered, scanning his file.

"Of the Watanabe Yakuza. Your errand boy, I believe."

"Sort of, I rather the term 'personal assistan-"

I cut off sharply as the other hand came to my leg, muscles going hard with tension as the other boy moved his fingers along them.

"Hibari-san, what on Earth are you doing?" I finally asked, watching his right hand carefully as it went a bit higher than the other.

"You have very muscular legs. Also, very long."

…

How the fuck do I respond to that?

"Thanks...They help me to walk." I uttered, returning my gaze to Jun's file quickly.

Oh hey, Jun's only 151cms. He's even shorter than Tsuna.

"Hibari-sama! I have the stuff you asked fo-Ah!"

I glanced over my shoulder and waved at the familiar boy, the very same one who had witnessed my with the Skylark's fingers in my mouth months ago.

"Y-you again?" He stuttered, face reddening.

"Yep, me again." I nodded, before turning back to the headman.

"You gonna help the little lamb or what?"

"Hm," He huffed, his grip on my thighs jumping before he turned his attention to the shaking lad, hands not moving from their station. "Leave them there. You are dismissed."

"Yes sir!"

A loud breath left me as I looked to the shopping bag just before the desk, wondering why it was left there of all places.

"Give me the bag, handler."

I blinked, before swinging my legs, only to have them grabbed and slammed back into place. Jolting at the swift replacement, I gave the Skylark an astounded look, before letting my jaw drop as the dots connected.

"You are not making me do that. No." I refused, shaking my head.

"Give me the bag, handler." He repeated,leaning closer as out glares clashed.

"Let me go and I will."

"I don't need to let you go to allow for you to reach it."

Slate and amber-earth locked as we dared the other to back down, our faces rather close, but far enough to give me some comfort.

"Get the bag, handler. Without moving from the desk." Hibari ordered, reclining in his chair again after a few moments of burning eyes.

"My God, fine!" I yelled, completely over with fighting this impossible man.

Looking over my shoulder at the plastic bag, I sighed loudly before falling back on the expanse of the desk, hand coming up over my head to try and make a grab for it. When my fingers came short, I was forced to arch my spine off the wooden table, legs tensing to stabilize me as I pinched the bag and brought myself back up.

"There, you happy now?" I huffed, dropping the item in my lap.

"I suppose." He hummed, looking smug as all hell as he began rummaging through.

I blinked as I took an offered carton of chocolate milk, the boy across from me content to drink his own ice tea. Eventually, a small smile came to my face and I opened my drink, tossing my head back as I downed the sweet liquid.

I really should have expected it, having bared my neck unintentionally to the Skylark. The teeth on my neck hurt for an instant, before I rolled my eyes and gave the other an exaggerated pat on the back.

"Well done birdy, you bit the handler. Yay."

There was a pause, before the other released my throat, teeth marks beading with blood as we took a synchronized sip of our drinks. With a hum of boredom, I began swinging my legs slightly, the Skylark only slightly perturbed by the muscles shifting under his hands to start the momentum.

What was with him and my legs? Was it even _my_ legs, or just legs in general?

"So, am I to be my little mouse's guide around the school?" I hummed, tossing the file back on his desk.

"Yes. You will show him the layout and keep him out of trouble. He is here to serve and assists you during the day, so expect him to hover." The Skylark answered, looking up at me blandly.

"I don't need an assistant when I'm at school."

"I don't care."

Giving a noise of defeat, I checked my watch and sighed, the face showing me the three remaining hours of school. A shuffling caught my attention, head turning to look at Hibari as he rolled his chair closer and moved his hand up until they could clasp together behind my back, my entire being going rigid as he leant over and dropped his head onto my right thigh.

"I'm going to sleep. Sort the remaining documents into piles correlation to each faculty. I expect this done by the time I wake up."

"I beg your pa-"

"Quietly, Chattering Herbivore." He huffed, a warm patch blooming on my leg as his breath was absorbed by the fabric.

Trying to argue against him, I made a noise of aggravation when he dozed off in spite of my efforts, leaving me to look at the multiple stacks of paperwork left by the DC head.

"Oh, you fucking lazy bird!"

These boys. They don't make disappearing easy, do they?  
(I would be disappointed if they didn't.)

* * *

 **Song:** _ **Sleepytime Junction**_ **, from** _ **The Game Grumps(Youtube)**_ **.**

* * *

 **LeNoRi Note:** It has come to my attention that I didn't express what the story last chapter was trying to convey. It was supposed to show that the father was poking fun at Daiki's situation, the dog only wanted to help his master (mother) and when he brought home a reward (got rid of the father) it was punished(forced to become a male). Might not have been the best story to use,but meh. :/

Hope you all liked the chapter!

 **Extended LeNoRi Note: Topic Fight Scenes**

As much as I like boasting my little bread bun's badassery, I find fight scenes difficult as hell to do justice. I mean, there's only so many times and variations that I can write a punch to the face or a kick to the gut and make it not seem repetitive. Not to mention, I already find it hard enough to translate ideas into text! **Loud-ass sigh** But, since I've chosen a shounen, fight scenes are a necessary evil. Just going to have to accept that I don't feel like I've done the Sun Ring Battle enough justice and try to make up for it in the next couple scenes. Well, there's my sorry attempt at a rant done.

 **Plunny:** *clapclapclap*

 **Plunny:** Also misconceptions about fighting. E.g. adrenaline It doesn't actually help, in fact, it worsens. There's a reason why people stand around dumbly for a while or so until they start fighting back. One can train to ignore that, but yeah.

* * *

 **Sidekick Commentary Á LA ThePlotbunnyBreeder**

I am anxious to see how this'll all play out. *tries not to chew on fingernails* Even though it annoys one slightly how Daiki, well, Shamal summed it up briefly: Don't befriend/bethrow/adopt mafioso and expect not to be tangled in with all the shit. But it is kinda realistic: I remember lots of people (me included) to just… yeah. Willfully ignoring problems until they march up to you and bitch slap your cheek. People _do_ have a tendency to do that, and if it shines a spotlight on Daiki's flaws, we had a lots of chapters doing the opposite. Not a bad thing, just different.

On another note, Jun ma boy is coming to Nami Middle! :D Have I already mentioned how I adore that insecure little bundle? It helps that he's shorter than me, but still. I am really looking forward to the day/moment he shows some assholes the meaning of 'smol 'n angry'. Or character development. Or fluff. Or all of them. :)))


	22. Chapter 22

**Word Count: 10,441**

* * *

I gave a quiet sigh as I looked out the window of the fast moving car, my allocated driver glancing at me from the mirror, before dropping his gaze back to the road. It was late afternoon, roughly half-past five, and the street lights were just buzzing to life as the sky began to darken with an impending storm.

"Cooper-san, do you think we'll make it back before the rain arrives?" Came my question, the Eurasian Yakuza man giving a sound as he came to attention.

Fujimoto Cooper, the man who had done a complete 180 after my heirship test, having brushed me off at first, and now was jumping to follow my commands. It was honestly a little awkward, how quickly he bustled to fulfil my words, full ready to make an illegal U-turn to go back and get my glasses that I had left if not for my scream of ' _Please, no!'_

Cooper got his European name from his mother, who was apparently a tourist from Sweden who got a bit too cosy with the local Yakuza. The result, of course, was a little ball of human named Cooper, who got shipped over to his father after three years with his mother.

"No, Watanabe-dono. I don't believe we will return in time to miss the rain. My apologies. I can speed up if you-"

"No, no. It's fine, keep going as we are." I huffed, fighting off the urge to clutch at my belt.

"Understood, Watanabe-dono." Cooper grunted, nodding sharply.

 _Bzzt!_

Looking to my phone on the seat beside me, I bit my tongue as the ID read the Vongola Rain, showing me he was trying to get ahold of me again despite the lack of response. Glancing out the window again, I sighed before plucking the device up and flipping it open.

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Daiki? Where are you?_

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
You were really hurt in that fight, and you left before anyone could fix you!_

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Shujin-kun? Are you okay? We've sent Shamal-sensei over._

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
I'm sorry, Daiki. I should have tried at least to stop them…_

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Daiki? Could you at least tell me that you're alright?_

 _From: Favourite Stalker_  
 _You didn't come to school today. We asked Hibari, he said he didn't know either._

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Please? Daiki please tell me you're okay._

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Daiki please, I'm getting really scared._

The grip I had on my phone tightened, making black plastic creek warningly as I fought with myself over the desire to respond.

 _To: Favourite Stalker  
I'm fine. I'm sorry. Don't be scared, I'm here._

Looking at the little pixelated kanji, I gave a scowl before deleting the draft and tossing the device back onto the seat. I placed my elbow in the armrest on the door before cupping my chin, stubbornly fixing my eyes on country road and far off lights.

Why? Why do they make it so hard? Is leaving me alone really that difficult?

"Watanabe-dono, we have arrived." Cooper called, getting out of the car.

I reached for the handle of my door, only to be stopped as my driver gestured for me to cease, my window winding down at his request.

"Please, there is no need to get out. I will bring him myself."

"Okay, then." I breathed, reclining back into my seat.

"Oh, when you come back, could you bring me a rain coat? Preferably black, or some dark colour."

He blinked at me, before nodding and walking off, gravel crunching underfoot as I wound my window back up, ignoring the glances of some incoming women as they tried to see through tinted glass.

" _Who do you think is in that car?"_

" _Perhaps a higher ranking man?"_

" _Exactly so."_

Glancing to the confident voice, I raised an eyebrow at a proudly dressed woman, traditional garb colouring her richly as red lips smiled over a painted fan. I couldn't tell well from behind darkened glass, but from what I could see she was quite the stunner, pale skin and soft face, the heavy clothing of an _orian_ not hindering her grace or figure in the least.

"Eh? Do you know who's in there, onee-sama?" A younger girl asked, looking between her and the car.

"I believe that in there is the Watanabe heir. The one who's been causing all this fuss."

"The one who completed the trial in eight days!?"

As quick as a flash, the woman turned her head to the gasping girl, the younger cowering under her stare.

"Do not raise your voice." She scolded, the other bowing her head.

"My apologies, onee-sama."

Giving a grunt, I shifted and turned my attention to a game on my phone, ignoring the buzz of another message and the thought of the girls' purpose here.

"Jesus christ, some of them looked barely over 13." I hissed, slamming my hand down on the armrest.

 _Incoming call: Favourite Stalker…_

Tsking in aggravation, I squashed down the sharp stab in my chest and let it ring out, feeling a wave of guilt when the missed call icon flashed on screen. Clutching my device, I let out a long, soothing breath, my shoulders slumping as tried to bat away the pain that they were causing me.

Please. Just stop.

"Watanabe-dono, pardon us."

Opening my eyes, I looked over to the opposite door and forced on a smile, Jun and Cooper standing in the entrance.

"Good afternoon, Daiki-dono." The mousy boy breathed, shuddering away from the larger man when he got cast a look for the address.

"Hayashi Jun, come on in." I huffed, smile loosening as he jumped at the full title.

Jun quickly got into the car, sitting across from me with his back to Cooper. His eyes jumped everywhere and he fidgeted non-stop, flinching as the engine made the vehicle rumble.

"Calm yourself, Jun-kun. There is no danger in here."

Grey eyes snapped to me before he slowly nodded, hands moving to instead tighten in his lap. As the car began moving, I cast the orian girls another look, pausing when I thought I had caught the eye of the red lipped woman, before brushing it off and placing my chin in my hand.

"Thank you for letting me spend the night at your house, Daiki-dono." He thanked quickly, bowing his head.

"No problem," I smiled. "You wouldn't have made it before the bell from this distance without some foreknowledge, and I don't think you want to be late on your first day."

"True…"

There was a few moments of silence between us, only broken by a high pitched sneeze that left the Stormy Yakuza, prompting me to stifle a laugh as he donned a rather dashing red. The light atmosphere was dampened however, as a painfully familiar tone sounded through the vehicle, my smile dropping in an instant.

"You're phone is ringing, Daiki-dono." He muttered, glancing at the device as it went off yet again.

"It's fine. Leave it."

"Maybe...Do you want to put it on silent? Maybe?"

"...No. No, just let it ring." I breathed, ignoring the odd look he gave me.

 **…**

"Cooper-san, drop me off at Namimori Middle. I have business there."

"Understood, Watanabe-dono."

Turning my gaze on the mousy Yakuza across from me, I gave a huff of amusement at his panicked and confused expression.

"Don't worry, Jun-kun. I'm just going to observe an event."

"May… May I ask why you are parting with us here, Daiki-dono?" He squeaked, flinching as thunder rumbled deep in the sky.

I paused, before shrugging and nodding to Cooper as he opened my door, letting me step out.

"This is unrelated to you, Jun-kun. And I'd rather you stay away from it."

"I'm sorry, Daiki-dono, but I cannot do that."

I blinked, before looking to the serious faced boy, his hand clamped around my wrist as he forced me to stop in my tracks.

"I was sent to serve you, how can I do that when you are going off on your own? I am coming with you."

"Jun-kun, this is dangerous stuff. It is not safe for regular people."

"All the more reason that I should come then." He shot back, tightening his hold.

I opened my mouth in preparation to keep him down, only for him to frown and huff.

"Daiki-dono, please do not try to argue with me about this. I was in the debating club through elementary school."

Narrowing my eyes, I watched as he steeled himself against me, the usually skittish boy keeping my gaze as he stood strong.

"Very well."

A faint sigh sounded from the boy, before he scuttled after me, graciously accepting a black raincoat from the driver as I put on my own.

"Watanabe-dono, I ask that you let me stay as well and accompany you to this observation." Cooper announced, stepping forwards.

"You too?" I sighed, shoving my phone in my pocket.

"Your safety while travelling is my responsibility, and since I have not seen that you are safely within the Yamaguchi residence, I cannot leave you."

I narrowed my eyes, believing there to be more to this.

"And… And I want to be there if you should need me." He finally confessed, a faint hue on his face.

Huh, friendly giant type.

I thought it over before sighing, deciding that a quick getaway was definitely needed tonight if my phone's history was any indication.

"Very well, do you have a raincoat? I'd hate for you to catch a cold."

"Yes sir, I do." He nodded, back in professional mode.

"Two extra coats? You planned this, didn't you?"

Jun gave me a sheepish look, before I let out another sigh.

"Whatever, put it on."

Looking at the two men I had with me, I breathed before steeling myself, an apathetic but stern expression dowsing my face.

"I want you two to wear your hoods low, don't let anyone see your face. Don't let anyone hear your voice. Do not talk even when spoken to, avoid temptation to jump in on situations or cause conflict, these people are out of your league."

My pause made them look at me directly, their attention peaked as I glared at them with a warning.

"Do not tell anyone of this. I am trusting you with delicate information here. If I learn that anyone, even the oyabun himself, knows about what you are about to see, I'll deal with you _myself_."

The two jumped to attention, upper bodies dropping as they fell into a synchronised bow.

"Understood, Watanabe-dono!"

I blinked, before nodding sharply, hand coming to pull my hood over my head, little sprinkles of rain descending.

"That's what I like to hear. Let's get going then, shall we?"

 **...**

 _From: Pervert  
You better not be ripping out those stitches again. There's only so many times I'll use sutures before I begin resorting to a staple gun._

 _To: Pervert  
I'm not doing anything too bad tonight, just watching. No need to get out the power tools._

I hummed to myself quietly, the clouds brewing overhead less than comforting as I clutched my raincoat closer. Lifting my eyes from the screen, I looked to the lower roof, myself and my two men perched on the edge of the clock tower. The Varia had gathered quite a bit earlier than last time, all of them set up and waiting patiently, Squalo heaving after he finally dropped Xanxus' chair in the exact spot the scarred man desired. Lussuria wasn't there, as was expected, but it still made my palate taste sour as I narrowed my eyes at Gola Mosca.

"Daiki-dono, who are those men?" Jun asked quietly, kneeling beside me as Cooper stood stiffly behind.

"The Varia." I grunted, glancing at him, grey eyes shadowed heavily by his hood.

"And that is…?" The Eurasian Yakuza breathed, turning his gaze on me.

"An organisation of top notch assassins. Those men are the main force."

"Assassins?" The dart user breathed, looking at the Mafia men with renewed interest.

I couldn't help the small flicker of fondness that came as he watched the Varia move amongst themselves. Jun, as I had found, was very much a history nut, leaning more to the darker side of such, however. He read deeply into topics such as the Witch Trials of the dark ages, dirty details of the warring states, and the likes. Assassins and their skill in their arts were his guilty pleasure, going as far as getting a strange spinoff of the _Assassin's Creed_ games.

My head snapped to the side slightly as my attention was forcefully dragged over to the wrathful Flames that flared up, his Guardians shifting slightly as they felt the ripples of their Sky.

' _You again...'_

Ah, I had been found.

' _Why are you here, trash? I thought you weren't a Guardian?'_

Moving slightly, I crossed my knees and leant back on my hands, a flash of light going off deep within the ominous clouds causing the Electro Circuit to give a faint hum.

' _Don't ignore me. Who are these scum you've brought with you?'_

"Watanabe-dono, what is that structure?"

"Electro Circuit. A stage. Don't worry, you'll get it soon enough. Or maybe you won't, even better."

I winced as my sunshine was whipped by a tendril of fire, fighting to not show anymore outwards reaction than a slight grimace, refusing to show the man the fruits of his actions. Jun moved closer to me instantly, a hand hovering close as he questioned the sudden recoil. A hiss fell from me as a sharp probing came to my non-physical self, hands of activity wrapping around the invasion and squeezing in retaliation.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Xanxus shift on his chair, Squalo sending his a sideways glance, no doubt sensing some sort of interaction taking place between his Sky and another Flame. Tightening my grip on the intruder, I gave a low huff as the wrathful Sky slammed the side of his fist down on the armrest, a growl of aggravation sounding even to here as he ripped himself away, his men jumping to attention at their Boss' actions.

' _You disobedient piece of-'_

' _I owe you no obedience.'_ I finally flared, before I moved my attention to the familiar Flames approaching the block.

' _Best you sit up straight, the Vongola are here.'_

The equivalent of an amused scoff sounded between us, before the Varia Sky did the exact opposite of what I had suggested, moving to slouch heavily into his seat, angled just so that he was facing me.

' _That can't be good for your back.'_

' _Get down here, trash.'_ The scarred man ordered, his foot twitching slightly from its suspended position to gesture me closer.

' _Nah, I'm fine where I am.'_

Unable to stop the slight twitch of my lip the Sky caused as his Flames with irk, I turned my attention to the little Lightning that burst onto the scene, his Family following close behind.

"Daiki-dono, are you okay? You suddenly flinched." The mousy boy asked, making Cooper look at me with fierce focus.

"I'm fine, just a bit of a shiver." I responded, waving the Eurasian man off as he came closer.

"Should we move to a warmer location, Watanabe-dono?"

"No, no. We'll stay here." I hummed, turning to look at him over my shoulder.

"Perhaps I should have brought an umbrella?"

"Umbrellas are a bad idea in a thunderstorm, especially since we're up so high." Jun spoke, before recoiling back when Cooper cast sunglassed eyes over him.

"Just… Just saying, ya know?"

I gave a hum, drawing the stoic man away from his cowering co-worker.

"Either way, an umbrella would draw too much attention. Thank you for the offer, though, Cooper-san."

"Of course, Watanabe-dono."

Leaning back on my hands, I breathed a lungful of cooled air, the sound of Lambo's enthusiasm reaching me and my companions.

"Why are a bunch of children here?" Jun asked, leaning closer when I did the universal sign for quiet.

"They are the opposing party." I hushed around my finger, narrowing my eyes at the fedora wearing child's back as he glanced over his shoulder.

"Wait, so those kids are going to fight the assassins?" He whispered quickly, a look of alarm taking him.

"No."

He calmed slightly.

"The one in cow print will be fighting the spiky haired man over there."

Cooper and Jun rounded on me, eyes wide in surprise as they located the two adversaries.

"That boy? He looks like he's barely out of diapers!" The Eurasian hissed, crouching in my other side.

"And the guy?! He looks like someone the Nii-sans would have trouble with!"

Reaching out, I tapped the Yakuza boy on his forehead, achieving a small sound of surprise as his hands flew up to protect the point of impact.

"Do not let your voice be heard." I ordered, making grey eyes glance to the Mafia below.

"They could not hear us from here, surely." Cooper breathed, a slight downward tilt to his lip.

"Look to the man in the chair." I huffed, making them turn to the wrathful Sky.

"Xanxus-san."

A scarred face tipped up as he reclined further into his chair, my men freezing as they felt wine eyes pierce them. Giving a hum, I reached out to the little Flames behind me, the two Storms rippling as they were shaken free from the hold of the Sky.

"He heard you. How… How did he hear you?" Jun shivered, inching nearer instinctively.

"I told you, they are out of your league. These men are not to be trifled with."

A hand clamped down on my shoulder, the watch on its wrist catching the light of another crack in the sky.

"Watanabe-dono, how do you know these people?" Cooper asked.

I didn't bother to move as Jun lashed out, blade of his dart leaving a bleeding trail of blood as he forced Cooper to release me.

"Do not touch Daiki-dono so casually, Fujimoto-san." He growled out, more darts wedged between his knuckles.

A quiet sigh left me as I looked over my shoulder at the large man, his wrist clutched close as he gritted his teeth at the mousy boy by my side.

"Welcome to Namimori, Cooper-san, Jun-kun. We're in a completely different world now."

They blinked before turning their attention to the Electro Circuit, eyes widening as they witnessed Lambo light up with electricity, the thunder clap that came after deafening.

I bit my tongue to keep me grounded, remembering the blinding panic that had wracked me when I had come to witness the little cow shove a fork into a power outlet. A similar thing had happened, body spasming and tensing as electricity invaded his system at a lethal rate, only to leave him a little frazzled and toasty.

"Damn, that kid's dead, no doubt." Cooper huffed as Jun clutched loosely at my coat.

Remaining quiet, I gave a small smile as Lambo stood up again, shaking off the sparks and patting his hair back down out its new spikes. A flash of amusement came as noises of confusion and shock left the Yakuza men, the mousy boy leaning over my shoulder as he watched with an open mouth.

"His body is adapted to conduct high voltage, if you were wondering." I huffed in laughter, Cooper coming closer as well.

"Ah… Watanabe-dono. I want to apologise for grabbing you so suddenly. It's just, these people are… unnerving." My driver breathed, making Jun glance at him out of the corner of his eye.

"I understand. Do try to reign in your enthusiasm, however." I hummed, glancing over to him and smiling as I saw obvious signs.

"I am sure you will be able to fight someone soon, friend."

There was a flicker of a smile before he schooled himself, hands returning to behind his back as he straightened his spine. Giving a sound of amusement, I gave Jun a pat on the head, the tell tale sounds of his darts behind resheathed reaching me as he slowly relaxed.

"Honestly, you two, so excitable."

Turning my attention back to the battle for the Rings, I couldn't hold back the quick twitch of my fingers as Lambo pulled the trigger of the TYL bazooka, a flash of dread filling me as the smoke cleared, Jun and Cooper watching closely.

We couldn't hear from here, so the panic that went on down below was muted action to us, short sounds of confusion leaving the Yakuza behind me as they witnessed what the Vongola Lightning would grow to.

"What on Earth? How did- Is that some sort of magic trick? Substitution?" The mousy Storm asked, turning his gaze on me.

"Of the best kind, Jun-kun." I hummed, reaching into my pocket to pull out a pack of gum.

Offering some to Jun, I bent backwards to shove another piece in Cooper's face, the Eurasian Storm accepting it quickly. With the three of us chewing away at the sweetened rubber, I refused to make a move as the TYL teen scanned the line up of Vongola, the others turning their gazes to the ground as if to avoid his stare. Lambo eventually dropped his arms, a breath leaving him to sag, before he stepped back to face Levi.

I didn't move from my position as I focused on the battle, quietly counting down the seconds in the back of my mind as the teenaged Lambo charged at the Varia Lightning, horns sparking with electricity.

"Wait-How?" Jun spluttered.

"Shhh," I hushed, patting his hand comfortingly. " Just accept that Namimori is a weird place."

"But…" He tried, before sighing in defeat.

Stretching a thin layer of gum over the tip of my tongue, I let a breath fill it, a translucent pink bubble blooming forth. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied Cooper trying to copy the action, eyes flying wide in surprise as it popped suddenly, before glancing around to see if anyone had witnessed, prompting me to look away quickly.

"He went back in?" Jun blurted, watching the TYL Lambo dive back into his bazooka, another plume of smoke erupting from the firearm.

I fought against the twitch that threatened to become a grin, a 25 year old Lambo standing proud on the Electro Circuit. Decked out in a long, brown coat and hair as messy as usual, green eyes made quick work of his surroundings, before they fixed themselves on the clock tower. Raising my hand slightly, I waved lazily at the man, his eyes flashing for a moment before he bowed his head, an amused smile just barely visible.

"Is that also the boy?" Cooper asked, nodding to the TYL, times two, man.

"Damn right that is." I huffed, watching Lambo pick up the two forgotten horns.

Reaching up, I pulled my hood lower, focusing my senses on the rhythmic patter of rain on my head and back instead of the impending pain that would befall the boy, knowing that any move I made now would have negative repercussions.

Saving Lambo. That was the first time Tsuna had shown promise as a Boss when not under the influence of the Dying Will bullet. He needs this chance, and I need to stay out of it.

Lambo will be fine, I will make sure of that, but Tsuna needs to show what he's made of.

"Daiki-dono..?"

"Steady." I ordered, feeling the buzz of untrained Flames from behind me.

5...4...3...2...

' _Boom!'_

Jun and Cooper twitched in synchrony as the 5 year old replaced the 25, the progress and ground he had made lost in a single moment.

Keep ahold of yourself, Daiki.

"Yep, kid's gonna die now." Cooper breathed, Jun giving a noise of agreement.

"No, he's not." I announced, frowning slightly.

Clamping my fingers down on the concrete of the clock tower, I let a slip the tension in my body, a small hand coming to rest on my back. My eyes narrowed at my knees as lightning crackled, and loud booms sounded, the Electro Circuit falling to the floor as the Vongola Sky finally stepped in to save his Guardian.

"The hell- He's on fire!" The Eurasian Yakuza blurted, hand flying to his own forehead.

A breath left me as I slowly forced my hands to loosen its grip on the structure, little granules of dust and stone falling from the flaws created. Drawing my head up, I risked a look at the form of Lambo, a hostile growl escaping my throat as his battered body came to view.

As Xanxus clasped the Sky Ring in hand, I decided that my patience was at its end, calling upon the attention of the Yakuza behind me.

"You two,"

"Yes, Daiki-dono?"

"Yes, Watanabe-dono?"

I looked over my shoulder at them, both of them standing straight in preparation of my next order.

"How well can you take a jump?"

"Wha- _Watanabe-dono!"_

The wind whistled in my ears as I pushed myself off the edge, black, water slicked, rain jacket flipping up to billow after me. The hood of the coat flew off as I heard Jun and Cooper follow after, quiet shouts of panic and fear leaving each of them as the fell.

" _VOOIII! Who the hell is that!?"_

" _Hu- Shit! Someone's falling!"_

I let out a small grunt as I hit the ground, sunshine pumped into my legs to instantly repair the splintering of my bones. My two Storms landed heavily behind me, barely constrained hisses of pain leaving them before I let my Flames seep into them unnoticed.

"Daiki-kun! Bro!" Ryohei roared, grinning at me with a little bit of strain.

"Ah, Yamaguchi-san!" Tsuna yelped, before directing his attention to the hooded figures.

"Oi, fucking giant, who the fuck are those freaks you've brought with you?!"

Cooper and Jun stepped forwards at the shout, the three Storms having a glare off before I called for the smallest.

"Bring me the boy." I breathed quietly, so only he could hear, looking to his hooded face.

The mousy Yakuza nodded before quickly closing the distance and grabbing Lambo gently, the shouts of the Vongola party going unheeded. With the little Lightning in his arms, the mousy Storm returned to me, readily giving him up to me.

Cradling the small child to my chest, I let the voices of the Mafia fall short as I looked over the injuries that littered his infant body.

"Daiki-kun!" Takeshi called, stepping forwards, only to be cut off by Cooper, broad body blocking his way.

Mocha eyes went sharp as he stuck his gaze on the older man, hand twitching to the practice sword which clung to his back.

Paying the situation no real mind, I focused on the boy in my arms, quietly gauging the fuel of my own, and releasing a sigh when I decided it to be just enough. I had been saving my Flames for the past few days, intending to use them to finally heal the wounds that littered my body, but Lambo came first.

Drawing the little Lightning closer, I rested my forehead on his and breathed deeply, sunshine fire coming to dance against the back of my eyelids. Slowly, I drew my Flames out to the visible world, allowing for the golden tongues to engulf my form and begin to mend.

Jun prepared to make a noise of panic, but Cooper's hand dropping on his shoulder stopped him, my order coming back to them. The two Yakuza Storms flickered with interest and trepidation, very unsure about the fire tonguing my skin and whispering around Lambo.

" _Hm…"_

Opening my eyes, I let out a breath of relief and exhaustion as the little boy in my arms shifted, small sound of discomfort escaping as the last of his pains were drained.

"Hey, Bo-kun." I hummed, big green eyes blinking tiredly up at me.

"...Papa..?"

A smile slipped out at the address, little mind obviously still very much out of it.

"Yeah, I'm here. Bedtime, you think?"

Lambo gave a small nod before curling up against me. I opened my raincoat and brought his form into the dryness, a little noise of content leaving him. Slowly rocking, I looked up and gave a displeased expression to the others.

"We're leaving."

Cooper and Jun quickly snapped to attention, both falling in step behind me, only to stop as I did.

"Yamaguchi-san, they got the Sky Ring!" Tsuna yelped, his voice dulled out by the one ringing at my Flame.

" _I have the whole Sky Ring. You don't seem worried despite what will happen because of it."_

"I don't want to talk to you, Xanxus-san."

"Too bad. Come here." The wrathful Sky grunted, causing the others to blink in confusion.

"Maybe some other time, I need to put Bo-kun to bed now." I responded, glancing over my shoulder as he finally shifted his gaze on me.

"Disobedient trash."

"Again, I owe you no obedience."

Stepping back towards the roof door, I persisted over the calls of the Mafia, confusion and annoyance tinting their voices.

"Daiki-kun, hang on a-"

I spun around and let my hand fly out, fingers grabbing onto a wrist in a bruising grip. Takeshi stared wide eyed at me as I pulled Jun's hand away, dart poised to throw. Glancing quickly over the Vongola Rain, I held back the sigh of relief that threatened to leave me, before turning my gaze on the Storm, him shuddering as I glared warningly.

"I said: We're leaving. Now."

Jun gave a quick nod, eyes wide beneath his hood as he allowed me to drag him the first few steps.

"I'm-"

"Quiet." I cut off, eyes staying ahead as we walked.

The mousy Yakuza lowered his head, but kept in pace, following to the car quickly. Cooper shrugged off his coat and got the car started, Jun and I doing the same before sliding into opposite sides of the too expensive vehicle.

Resting Lambo on my lap, I hummed quietly as the tall Storm turned on the heater, warming us against the cold outside.

"Jun-kun," I started, making him jump. "Do not try to fight those boys. They are too much for you as you are now."

Slowly, I brought my eyes up from the sleeping Lightning to pin them on his weary face, his breath hitching quietly.

"Am I understood?"

"Y-yes, Daiki-dono! But it is my purpose to protect you and-"

"No harm will come to me from them, they do not work that way." I assured, before looking to the Eurasian Yakuza.

"You too, Cooper-san. I appreciate your help, but engaging them is more trouble than it's worth."

"Understood, Watanabe-dono."

Looking to Lambo again, I leant down and nuzzled him slightly, a little, high noise of sleepiness leaving him. Onesied hand reached up blindly, bound fingers finding my chain and clinging on, freeing my ring and hugging it close.

"If-If I may, Daiki-dono, who are they? They seemed rather familiar with you."

I blinked mutely, hand coming to gently cup the little Lightning's cheek as I rocked slightly.

"They are my school mates."

The car jolted as Cooper brought us to an abrupt red light, apology spilling from him as I stuck him with a glare, quickly moving to lull Lambo back to sleep.

"School mates? Exactly what kind of school is Namimori Middle?" Jun blurted, eyes wide as a jitter came to his hands.

"Not everyone in Namimori is like them. They are quite an oddity even here."

There was a moment of silence as Jun and Cooper slowly pieced together the information, foot numbly going down on the acceleration to guide us forwards at the green.

"Should I prepare for the worst?"

I couldn't help the gently smile that touched my face as my mind flashed with all of the chaos that might take place, but only shook my head.

"Pack for the day, not for the apocalypse. Hibari-san does well in keeping the madness to a minimum." I breathed, hugging Lambo closer when his nose twitched minutely.

"We will avoid confronting those boys. As you have commanded, Watanabe-dono."

"As you have commanded, Daiki-dono."

 **…**

I breathed as Jun finally settled in the guest bedroom, that had up till now been used as a storeroom, his school bag sorted and uniform folded on the newly cleared desk. He placed down a holster of sorts, peaking my interest and leading me to find at least thirty, lethally sharp darts packed inside, a small, purple vial tucked in the side pocket.

"Thank you, Daiki-dono. I apologise for being such a bother." The mousy Yakuza thanked, bowing his head.

I twitched at the title and sighed, driving the heel of my palm into my right eye as I thought about people's reactions to it tomorrow.

"Jun-kun, you've gotta stop calling me that. Just call me Daiki-kun, or something."

A loud gasp rung through the room, making my eyes snap up and look to the shell shocked Storm, grey eyes wide with a look akin to horror.

"I-I could never! The heir to the Watanabe clan can not be addressed so f-familiarly by someone of my status! My God, I should hardly be calling you by your given name!"

Letting a grimace touch my face, I carefully petted the small boy's head, making him give a startled huff noise.

"Okay, okay. Since you've gotta keep rank in mind, when we're in public, call me Daiki-senpai? I don't want people spreading rumours about the whole 'lord' thing." I tried, a bit of pleading in my voice.

There was a quiet moment as Jun rolled the idea in his mind, putting it through three different filters before eventually nodding, big grey orbs looking up at me carefully from behind my wrist.

Giving a smile, I removed my hand and stepped back, placing my hand on my hip.

"Let's give it a go, huh? Call me senpai."

"D-Daiki-s-s-s-s-s-"

Forcing back a laugh, I pulled the desk chair up and dropped down on it, watching the boy across from me slowly turn red as he lost more air from the continued hissing. Eventually, the mousy Storm rocked on his heels, eyes unfocusing as he ran out of oxygen, a deep inhale fixing him up quickly, but rendering his audience snorting into their hand.

"Daiki-dono!" He squawked, flushing a whole nother shade when he noticed my situation.

"I'm sorry!" I heaved, leaning back in the chair as I tried to collect myself.

A yip made us look swiftly to the side, Mephisto running into the room at full speed, the sounds of laughter summoning him from whatever dark crack he had wriggled his way into. Jun's eyes widened to double their size before he released a high pitched shriek of fear, launching himself off the floor as the mutt came barreling past his feet. A small 'oof' left me as he landed on my lap, tiny body clinging to me as the pup circled my chair, causing the boy to release another sound of fright.

"Hey, Jun-kun, you okay?" I asked, trying to pull his face out of my shoulder.

"No! No, I am _not_ okay, Daiki-dono!" He responded, squealing when a wet nose ghosted across the tips of his toes.

The sudden shift it caused forced me to bring an arm up to catch him before he fell, a laugh leaving me as he gave another girlish scream at the near-death experience.

"Is it Mephistopheles that's scaring you?"

"You named your dog after one of Satan's chiefs!?"

"Yes, but he goes by Miphy for short."

I grinned as he recoiled away from the bouncing mutt, before reaching out and stilling the enthusiasm. With a quick gesture, Mephisto dropped and sat straight, little white ears high with attention as he watched for the next movement.

"You can come out now, he isn't going to jump on you." I hummed, drawing Jun out of his ball.

"A-are you sure?"

Grabbing the boy by the waist, I brought him around to face the attentive dog, his eyes wide.

"He's obedient, he won't attack you unless told."

Still looking very unsure, Jun slowly reached for the mutt, flinching when Mephisto's snout tilted to meet his little hand.

"Waa, he's soft!" He cooed, fingers running through short fur.

"Mhm, he's a west highland terrier. I had originally thought he was just a white Scott, but then Hitomi-san from the vet went off at me for getting them mixed up. Apparently, her mother has some."

The mousy Yakuza hummed, before yelping as the mutt made an attempt at his fingers, recoiling into me swiftly.

"Why!?"

"Don't worry, don't worry." I laughed, offering my own hand to the dog and allowing the limb to be taken between teeth.

"He doesn't intend to hurt, it's kind of like his way of holding your hand."

Jun glanced at me over his shoulder before shaking his head, nerves too shot to try again. Giving him a smile, I lifted him off my lap before disposing of him on his bed, a small yelp leaving him as he hit the mattress.

"Get some sleep, you have to get up early so you can submit your forms to Hibari-san and get used to the layout."

"Okay. Good night, Daiki-don-"

I gave him a look, forcing the first year to stop in his tracks and go a deep red as he scrambled to correct himself.

"Daiki-s-s-s- _senpai!_ "

"There we go, not so hard was it?" I laughed, watching him deflate into the bed as if he had just exhaled his soul.

"Good night, Jun-kun."

"Good night, Daiki-senpai."

Smiling, I closed the door behind me before looking to the mutt at my feet, teeth flashing up at me in a rough grin.

"C'mon, you little monster, let's get you in bed."

Mephisto gave a bark before tapping after me down the hall, leaping up onto my bed and curling up beside the slumbering Lambo, sniffing his charred afro.

"He'll be fine, give him some time." I assured, pulling my sheets up to the child's chin and wrapping my arm around both of the small forms.

As I drifted, I quietly hummed, feeling the slight drain as my Flames departed from their tinder in wisps, fragile body beside me absorbing them with gratitude.

With my eyes closed, I could see the sharp, crackling form of Lambo's Flame, bright, green and dancing around the tongues of yellow that slipped into his fuel. With every passing moment, the lightning slowly began to steady, no longer spasming as its host stopped suffering from pain.

Tightening my hold on the two, I gave a laugh as Mephisto huffed and rolled, legs splayed out as he copied Lambo's position on his back.

"Night, Mephistopheles."

There was an airy whine that showed he had heard, making me smile before I nuzzled the little Lightning.

"Night, Bo-kun."

* * *

 **|JUN|**

Hayashi Jun of the Watanabe Yakuza fidgeted unsurely as the Yamaguchi matron Kaede bustled around him, fixing his hair and urging his small body to take in more of the morning spread on the table. The short first year quickly declined, glancing to the empty seat across from him, his Lord still not yet ready.

"Oh come, Daiki-kun likes to take his time making himself pretty. Just start without him!"

"But it is terrible form and manners to eat before the heir has begun! I have to wait." He squeaked, before jumping as a corner of toast was forced between his teeth.

"Don't be so uptight, Jun-kun." Came the based voice.

The mousy Yakuza scrambled to his feet, dropping into a bow quickly.

"Good morning, Daiki-dono! I am sorry that you had to wake me up! I should have woken earlier!"

Ah! The toast!

His declaration had released the slice from its vice, grey eyes widening as it began accelerating towards the floor. Gasping loudly, Jun flailed after it, giving a cry as his fingers brushed the crust.

"Whoops, got it." The heir laughed, snatching the bread.

Wide eyes looked up to amber-earth as it was again offered to him, the light tone still in the other's voice.

"Not quite awake yet, huh?"

"N-no. I'm sorry."

" _Daiki-kun, come get Miphy some food. He's trying to climb the shelves again!"_

That beast can climb _too!?_

There goes Jun's one escape plan.

"Coming!" The Lord Daiki called, before smiling back down at the little Yakuza

"Eat, I'll be back in a sec."

Jun nodded, watching the taller boy walk from the room before sighing loudly. Turning his gaze, the small Yakuza began working quickly, plucking a small vial from within his sleeve.

The contents were clear, odourless and tasteless. There was no way he'd be found out, unless he did it wrong.

Unscrewing the lid, Jun examined the dropper before reaching out and squeezing from above the heir's cup. Three drops hit the surface, an obvious separate layer existing for a short moment before it disappeared. The small Yakuza slipped the bottle back into his sleeve before sitting himself down at his own spot, glancing up as the older boy walked back in.

"I told you to eat." He sighed, fixing his tie as his foot hooked around the leg of the chair to pull it out.

"B-but I am not allowed to eat bef-"

"Do I need to force feed you? I've had plenty of practice." Daiki threatened, raising a halved eyebrow.

Jun immediately shrunk into his chair, shaking his head as he flushed slightly. The Watanabe heir merely laughed him off before beginning his meal, making the action very deliberate. As the two ate, the small Yakuza fought to not glance at the contaminated cup, the vial of poison weighing heavy.

" _Daiki-kun, Hayashi-kun! You need to get moving if you want to get there in time!"_

The Lord Daiki blinked as he finished off his plate, amber-earth shifting to the clock on the mantle before sighing. Jun held his breath as the other grabbed his cup and brought it to his lips, teeth crushing down on the food in his mouth as he saw the heir's throat move to channel the flow.

Three drops.

The mousy boy quickly got to his feet as the older began collecting both their plates, his call of protest brushed off easily. The small Yakuza shuffled nervously at the door of the kitchen, waiting for an order from his hosts and superiors, only to be smiled at by the two and receive a stream of coos from the matron.

"Oh, he's so cute! I wish you had stayed that small, Daiki-kun!"

"I was in elementary at that height, kaa-san."

A flush fell over Jun's face at the comment, his chin burrowing into his chest as he thinned his lips, making the Yamaguchi mother squeal.

"Aw! He looks like- like-"

Faint footsteps rang before grey eyes saw feet come toe-to-toe with his, head snapping up to look at the Watanabe heir looking down at him with a soft expression.

"Like a little mouse."

" _Hey!"_ Jun yelped, eyes widening as his voice failed him and reached an octave of amazing height.

A laugh left the blue haired heir before the Yakuza found himself wrapped up in strong arms, a surprising warmth radiating off of the other boy.

"Haha, see? You even sound like a little mouse."

"Daiki-dono!"

Kaede gave a noise of humour before waving her spoon at them, drawing the attention of the two and causing the taller boy to release his captive.

"Finish up and get going, I don't want Hayashi-kun late on his first day just because you couldn't get yourself together, Daiki-kun."

"Yeah, yeah. I know when I'm unwanted." Daiki huffed, before guiding Jun out of the kitchen.

The two stood in the genkan moments later, school bags sitting side by side as they worked on their shoes, Jun's left one being difficult enough to cause him to give a strong pout. Eventually, hands grabbed hold of his ankle, the Yakuza giving a yelp of surprise as the heir kneeled and began fixing his shoe for him, grey eyes wide.

"D-Daik-"

"Remember Jun-kun, once we're out that door, I'm senpai." The Watanabe smiled, helping the younger to his feet.

Jun tried to make a statement, but cut himself off, quietly nodding his head. The other gave a sound of approval before looking over his head and calling out.

"Later, kaa-san! We're leaving!"

" _Bye-bye! Be safe!"_

The small Yakuza quickened his pace to keep up with the heir's longer legs and strides, quiet laughter leaving the blue haired boy as he watched the younger stumble on loose gravel. Grey eyes kept on jumping between the tarmac road and his upperclassman, worry and awe lightly touching his mind as he waited for the effects of the clear liquid, each passing moment made the possibility of the symptoms showing even less.

Three drops worth of the poison was in his system, yet he still walked and moved without issue!

"So," Daiki started suddenly, waking Jun from his thoughts. "Do you know which class you are in? 1-A? B?"

"Ah...1...1-C, Daiki-senpai." He responded finally, deflating in shame as the lowest class escaped his vocals.

"C?" The heir hummed, before grimacing.

"Oh dear, that class isn't the most welcoming. Full of thugs. But then again," Amber-earth glanced over his shoulder and smiled down at grey. "You're no pushover, huh, Jun-kun. Got a bit of badassery in you."

" _B-badassery?!"_

"Mhm, Yakuza blood, accuracy, speed and at least thirty blades strapped to your wrist. You've got the makings of a badass, little mouse." The blue haired Watanabe laughed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

The small Yakuza started before attempting to fight off a pout, his pace speeding up to catch his superior.

"If I'm such a badass, don't call me mouse." He huffed quietly, before squeaking when the other released a sound of amusement.

"You weren't meant to hear that! I'm sorry!"

"It's fine, it's fine. But it's gonna take more than that to get me to stop." Daiki hummed, reaching out and pinching the Yakuza's cheek, baby fat stretching easily under the assault.

"Abuse! Animal abuse!"

Jun would easily admit that he liked making the heir laugh, the sound having a charm. It helped that his Lord seemed to be one who was easily amused, self-deprecating jokes, black and deadpan humour his pleasure. So when the next Watanabe oyabun grinned down at him with an unguarded glee, the small Yakuza found it almost second nature to reflect the jocund expression, all too happy to promote the emotion.

The dart user paused as the other's expression crumbled, the efforts he had gone through withering in less than a second as something caught amber-earth eyes. Jun blinked before shifting his gaze to the source, holding back a strangled sound as he zeroed in on a familiar trio. The boys from last night were walking together, boisterous laughter and shouts sounding from them as they approached, not yet noticing the Yakuza duo ahead of them.

"Jun-kun," The heir muttered, drawing his attention back. "We're going to take a detour. Come quickly."

"Yes, Daiki-dono." He nodded, falling to habit at the tone.

The other didn't comment on the slip up, grabbing the smaller Yakuza by his wrist before dragging him through a back street. The two weaved through a system of streets that made Jun dizzy, wondering just how the older could navigate the paths so easily and at such speed, before he was brought to an abrupt stop.

"This is the back gate to Nami-chuu, most students use the front." Daiki supplied, leading him up a small incline before they entered a high chain link fence.

"No one goes through here?"

"Yeah, most go round front to meet up with friends or avoid Hibari-san." The blue haired boy hummed, pointing to the roof.

Grey eyes blinked before following the finger, Jun released a high-pitched scream before slamming his body into a right angle, the slate gaze of the young master glaring down at him from above.

"Well, that, and the shoe lockers are at the front."

"Morning, birdy!" Daiki called, waving up at him, the mousy Yakuza's heart racing as he awaited some form of punishment for not noticing sooner.

"Jun-kun, you can get up now. He left already."

A loud breath left the small boy as he deflated, knees hitting the earth as he felt the years shaved off his life. The heir gave a small chuckle before he pulled the first year to his feet, giving him a solid pat on the back.

"You're such a mouse, honestly."

Jun gave a yelp as he stumbled, the 'pat' almost sending him sprawling across the dirt. The blue haired third year didn't seem to notice as he strode past, scratching the side of his neck as he released a small yawn, quickly stifling it with the back of his hand.

"Let's get you to your locker, hey?"

The small boy nodded mutely, quickly chasing after the other as they took a roundabout way to get to the front, grey orbs noticing the way Daiki scanned the crowds before slipping easily into the flow.

"What's your number?"

"Ah..." The Yakuza breathed, pulling out a slip of paper, allowing the heir to read over his shoulder.

"Oh, that's all the way on the end. C'mon."

Jun followed after the other quickly, tension in his shoulders becoming more obvious the more he felt eyes on him, students showing curiosity for the new face in their midst.

"Here we go."

"Ah, thank you, Daiki-do-"

The heir looked at him out of the corner of his eye, a warning flashing through the amber.

"Daiki-senpai." He corrected quickly, lowering his head.

"...No problem, Jun-kun." The third year responded after a moment of silence, his tone giving nothing away.

"Ready to meet your classmates?"

"N-no." Jun replied honestly, the older boy giving him a small smile.

"I'm sure you'll be fine. At the very least, your teacher should provide some protection."

The mousy Yakuza hummed in weak agreement, falling in step behind the heir as he was lead to his door, loud shouts and a crash emanating from within. Neither boy spoke for a little while, both just taking in the sounds and swears that reached them with slowly lowering hope.

"Well, they seem like a lively bunch..?" Daiki tried, grimacing as what sounded like a table breaking over someone's head escaped, cheers and sympathetic noises following.

" _Ah, are you the new student?"_

Jun and the Watanabe heir looked to the voice, a tired old man smiling up at them being the source. He looked withered and worn, clutching a thick folder of paper to his chest as he hunched slightly, looking at them through closed eyes.

"Y-yes, sir. I'm Hayashi Jun." The Yakuza introduced, almost stumbling over his words as another crash sounded.

"Good, good. I am your teacher for homeroom, Matsuoka-sensei. I hope we get along." The elderly teacher smiled, not at all perturbed by the violent audio.

"Ah, Yamaguchi-san, why are you here?"

"You sound as if you don't want me to be, sensei. I'm hurt!" Daiki laughed, causing the man to smile widely.

"Nonsense, you were my best student!"

"Oh, that's a lie and we both know it, Tachibana-san was the best in history. Speaking of, Jun-kun here is a bit of a history nut."

The mousy Yakuza blinked in surprise, his attention fixed on the shift in his Lord's voice. It had become clearer and more deliberate, words more sophisticated, yet still retaining their basic syntax, allowing for them to be understandable to the common ear.

"Really? Well, I like him better already! Tell me, Yamaguchi-san, how do you know this young man?"

Jun resisted the urge to freeze, his previous awe replaced by hesitation as the subject was finally breached.

"He is a family friend, my grandfather introduced him to me a few months back. We've become quite close since." The third year responded, not missing a beat.

"Oh, wonderful. It is always good to make more friends and expand your connections." The elderly man huffed, an odd sort of 'hohoho' leaving him.

"Very true. Well, I have to get to class, I'll leave my Jun-kun in your care, Matsuoka-sensei. Try to be gentle with him?" Daiki smiled, petting Jun's shoulder before walking past.

"I'll try, but I'll be sure to keep him on task. Come, Hayashi-san, let's get you settled in."

"Ah, thank you, Daiki-senpai!" Jun called, bowing quickly to his upperclassman.

The Watanabe heir waved over his shoulder as he turned the corner, melding into the flow of students again.

"You and Yamaguchi-san seem rather close, that's good. It is always benefitting to have someone to rely on, especially when transitioning between places such as schools." Matsuoka hummed, weathered face never losing its smile.

"Mhm, Daiki-senpai is amazing." Jun nodded enthusiastically, before quickly reining himself in, a flush touching his face.

" _Hohoho!_ Such a strong bond!" The teacher laughed, before opening the door and entering the chaos within.

The mousy Yakuza gulped audibly as he stood before the class, name written up on the blackboard for anyone who wanted to headhunt him later. Desks out of order and vandalised as rough looking teens glared at him, piercings and other modifications littering faces and bodies. There was an obvious unbalance to the class, one girl for every five boys, but it didn't really stand out much to Jun, the boy already used to women being in the background, despite how much his Lord Daiki vocalised his dislike for the separation.

"Good morning class, we have a new student joining us today. Everyone, I'd like you to meet Hayashi Jun."

The small boy bowed quickly before straightening, hands clenched at his sides as he felt amateur aura brush up on him.

"I-I hope we get along." He stuttered, cursing mentally as the others immediately caught on to the flaw.

"Very good, please take a seat."

"Y-yes, Matsuoka-sensei." Jun nodded, before grimacing.

First row, fourth. Front and centre seat, the only available one.

The mousy Yakuza held back a whimper as he bared his back to the class of thugs, mind running wild as he thought of the many weapons that could be hidden within the modified uniforms.

"Okay, let's begin."

The words acted as a trigger, the class immediately erupting into loud conversation as the students paid the teacher no attention. Matsuoka didn't seem to notice, however, as he continued on with the lesson, chalking up equations.

Jun sighed before sinking in his seat, attempting to slide beneath his table in attempts to hide from the chatter surrounding his weak demeanour traded between the other class members.

" _Hehe, he looks like a girl."_

" _Thin ass limbs. Could break him over my knee."_

" _Weak as shit, I bet."_

Why did I have to come to this class!? Daiki, come back!

 **|JUN|**

* * *

"Daik-"

I stood from my desk as soon as the bell rung across the school, bag in hand as I walked away from Ryohei's attempt at contact.

Sitting beside the Sun had made avoiding him impossible physically, so when he attempted to talk to me during class, I worked to ignore him until the teacher caught on and gave the boxer a warning, effectively shutting him down after the threat of the principal's office. With that broadcasted to the class, everyone had become aware of the friction going between us, the two students behind us shuffling their desk back after I had snapped my lead.

A sigh left me as I dropped down the steps of the second hall, somehow missing the Vongola trio despite hearing their shouts clearly from within the classroom as I walked past. Another turn led me to the hall of 1-C, the usual ruckus that emanated from them reaching me. How they survived this environment, with a predator such as Hibari prowling around, baffled me, in all honesty.

As the noise peaked, I opened the door and stepped in, the class going deadly silent.

Lovely.

"Ah, Yamaguchi-san! Hello again, here for Hayashi-san?" Matsuoka asked, completely oblivious to the badly aimed pocket knife buried in the blackboard just shy of his hand.

"Yes sir, you may not have heard over the noise, but the bell for lunch has rung." I hummed, walking up to the board and yanking out the small blade.

"Really? Oh, the years must be getting to me! _Hohoho!_ " He laughed, turning back to the class.

"Have a nice lunch, students."

Stepping aside, I allowed the man to shuffle out of the room, his scheduled lesson with the terror class over.

"C'mon, Jun-kun." I called, closing the knife and tossing it onto the teacher's desk before walking back to the door.

Jun scrambled to his feet and followed me, a yelp escaping him as another projectile was thrown at us, a back step making it pass by harmlessly. Looking out of the corner of my eye, I sighed as I noticed the small Yakuza's hand twitch, the shine of a dart appearing from within his sleeve.

"Oi, who the hell are you?" A boy growled, slanged Japanese spilling out from around a half burnt out cigarette.

"A third year." I smiled, reaching for the packet of cancer sticks that had been tossed at my feet.

"Jun-kun, don't forget your bag."

The mousy Storm blinked before 'eep'ing and running back to his desk, gathering up his stationary. There was quite tittering amongst the students, quick snatches of conversation reaching my ears as I read the label of the smoker box.

These are pretty weak.

"Hey, aren't you that DC guy's man?" Another scowled, gold tooth catching the light.

"You mean Hibari-san?" I tried, blinking as I aligned logic.

"Whatever his name is."

"Not really," Came my response, a shrug coming off my shoulders. "I mean, I help him out with paperwork and clean up, but that's it."

"A-ah, I'm ready to go, Daiki-senpai." Jun muttered, stepping up beside me, dart replaced in its holster.

"Off we go then. Goodbye, 1-C." I hummed, tossing the box back at its owner, eyes narrowing at me from across the room.

Oh please, put some effort into it.

 **...**

A loud laugh escaped me as I dropped down on a root, the shade of a tree obscuring us as we set ourselves up for the break.

"It's not funny, Daiki-senpai! That class is a terror to be in!" Jun squeaked, flushing as his voice jumped.

"I'm sure, I'm sure!" I heaved, before relaxing against the stump. "But it's good to know that Matsuoka-sensei hasn't changed. Still oblivious to the madness of Namimori."

A few moments of silence passed, my eyes drawn to the Storm's fidgeting as he seemed to be thinking over something, mouth moving in preparation to voice his thought.

"Go ahead, Jun-kun." I breathed, placing a hand behind my head to cushion it against the harsh wood.

"A-ah, that boy said you were the Young Master's 'man'...Are you and him...ah..."

Pale skin slowly shifted to bright red, grey eyes widening as they seemed to realise where his sentence was going.

Wait...Oh...Oh-haha!

Boisterous laughter left my throat as the message clicked, my head tilting back to help the sound out. Giving a grin, I looked to the startled Yakuza, shaking my head.

"No, no. The birdy and I are just friends- well, more a kind of partner, I guess. As I said, I help him with paperwork and outside of school disciplinary missions in return for favours. This has been going on for a while."

Jun deflated, his face falling into relief, a hand coming to rest over his poor abused heart.

"How long have you and the Young Master been working together?" He asked, shuffling closer, a renewed enthusiasm coming to his voice.

"Since I was 11 years old. I broke a bunch of things and needed some help with clean up before anyone saw." I smiled, not lying.

"Huh, Daiki-d...Daiki-senpai was clumsy?" The Yakuza blinked, disbelief in his voice.

"Oh please, we all have our spills."

"Ah, I suppose so...But I was under the impression you were in a relationship with someone? The ladies of the Watanabe have been gossiping about it for months!"

I blinked, an unwelcome thrum going through my mind as a flash of Takeshi went through, a frown coming to my face as I lowered my gaze. Jun noticed this immediately, his eyes widening as he scrambled to apologise.

"I'm sorry! I didn't-"

"No, no. It's fine." I breathed, shrugging slightly. "He and I are...having our differences at the moment."

"O-oh..."

There was a few beats of pause, neither of us really having anything to follow that up. The small Storm fidgeted before, trying again, a small, hopeful smile on his face.

"Do you...do you still care for them? Despite the differences?" He asked.

My eyes widened as the words reached my ears, mind reeling as it came up with arguments of why I should and why I shouldn't.

The Vongola Rain. Shigure Soen Ryu successor. Yamamoto Takeshi… I really shouldn't but-

"I do. I love him a lot." I admitted, a damned smile coming to my face as I spoke my guilt.

"Well then, that's good, isn't it? If you still love hi- _Love?!_ "

Starting at the yell, I looked to the shell-shocked boy, a blush possessing his face as he stuttered wildly, tension wringing his body.

"Yes. I love him, what of it? Is that so bad?"

"B-but you're status as oyabun! You need to produce the next heir after you! Two men cannot procreate!" Jun flailed, leaning forwards on his hands.

"Ah...Well," I shrugged, my face giving nothing away. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

The Storm choked on his spit as he tried to cry out again, his body deflating when he saw my smile.

"Don't worry yourself over it so much. Our relationship might not survive long enough to get to that." I breathed, fighting off the flinch that tried to come after a sudden stab hit my chest.

"Y-yeah, that's true...Just how far along are you- if you don't mind me asking."

I hummed before pulling out my ring, the martial band catching the light and making Jun look about ready to faint.

"E-engaged... The heir is engaged to a man...Oh lord." He spoke airily, rocking slightly as he became dazed.

"Yeah," I smiled, rubbing the ring with my thumb before slipping it on the intended finger, a faint heat coming to my face. "Yeah, I am."

* * *

 **Orian:** Pleasure women. Started in early Edo times.

* * *

 **SIDEKICK COMMENTARY À LA ThePlotbunnybreeder**

 _[Note: I need to leave soon, time flew by surprisingly fast, and so this might seem hasty and sloppy. Lenori, post at your own risk. Wait at your own risk. :D]_

Warning: Gushing Ahead

I like how the newest OC Cooper was introduced at the beginning of the chapter and that his background is pretty realistic. Well, more realistic than some of the KHR! OCs I've seen…

To Thanatos147's reply to my adrenaline-is-not-helpful comment:

" _[...] As for Plunny's comment on adrenaline I would point out its incomplete. Fight, Flight or Freeze is well known in most full contact martial arts but the training doesn't let you ignore the adrenaline so much as maintain your focus. It gives your metabolism a kick-start and boosts the energy available for a while which is really noticeable in long bouts. It also helps you ignore pain by triggering endorphins so you don't notice the burn from pushing muscles to the limit and increased anaerobic respiration. It may interest you to note to note that the psychological effects are actually similar to a beefed up caffeine response as both trigger a cortisol spike though adrenaline does have a few psychoactive properties itself."_

Thanks a bunch Thanatos147! I stand very much corrected. And interested, yes. ;D

Also, Jun has received his first POV! Round of applause for our nerdy closet-badass. *le sniff* My fave is growing up…

BUT THE BIG NEWS IS THAT WE GOT FANART! **P** **aperclipsouthpaw on Tumblr** drew a fabulous and dynamic Daiki!

 _Truly fabulous_.

AND _ANOTHER!_ It's from the scene in Chapter 19 where Daiki's Flame goes crazy. And it is abso. Fucking. Lutely. AmAHzing!

The glow effect (for the Flame) and Daiki's expression impressed me the most of all. And from _that_ I-am-impressed-as-fu I go to I-AM-impressed-as-HELLA because of the eyes.

 _Please_ check it out and send lots of love their way!


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey, shameless advertising time!**

 **So you all know about the idea you guys seem to have floating around for the Aomine Daiki meeting Yamaguchi Daiki thingy? Well, guess who wrote a one-shot for that?! It's over on Cooling Rack: Patience Is A Virtue on PlunnyBreeder's account if this peaks your interest!**

 **Thanks for reading,**

 **LeNoRi**

* * *

 ** **Word Count: 10,290****

* * *

The heir's dorm was filled with laughter and cheers as my cousins cooed over Mephisto, the highlander enjoying the attention and treats offered to him. Gin played her harp gracefully near the open door, flushing and lowering her gaze whenever someone would compliment her. Her notes drifted in the background to accompany the giddy vocals, a small smile coming to my face as I watched the pup bump his wet nose against the samurai wannabe, Ame. Aika and Nami shrieking in delight as the white mutt bounded over and lapped the biscuits from their fingers, Bun sitting behind them watchfully. Naomi had attempted to intercept me multiple times, only for Sora to lure her away with gossip, hiding her grin behind neon nails as I sent her exaggerated expressions of thanks.

Breathing loudly, I leant back in on my arms, Jun's homework splayed out before me as the boy himself tried to figure out the first few equations at my side. Reaching out, I took a long drink from my cup, draining it of the majority of its contents in one go, thanking Honda as she moved to refill it.

My bandages had come off that morning, as well as the majority of my stitches, but Shamal had cautioned me against strenuous activity. It felt good to be able to move around without the stiffness of thick bandages, or the threatening, sharp tug of sutures. Being back in a proper binder was a blessing too, bandages causing pain was the day progressed and needing almost constant adjusting at every break from the good doctor, lest I lose my breath.

"Ah...Daiki-dono, how do you do this again?"

Pushing myself forwards, I read the question over his shoulder and sighed, grabbing another blank page to write down the working out.

"Okay, so, can you read it out for me?" I hummed, clicking the pen to life and letting it hover over the sheet.

"Okay, um, 'x' equals twenty six minus fourteen. Find 'x'."

I took a moment to remind myself that the boy beside me was thirteen years old, and that at that age 'x' and 'y' were some of the scariest things in maths- along side long division. Fixing my glasses, I quickly scribed the equation before sliding the page between us to let him view it easier.

 _X=26-14_

"So, we want what 'x' equals to, yeah? To do that, all we have to do is minus fourteen from twenty six. Can you tell me what that is- Ah! Without your calculator."

Plucking his equipment from small hands, I ignored the mouse's squeaks of protest, smiling at him as a strong pout took his face. Jun was loosening up around me, which was a welcome development, because as much as I liked to spook the boy, having him comfortable was always prefered.

"...Twelve?"

"Did you guess that?"

"Maybe."

Another sigh slipped from me as I nodded, making the small boy smile in victory before scribbling down his answer.

It was the night of the Storm battle, but I had no intention of going to observe, my one reason for the last visitation currently curled up sleeping in the corner, Yama, Mana and Kana silently observing him. I knew they would be fine, but still had to give myself reminders now and again to keep me in my seat. It was interesting, really, how those boys were able to wrap me around their finger. Interesting, but worrying and infuriating.

Jun had yet to ask about the Flames he had seen, but I could almost feel the curiosity bubbling in his brain. The questions would come soon, no doubt.

" _Mmh...Mm...Waaaaa!"_

" _Daiki-nii-sama, it's making noise."_

I snapped around as the familiar sound of Lambo's wails reached me, on my feet in seconds. Crossing the room, I quickly scooped up the little Lightning and cradled him to my chest, low notes leaving me as I tried to lull him back, knowing full well what had woken him.

He was in pain.

I was doing my best to mend the boy, but there were times that the ache of his fried nerves would strike him, causing sharp irritation. It hurt, knowing he was like this, but unable to do much more than flood him with warm sunshine again and again.

"Waaa!"

I gritted my teeth as another cry came, a physical pang hitting my chest at the noise.

Honda came and stood beside me as she looked worriedly at the small boy, glancing up at me as I rocked him slightly.

"Bo-kun, what's the matter? Bo-kun?" I hummed, drawing him closer to talk into his ear.

Little hands flailed wildly for a moment before coiling around my finger, a swell of warmth coming when I saw the size difference. Giving a quiet sigh, I looked to my only elder cousin and gave a nod, before I moved back to my seat and rested his form in my lap, now free hand coming to grab my pen again.

"Moving on."

"Ah...Daiki-dono, who is that?" Jun managed out, looking between the child and me unsurely.

I blinked before letting a smile slip onto my face, my arms shifting to allow the mousy boy a better view of the Vongola Lightning.

"This is Bovino Lambo, my son."

…

As silence ruled the room, I looked up from the sleeping hitman to look to Jun, an attractive snort escaping me when I spotted him.

Wide eyes, dropped jaw and limbs frozen mid-flail, the Yakuza Storm was in a state of shock. Eventually, his eyes shakily lowered to the child in my lap, a small, choked sound leaving him as he stared.

"Daiki-dono has a-a _son!?"_

" _Wait-What?!"_

"Daiki-kun," Honda choked, placing her cup down as she quickly cleared her windpipe. "You have a child? Already?"

"Yes. Well, sort of. Bo-kun isn't my blood son, I just claimed him as such." I admitted, gently rubbing the back of the Lightning's hand with my thumb.

Jun deflated to slump against the desk, loud breaths leaving him as he regained his other girls were in no better condition, Ame weakly pegging a soft toy at the back of my head for giving the women a near heart attack. The mouse jolted suddenly before shooting back up, panicked eyes pinned on me.

"Do you think that Lambo-dono will try to take the title of oyabun?! He can't, because of the bloodline, but what if he tries!?"

I blinked slowly, before shaking my head with a quiet laugh.

"I highly doubt he will make an attempt on the title, do not worry. And what's this about the 'dono'?"

"Lambo-dono is the next oyabun's son- albeit an unofficially adopted one. And as such, he should be treated with respect by the underlings!"

"Okay then." I sighed, playing with the little foot.

We both turned back to the book in front of us and set onto the next question, Lambo's fidgeting minimal despite the voices going on around him.

My cousins seemed to notice the slight stiffness in my mood, but made no attempt to comment, merely glancing at me out of their eyes on occasion. They kept a subtle distance from me, even when we gathered around the same low table for dinner, myself forcefully served first, even before the eldest, making me want to shift awkwardly as Honda kept her eyes down respectfully.

Ame gave a giggle as Mephisto peeked out from beneath the table, quickly snatching the offered food before scrambling back to the centre, waiting for the next sign of a friend. I rolled my eyes before giving the highlander mutt some of my own meat, the once-stray purposefully grabbing most of my hand as well as the morsel, both of us exchanging flat looks.

"Let go, Miphy." I ordered, pulling my hand back slightly, causing the dog to tug equally.

Blinking at him, I could hear the girls giving sounds of amusement, a few giving rather unladylike snorts. I pursed my lips before deciding to raise my arm, lifting the stout canine off the floor, his stubby little legs kicking slowly as he hung from his teeth, tail brushing Honda's neck and making her shriek in surprise. I looked around the persistent mutt to give her a look of amusement, the usually refined young lady flushing as she clutched the irritated spot, giving me a dainty evil eye before returning to her meal.

Huffing in mock hurt, I reached out and grazed the spot, brown eyes flying wide before she scrambled back, only to fall into the hands of Sora, who was full ready to carry on the torture, another high yelp leaving the eldest Watanabe woman.

"Sora-chan, I swear, if you touch my neck again-!"

Before she could finish her threat, Bun snuck around the table and blew a stream of cold air onto the column of skin, making our cousin vault out of her seat and get to her feet. Honda glared at the laughing table as she covered her neck, a hue of indignation on her face as she heaved with exertion.

"Hahaha, I didn't know you were sensitive on your neck, Honda-onee!" Sora laughed, holding her stomach.

"Daiki-kun," The eldest called, making me look to her. "You are a terrible influence."

I shrugged, still grinning at her expense.

"I will and shall not deny the truth."

She huffed before straightening her kimono, the shoulders having slipped slightly during the scuffle, sitting herself back down gracefully. The Watanabe woman watched her relatives are out of the corner of her eye, narrowing them at me if I even so much as moved them near her.

"Come now, Honda-onee, no need to be so on edge!" I laughed, making her give another huff and pointedly ignore me.

"Honda-onee?" I called again, my own smile stretching when I saw her cheeks cave into dimples even with her turned away.

"Honda-onee!"

This time Sora had joined me, both of us using the pincer manoeuvre to corner our elder, the others cackling around the table as Mephisto bounced around, stealing his fill.

With my dignified elder cousin turning her nose up to both of us, I managed to slip my hand under her radar, fingers connecting with the opposite side and sending her leaping towards me. Instantly reacting, I wrapped my arms around her surprisingly slender waist, leaving her feet at the mercy of Sora and Bunko's tickling hands.

"Yo-u-u are all e-e-vil! Unh-hand me!" She squealed, trying to yank her feet out of perfect nails.

We continued our assault on our relative until she heaved silently, the others grinning as they tried to reign in their mirth, Ame, Aiko and Nami rolling on the floor as they clutched their little stomachs.

"A terri-ible influence." Honda gasped, smacking my arm as she slumped against me.

I gave a quiet chuckle, before sitting up as my phone went off, the alarm ringing loudly through the still rowdy room. Gently sliding out from under my cousin, I excused myself before walking onto the deck, the soft glow of lanterns casting a heavy shadow as I silenced my device and dialed the feared Skylark of Namimori.

" _Chattering Herbivore."_

"Hello Hibari-san, I hope you are behaving yourself for our guests, the Varia."

* * *

 **|H.K|**

Damaged. The windows were smashed. The walls were charred and crumbling. The floors were scared and caved in.

Hibari Kyoya made a sound of displeasure as he stalked into the front doors of his nest, trespassing herbivores crowding the halls and making the place unbearably cluttered, his tonfas already comfortably settled in his hands as he narrowed his eyes. The lowly heterotrophs fell easily to the Skylar's metal, their grouping tactics making it easier to land blows without even bothering to aim, something always there. The Cloud groaned in aggravation as he watched a masked intruder cluck into his radio, a flash of chrome his reward before Hibari breezed past the fallen body. Black clad man after black clad man Hibari downed, halls slowly becoming quieter as the noisy herbivores were silenced by his tonfa and temper.

The Skylark let out a small breath as he launched his last offender away, the masked man sliding before others of similar wear, but seemingly higher rank.

"Ah, Hibari-san!"

Of course, handler's herbivores, as usual.

Giving a mental sigh at the repetitiveness of the people in front of him, the DC head turned his attention to the more pressing of matters, namely the unidentified folk blocking off the opposite hall. The Skylark gave them a quick once over, taking in their rather peculiar appearance and dress, before tightening his grip on his weaponry, displaying open hostility to the unwelcomed grouping.

"For trespassing on school grounds and damaging school property, I'll bite you all to death, right here."

"Are you a Guardian of the Rings from Sawada-san's side?" One of the strange, pink haired women asked, walking out of her corner to approach. "If so, such behaviour cannot-"

"How dare you barge in on our battle!?"

Hibari shifted his gaze upwards as a towering man pushed the masked woman, pinprick pupils focused on slate. The Skylark gave no reaction, merely watching the large man with an uninterested focus.

"Guardians cannot engage for personal re-"

"Shut it, Cervello!"

The tanned woman was cut off sharply by the black clad man's elbow, her smaller frame bouncing off to the floor.

The third year boy huffed silently as he came running, unfamiliar rod things in hand. The man was unbelievably slow, but perhaps those bandages on his face were part of the reason? Either way, the Skylark did not hesitate to kick his feet out from under him, sending the giant crashing into the flooring.

"Shall I bite you to death first?" He grunted, poising his tonfa accordingly to emphasise his proposition.

" _Hey!"_

One of the unfamiliar trespassers roared, a certain roll to his words.

"How many times do you want me to cut you!?"

Hibari cast the man a slightly amused look, a list quickly forming in his mind of the order of sentencing.

"Oh, are you next?" He hummed.

"Please stop," The other woman spoke, stepping forth. "Fighting outside of the arena for Guardians will lead to disqualification."

The DC head blinked at this, unsure how this affected him in the least, before tilting his head ever so slightly as the usual screams of panic exited the smallest of the attending Namimori Herbivores.

"Now, now,"

Hibari looked up as a familiar male stepped up into his space, the visage of the Chattering Herbivore's mate greeting him with his usual smiles.

"Calm down, Hibari-san. I know you're angry."

The Skylark twitched his grip on his tonfa, but kept his hands down, forcing his eyes off the younger boy. If the Cloud struck the taller boy, he had no doubt that the wrath of his handler would befall him, and while he knew he could stand more than a chance, a motivated Yamaguchi Daiki was something to be feared- If that corpse in the pool had anything to testify. Hibari didn't know if he was quite ready to take on the younger boy in that state, where he had no qualms in breaking everything he could get his hands on.

"Move it." He said instead, making a mental not to beat the blue haired Sun extra next time they made contact.

"Don't you get in my way."

Hibari raised his tonfa, not intending on landing a blow worth anything, but widened his eyes and stiffened his arms as the metal pole was caught and wretched behind his back, the young Yamamoto suddenly taking up the space just behind.

"The long haired guy is my opponent, bear with me." The Rain smiled tiredly, still holding tight.

...Screw it, the Chattering Herbivore can snap all he wants.

"Anyone who get's in my way," Hibari stated, turning to the swordsman behind him. "Will be bitten to death."

The mated boy's smile twisted into one of nervousness, his feet retreating as he gave stuttered laughter.

"Uh-oh, I've pissed him off!"

" _Ah! Hibari-san, hold on!"_

" _Midori tanabiku namimori no-"_

The ringing of his phone was silenced swiftly as Hibari plucked it from his pocket, opening it and tisking as the ID.

"Chattering Herbivore."

" _Hello Hibari-san, I hope you are behaving yourself for our guests, the Varia."_ Came his handler's voice, the others of his flock perking up at his address.

"Varia?" Hibari repeated, looking to the black clad men.

"You know these people? They've damaged the school."

" _Well, I know them, however, not personally. Do not worry yourself over the damages, those pink haired women, they are good at dealing with situations like this. Any damages will be repaired at no cost to Namimori itself."_

The boy reassured, making the Skylark hum as he cast his eyes over to the aforementioned Cervello.

"You'd best hope so, otherwise, _kamikorosu._ "

The annoyingly familiar laughter floated through the receiver making the Cloud want to snap at him, but held his restraint as the voice continued.

" _Of course, Hibari-san, I will take to blame if things do not go as planned."_

"Are you sure? The Herbivores and his flock are more than suited to take the punishment themselves." Hibari asked, looking to regrouped pack, their attentive eyes burning into him.

" _...I'm- Yeah, I'm sure. I'll take the punishment."_

"Hm." The Skylark grunted.

" _Now, why don't you fly back to your private nest? Those boys have received enough, in my opinion. You'll get a good fight, if you do. I promise!"_

"And what's stopping me from doing that now? The man on the chair looks like something worth a challenge."

Slate clashed with wine as the regal, and possibly drunk, elder looked up from his amber liquid.

" _Sure, he would be, but he's no Mukuro-san."_ His handler huffed, a smirk in his voice, because he knew he had called the bird back.

"...Really?"

" _Really, really, birdy. Now, what do you say?"_

"Fine."

Hibari could just feel the smugness radiating through the device as he turned to the woman standing off to the side, his eyes narrowing at her as he let loose his order.

"Repair the school building."

"Of course. We Cervello shall take responsibility." She responded, nodding sharply.

" _Told you."_ His handler cooed, a slight sound hinting an intake of liquid shortly after.

"Hm," He grunted, before looking to his handler's mate. "I've changed my mind. Don't let that man beat you, until I get a chance to end you."

"Ah, Hibari-san is backing down? Did Yamaguchi-san say something?" The young Sawada breathed, looking to the phone still plastered to the Skylark's ear.

"Is that Daiki-kun? Can I talk to him?" The young Yamamoto asked, reaching for the phone prematurely.

Hibari was about to respond, before he looked to the device out of the corner of his eye.

"...He's hung up."

"...Oh..." The Rain breathed, dropping his hand.

The Cloud blinked before brushing off the flash of pain he saw on the other's face, not wanting to deal with emotional teens more than he already was.

"So long." He breathed, walking from the group.

 **|H.K|**

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Yamamoto Takeshi was a patient man. It took a lot to finally make him angry, a certain combination of buttons needing to be pushed.

Yamaguchi Daiki, knew how to hit them all at once.

" _Daiki-senpai, wait for me!"_

" _C'mon, Jun-kun. You'll be late to class."_

" _I have short legs!"_

And he was using one, Hayashi Jun, as a bait.

The Vongola Rain watched out of his window with sharp eyes as his under and upperclassmen walked past, an unguarded expression of amusement on the Sun's face. A sudden swell of sharp bitterness struck his core as large hands came to catch the stumbling first year, pale fingers interweaving with tan as he was gently guided back to his feet.

"Jeez, mouse, this is the third time today!" Daiki laughed, hands still connected with the other's.

"Your stride is larger than mine!"

The last thing Takeshi and Daiki had done was the rings. Bands of plated gold that bound them together now somewhere on their bodies- Takeshi hoped.

The Rain looked to his hand, circle of precious metal wrapped around his third finger and causing more than a bit of a ruckus when it had been spotted. The marital symbol had yet to come off, the chain possessing his Rain Ring acting as its second home come time to play for Nami-chuu. Daiki though, Takeshi hadn't seen so much as a flash of his golden band since their separation, a paranoid part of him believing it to be stored somewhere in his room to collect dust.

"He said a chain. He must have it beneath his shirt, right?" The second year Rain breathed, trying to calm his raging mind.

Despite his quiet mantra, the swordsman has yet to get close enough to the Sun to see such a thing.

Before the rings, was... _that._

Takeshi let out a noise, the newly formed duo long down the hall, before smothering his face into his arms. Wonderful, _wonderful_ memories came crashing back into his mind, physical reactions being sparked as a result.

Only Daiki could make that sort of feeling for him, a blistering hot that he never wanted to stop. It wrapped around his entirety, but not quite enough, strong hands keeping him from going deeper.

The obscenely wet sounds, that all too nimble muscle, the powerful jaw that _squeezed._

The Rain gave a throaty groan, shifting on the seat as warmth pooled in his stomach, unwittingly opening his legs slightly.

 _More, more, more._

Never quite enough, always bordering on perfect. Maybe if Takeshi had lasted longer, he might have reached that point, or maybe if Daiki had let his hands roam from their station, but he had never had that sort of treatment before, and he certainly wasn't expecting Daiki to just-

"Yamamoto-san, can you answer this for us?" Nezu called, drawing the restless Rain from his thoughts.

The young swordsman held back a growl, his head raising from his arms to pin the damned teacher with a narrow eyed glare.

"What?"

Oops, he didn't mean for it to come out so harshly.

The bespeckled man blinked in surprise, a scowl colouring his face as he regained himself.

"If you think you're ahead enough to sleep in my class, answer this question!"

Takeshi begrudgingly turned his gaze on the board, equation clicking with ease as one of Daiki's lessons struck him.

"Deoxyribonucleic Acid." He grunted, before burrowing back into his arms, a sound of surprise leaving Nezu.

The Rain tunned the man out, his mind working to bring back the train of thought that had been forcibly pulled from him moments ago.

He wanted Daiki.

He wanted his hugs, his kisses, his warmth and attention. So what if he's angry right now? His rage belongs to Takeshi too.

His fiancé was always so gentle with him, powerful limbs restraining themselves to feather light. Takeshi enjoyed being pampered by the older boy, his attention being what he most desired, so when Daiki went the extra mile to make sure his little fiancé was comfortable and treasured, he was more than happy to accept. However, when he was being held tightly, a bruising grip guiding him to a natural high, he was just as willing to be carried along.

A feather light lover and a bruising commander, both were very appealing to the young Rain. Especially if Daiki was the one filling in those roles.

But at this rate, Takeshi will have neither, nor will he have Daiki at all.

Hayashi Jun, a random boy who appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the term. Outstanding in no way, below average in all else - from what he had seen. An inability to control his limbs that rivalled Tsuna's and a stutter that was present with all but Daiki.

Needless to say, Yamamoto Takeshi did not like Hayashi Jun.

The boy had swooped in and swallowed Daiki's time and attention, never not at the third year's side- spare for classes. He was always making Daiki smile, laugh and hold onto him lest the small first year hurt himself.

A bitter part of Takeshi wanted to believe that the boy was being purposefully clumsy, but another part of him knew that he was just had unfortunate spacial awareness. That didn't stop him from having a flash of sour emotion whenever he witnessed them together, however.

Daiki hadn't come to Gokudera's fight. That alone was cause for worry, even the others had felt a sort of ripple when the spot beside Ryohei had remained vacant. The Varia across the field had shown discomfort at the absence, eyes glancing around look for the Sun while their Boss slowly became increasingly aggravated.

" _Hey, Matsuoka-sensei, the new student is in your class, yes?" Takeshi asked, standing before the elderly teacher in the staffroom, others bustling around to get their folders together before class began._

" _Ah, you mean Hayashi Jun? Why, yes, he is! Such a good boy, that one! Hohoho!" He laughed, eventually sobering slightly. "But, why do you ask?"_

" _Oh, he's just been spending a lot of time with Daiki-kun so I got curious. Haha!" The baseballer smiled, years of practice coming back to aid him before the man._

" _Spending a lot of time, you say? I suppose they have been, Yamaguchi-san offered to tutor Hayashi-kun last night to catch him up on our syllabus!"_

The young Yamamoto bit the inside of his cheek as the memory came back, a heavy breath coming out of his nose as he tried to train his temper.

That boy had spent the night with Daiki. If that didn't set off sirens he didn't know what did.

"Yamamoto-kun?"

Takeshi looked up from his arms at the call, his two friends looking at him with varying degrees of concern. At some point, the bell had rung for break, leaving the Mafia duo to look to their unsettled friend. The Vongola swordsman forced a smile as he waved at them, the others not buying it for a second.

"Are you really that upset about being separated from the fuckin giant? It's only been two days! You were fine when he was gone for eight!" Gokudera grouched, his chin in his hand.

"Yeah, but we were okay then. Daiki-kun wasn't ignoring me. He wasn't running around with some boy then, either." The Rain responded, pulling his chair up to Tsuna's table, his smile losing its strength.

"But he wasn't replying to your texts before, how do you know he wasn't ignoring you?" The Storm huffed.

"Because he told me, Daiki-kun said that he would have to turn his phone off for eight days 'cause he had to do something."

"And you believed him? Just because he said it?"

"Of course!" Takeshi spoke, a slight raise coming to his voice as he began to understand where Gokudera was going with this.

"Daiki-kun would never lie to me! Not about anything important."

"Then where did he go? Did he tell you, considering it was oh so important?"

"Yes, actually, he did. He told me when he got back."

The Rain regained his composure when he said that, the pride of being able to rebuttal Gokudera's interrogation completely allowing for his smile to show through unperturbed.

"Really?" Tsuna asked, speaking for the first time since his Guardians began having a go at each other.

"Uh-huh! I asked and he told me right away."

The Storm and Sky looked to each other before turning back to the Rain, interest clear in their face.

"Where was he?"

"The fucker dropped off the face of the Earth!"

Takeshi paused for a moment, the answer lodged in his throat as he thought about how his Daiki would react with such information spread to others. He gave a sigh, before shaking his head, usual smile on his lips.

"Daiki-kun wouldn't like it if I went around telling people. It was just some family business."

There were a few beats of silence amongst them, before Tsuna looked up to the Rain and broke it, a certain look on his face.

"Yamamoto-kun, it's the Rain Ring battle tonight. Your battle. Do you think he'll show?"

The young Yamamoto blinked, before letting a bright smile dominate his expression.

"Definitely!"

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

A loud sigh escaped me as I shed my school shirt, the white undershirt beneath protecting my binder from Jun's view as he sat at my desk quietly.

"We're going out again tonight. Another one of those fights are going to take place and I want to see it." I announced, pulling a blue button up over my head and fastening the buttons.

The battle for the Rain Ring, every part of me was telling me to stay away, that being there would only make the situation worse. But I had to go tonight. As much as my mind was telling me that any more contact with those boys would cause damage, I knew I needed to go.

This fight had an impact on Takeshi's psyche more than the anime bothered to present. He thought he had actually seen someone die, and I didn't know how that would affect him over all. Takeshi was resilient, the was no questioning that, but he had grown attached to the Varia Rain- in a sort of twisted way. Even if it wasn't as bad as I feared it would be, I wanted to at least hover somewhere in case...Well, in case he needed me.

A part of me screamed to leave it be, and it would be better is he learnt to deal with this himself, that he would need to when he was up to his eyes in bodies. However, the piece of me that had been thoroughly claimed by the smaller boy won out, if only by a fraction.

"Actually, Daiki-dono, ah, we have an important appointment tonight. You...You may have forgotten about it, with all this excitement that seems to be going on, but...Your irezumi is due to be done tonight."

"I beg your pardon?" I asked, turning to the mousy Yakuza as he fidgeted on my spinny chair.

"Ah, well, it's the start of the new month and such, so, well, the Watanabe's artist is waiting for us at the compound and...yeah."

"No, I can't go tonight. Can it be moved?"

"I don't think so, no."

"And you didn't think to remind me of this sooner?" I breathed, a rough tone coming to my voice as I dropped the pants I was about to don and crossed the room quickly.

"Mephistopheles!" I called down the hall, a bang sounding before the blur of white came running around the corner.

Jun yelped and pulled him feet up onto the chair with him as my dog tapped into my room, sitting obediently at the foot of my bed as I began to sort through the contents of my drawers, eventually yanking out a cable and small camera.

"Up." I ordered, the highlander leaping onto my sheets easily and lifting his chin to allow me to clip the camera to his collar.

"M-may I ask what you are doing, Daiki-dono?" Jun asked, frozen stiff on the chair.

"I _need_ to go today, Jun-kun. Are you _sure_ this irezumi business can't be postponed?"

"No, Daiki-dono, it can't be. I am sorry, I should have reminded you sooner." He responded, lowering his head slightly.

A loud sigh left me as I plugged the portable battery in and finished making the mechanism comfortable for the white ball of fluff, before straightening and petting his head.

"God damn it. I still need to be there, even via proxy. Mephistopheles," The dog suddenly sat straight, tattered ears perking at the tone. "Go to Namimori Middle School. Sit beside the Scarred Sky, it's the safest vantage point. Leave with Takeshi-kun, make sure he is in his den before returning. Understood?"

Mephisto gave a high bark in response, his paws moving along the green and gold as he bounced once.

"What?!" Jun spluttered, wide eyes taking in the interaction.

"Good." I breathed, fiddling with the little device again.

"What kind of dog do you have, Daiki-dono!?"

"A very useful one." I responded.

Letting Mephisto bound off my sheets and shake himself out, I moved over to Lambo and checked him over, shifting his little cow plushie closer. Petting his little 'fro, I gently began the nightly process I had adopted, tongues of sunshine slipping from me and into the child. Only two nights had passed, but Lambo was in much better condition than he was in canon, the feed repairing his body faster than any medical equipment.

"Sleep well, son." I hummed, pulling his blankets higher before stepping back.

"Let's get going then," Came my less than pleased sigh.

I fastened my belt as Jun called for Cooper through his phone, a sudden realisation dawning on me. Snapping the buckle in place, I fixed my blue button up to loosen it from its tuck slightly before unplugging my device and preparing to create a new contact.

"Hey, Jun-kun, I don't have your number yet."

"Huh-Oh!"

"Yeah, what is it? I'll text you." I hummed, quickly naming his contact without him seeing.

"Um, its…" He quickly shuffled through his phone before reciting the number aloud to me, my fingers tapping the digits in quickly.

 _To: Mouse_

 _Hello._

"I got it, Daiki-dono." He chirped, sounding rather giddy.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" I asked, faint laughter in my tone as I put my phone in my pants pocket.

Men's clothing has the best pockets, it's really unfair. They're bottomless, honestly.

"Daiki-dono is my first text! No one in the Watanabe Yakuza texts me, they only call."

I blinked slowly, before looking to him fully, a careful look on my face.

"Jun-kun, why wouldn't you get texts from friends outside of Watanabe?"

He paused before widening his eyes slightly.

"I have friends?"

I watched the smaller boy for a few moments before pulling out my phone again and typing up a small text, the Storm's own device buzzing to life in his hand. As he opened the message, the angle of his screen allowed me to see the items shown.

 _From: Daiki-dono_

 _Will you be my friend? [Y/N]_

In all honesty, I expected the boy to give me a weird look, before shrugging off the message, maybe have a bit of a laugh or even just text back. What I didn't expect was thin, little arms to try and wrap around me, a face pressed against my sternum as his phone hit the floorboards.

"Yes, please, Daiki-dono." Came his muffled reply, small and meek as he tightened his grip on the back of my shirt.

"Then it is done, friend." I huffed, giving him a soft pat on the back of his head, the first year giving me a weak squeeze before letting go.

Jun jumped as his device went off, rattling against the wooden panelling of my floors as the screen flashed with the ID.

 _Incoming Call: Fujimoto Cooper…_

"H-hello, Fujimoto-san!" He squeaked, reclaiming the phone from the floor.

"Uh-huh, Daiki-dono is ready. We'll be down in a minute." The Storm continued after a pause.

"Yes, thank you, Fujimoto-san. Goodbye."

Jun turned to me as he placed his phone away, a glance spared for the dog beneath my bed.

"Fujimoto-san is waiting with the car outside, he asks that we don't take too long."

Nodding in understanding, I summoned the highlander from his hidey-hole, the Yakuza giving a noise of fear as fur brushed against his legs.

"We'll leave now, then."

Opening the front door, I watched the white pup walk down the street with his tiny little legs, my phone going off with the notification of media being livestreamed to it.

"Afternoon, Cooper-san." I hummed, getting in the opened door.

"Afternoon, Watanabe-dono. Have you had a good day?" He asked, his fellow Storm closing the door behind us.

"Very, Jun-kun here has been keeping the boredom at bay."

"Good to hear. We'll arrive at the Watanabe clan compound in an hour and a half, if traffic remains as it is."

"Great, I'll leave it to you then."

Pulling out my phone, I felt Jun lean over to look at the screen as well as I opened the video feed, the shaky image of Namimori's stairwell coming to life.

Mephisto knew the school well, often sneaking into the building when Lambo goes missing to find the small calf somewhere near 2-A. It was no surprise, then, that he was to find Xanxus and his Varia with little trouble, the confused reactions of the deadly assassins making me wish I had a recording option.

" _VOOIII! What the hell is that!?"_

" _I believe it is a dog, Squalo."_ Mammon responded, Italian nature finding the need for honorific unnecessary.

" _Shishishishi, are you going senile?"_

" _I know that! But why is it here!?"_

The camera jolted as Mephisto snapped his head between the members, before making an amplified yap and trotted over to the scarred Sky.

Xanxus opened his eyes as the jangle of the highlander's collar sounded beside him, a flare of annoyance going off before the dog reared his head back, a flash of the Yamaguchi name engraved on the tag. He gave a grunt of dismissal before reclining back, leaving Mephisto to make himself comfortable at the foot of his portable throne.

" _VO-Ack!"_

" _Shut up, Squalo."_ Xanxus huffed, the glass of scotch he once held now in pieces by the complaining Rain.

I gave a hum and closed my device, knowing there was still a long wait until any of the Vongola Guardians made an appearance. Relaxing back into the seat, I sighed, my shoulders slumping as I let tension drain from me.

"Daiki-dono, if it is not too invasive, may I hear more about your...partner?" Jun asked, shifting to become comfortable for the ride.

"My partner...He's quite the boy. Strong, fast, smart, precise and he always gets what he wants." I smiled, talk of the young Yamamoto tending to get such a reaction from me.

"Really?"

"Uh-huh, he's my equal on every plane. Well, I could beat him in a strength test, but in a full blown physical fight, he would give me a run for my money. Very possibly win, if he was allowed weapons." I admitted, thinking about our stats.

"So," Jun perked, leaning forwards with vigour renewed. "Your partner is a capable fighter! What style of weaponry does he use? Is he formally trained? Could he stand a chance against enemy Yakuza- Oh, of course, he could, if he could stand against Daiki-dono, he's bound to be sufficient."

"Wow, slow down there, mouse!" I laughed, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"A-ah, sorry it's just- well, Daiki-dono always gets so happy when he talks about his partner, so he must be amazing! Daiki-dono would only be such a way for a deserving person! What you've told me so far only certifies it, he has the capability!" The Yakuza Storm gushed, an excited jitter coming to his form.

"All too capable, he's plenty powerful and only has room to grow. Not to mention he's the most attractive person I've had the pleasure of laying eyes on to date."

Glancing up, I hummed quietly, the third man in the car still silent.

"...Cooper-san, you look like you want to say something." I called, the repeated glances through the mirror finally reaching its limit.

"No, Watanabe-dono. It's nothing." He denied, dropping his gaze quickly.

"Nonsense!" I laughed, before lowering my tone and losing my smile.

"Tell me."

The grip on the wheel jumped as the tension in the vehicle went up, Jun instinctively drawing closer as his darts began to peek out of his sleeves.

"...It is not my place to...to comment on or question Watanabe-dono's preferences." Came his eventual admittance.

I frowned slightly, before sighing and giving a nod.

"I won't say I'm not disappointed, but I'll respect your opinion. I hope this doesn't affect your performance, Cooper-san."

"No, Watanabe-dono," The tal Storm responded quickly. "This will in no way impact my service."

"Good to hear."

"However, I could not say the same for the oyabun. He may not be as forgiving."

"I do not ask to be forgiven for being who I am." I started, making the Eurasian Yakuza nod.

…

"Watanabe-dono, we have arrived."

A yawn escaped me as I sat up, the ride having lulled me to sleep as I had given up the belt to lay down across the seats. Jun sat up sharply across on the other side, he too having fallen under after Cooper had rolled up the partition.

"Thank you, Cooper-san." I breathed, straightening my clothes out as the mousy Yakuza opened the door.

"Daiki-dono, the Watanabe's artist is waiting for you in your chamber."

"Thank you."

I had no backup plan. No safety net should the artist decide to unmask me to the Watanabe. There was no time, too much was happening and my one hope was placed on Shamal, which had fallen through.

All I could do now, was walk into that room and take it as it came.

Jun rapped his knuckles against the wood of the panelling before sliding the door open, stepping aside to let me enter my room.

Beside my unused futon knelt an old man, skin worn and imperfect from age, his yukata hanging from his small frame loosely. His eyes were sunken and sharp, and his hands were bony and weathered, but he still kept a strength about him.

"Good afternoon, Watanabe-dono. Let's get right into it, then."

The artist began shooting off questions about my medical state, subjects such as blood based illnesses, skin conditions and allergies.

"No sir, I'm perfectly healthy."

"Come on then, boy, take your shirt off and let's get to it." He ordered, waving me over as he opened a box, his set up spilling out in a somehow orderly fashion.

Quietly, I walked forwards, Jun closing the door behind me. Kneeling on my sheets, I reached up and removed my glasses from my collar, placing them down on a small cloth provided next to my pillow.

"Before I reveal myself to you, could you promise me confidentiality?" I began, looking to the man.

He paused his tinkering, the linework of the chosen irezumi laying at his side. Slowly, he turned to me, before a huge smile took his face.

"Oh, good! I haven't had one of those in a while!" He laughed, placing down his equipment to face me properly.

…

"Pardon?" I blurted, blinking in surprise.

"Oh please, boy, this is one of the oldest Yakuza families in Japan, did you really expect heirship to be taken without a few bumps in the road?"

"Uh, well, I suppose usurping and identity theft could be-"

"No, no, no, that's the boring stuff." The artist tsked, shaking his head.

"I mean the quiet stuff, usurping is so loud and boisterous. The secrets that fly under the noses of the clan, now _that's_ the good stuff."

Suddenly, the tattoo artist shuffled forwards, eager expression on his face.

"So, what's under your clothes? Parasitic twin like the fifth? Third limb like the twelfth?"

"Ah...I've got the female biology?"

The Yakuza sighed, deflating as he drew back and crossed his arms.

"Cross dressing? That's so boring. Do you know how many of your ancestors have been women?" He whined, the pout looking very unnatural on such an old face.

"No...not really."

"Good, that's the point." Came his quick response, before humming in thought.

"I think the most recent woman oyabun would be...Your great-great grandfather, the thirteenth. Meaning the current oyabun's grandfather."

"Shit." I breathed, the old man letting out a laugh.

"The first woman was the fourth, if I remember correctly. The third almost run the Watanabe into the ground so she usurped him- rather violently, might I add- and took the title of oyabun. Good leader, she was." He hummed, nodding as he crossed his arms before looking to me again.

"Well, that's that, I suppose. Go on, take your tops off, nothing I haven't seen before."

"That's it?" I managed, looking wide eyed at the man.

"Yes- Oh, you were expecting me to run out screaming for the guards, weren't you?" He huffed, a bit of deadpan in his tone.

"Maybe." I admitted, smiling hesitantly.

"Well, we don't have guards, just thugs. Now, clothes to the wind, my boy."

I paused, replaying what he had said.

"You're still going to call me 'boy'?"

The man looked up from his equipment and hummed.

"Are you not? Do you prefer being called as a girl?"

"...I don't know." I admitted, looking to the side as my answer startled me.

"Well, until you figure it out, it'll be safer to just refer to you as a man." The artist shrugged, going back to memorising the design.

I sat quietly for a few seconds, before finally reaching to undo my buttons, blue shirt coming off before the undershirt beneath followed, leaving me in my binder. It took a few moments, but I managed to squirm my way out of the FtM product, placing it along with the rest of the materials.

"I probably should have asked sooner, but do you have a fear of needles?"

"No, not particularly."

"Good, good. Your grand-uncle, the current oyabun, wouldn't stop screaming. Had to get his half-brother to hold him down for the final touches."

"Is that so?" I hummed, shifting my position to cross legged and turning my back on the artist, laying my left arm on his little wooden table.

"This is going to take a while, I suggest you prepare for that."

I gave a sound of understanding before pulling my phone out again, propping it up against my pillow as the feed loaded. There was nothing worth watching at the moment, so I turned my attention back to the Watanabe artist who had begun cleaning off his canvas.

"So, how's my grandson been treating you? Being useful, I hope."

"Your grandson?" I repeated, a tad bit on the confused side.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Hayashi Masayoshi, pleasure to be of service, Watanabe-dono."

"Hayashi. Wait, you're Jun-kun's grandfather?"

"There you go, now you've got it." Hayashi praised, straightening my head as the first needle pierced my skin.

"Now that you've understood, how's he been treating you?"

"Uh, fine. Jun-kun is very helpful, going as far as transferring schools to assist me." I answered, trying to follow the needlework with my senses.

The old Hayashi and I traded conversation, the topics ranging as far from the clan history to Jun's history.

Hayashi had apparently been raising the mouse since he was a baby, the parents separated and wanting nothing to do with their shared 'mistake'. It had been hard for the old man to do it all over again, especially without his own wife to help him out this time, but he had somehow managed to keep the boy alive- the time Jun almost fell off the balcony didn't count, apparently.

"So, wait, Jun-kun was in diapers until he was six?" I clarified, watching the needle tap along my shoulder out of the corner of my eye.

"That's right. He didn't really need them after he was four, but he never really let them go until he was half way through his first year. I guess it gave him security at night, or something."

I gave a hum of understanding, twitching minutely as an especially sensitive point was punctured, the eye roll from the Hayashi artist almost auditable.

"My grandson should bring in something for us to drink soon, in case you're thirsty."

"Huh?" I blurted, head snapping up.

"No, he can't come in. He doesn't know about my biology." Came my insistence, the gaze of the Yakuza artist connecting with mine.

"Why doesn't he know? He's your assistant, your confidant, your right hand! He needs to know this in order to serve you properly!" Hayashi bellowed, making me fight back a flinch.

"But-"

"You, my boy, are entering a dangerous world. Having friends to fall back on is what's going to keep you alive. Jun-kun is the person you need to trust with sensitive information, he's the one who's going to make sure no one walks in on you bathing, changing- or hell, having sex!"

"..."

"When he comes through that door, you're going to keep your head up and act like the oyabun you've earned the place of. He may be surprised at first, angry, even, but he will settle and come to fulfil his role."

 _Knock! Knock!_

" _Daiki-dono, may I come in?"_

I lowered my head and took a breath, calming myself before looking over my shoulder and calling out.

No. No, no, no, no.

"Yes, come on in, Jun-kun."

As the door slid open, I kept my face neutral, Jun's eyes landing on my bare back. I raised an eyebrow as he went an emergency red, his grandfather making a sound of amusement beside me.

"Where should I put this down?" He asked, holding a tray of possibly alcoholic beverages.

Away from me.

"Around here, in front of me." I responded, free arm coming to gesture him over.

Grey eyes kept to the floor as he shuffled over, nearly tripping over the corner of my futon. Eventually, he knelt before me and placed the tray down, flinching at the unnecessary loud sound that came from it.

"A-ah, I'll be going n-now."

Keep your eyes down.

"Jun-kun, you're allowed to look at me, you know." I huffed, a strained laughter in my tone.

…

As if held back by only an elastic band, the Storm's eyes sprung to me.

I watched with a passive mask as his eyes widened, face crumbling into one of confusion and panic as he scrambled back.

"Y-You're a-a woman!? But how!? Why?!"

The older Hayashi didn't make any comments, only carrying on with tattooing my arm after shooting back misty liquid.

"Yes, I have a female body." I nodded, watching him mutely mouth attempts to speak.

"How!?"

"I was born this way."

The mousy Yakuza began breathing quickly, short, unfulfilling inhales, my eyes widening as I recognised what was happening.

"Jun-kun, your inhaler!" I ordered, the boy moving quickly to follow the command.

As he took in gulps of the gas, I used my right arm to call him closer, the Storm pausing, before hesitantly sliding to the edge of my futon. He eyed me warily, clutching his puffer in hand.

"I am female in body, yes. I had intended to keep this from you until an undetermined date, perhaps when I myself was comfortable with other knowing the biology I possess. However, your grandfather has convinced me otherwise." I admitted, watching him lower his hands into his lap.

I bit the inside of my cheek as I fought not to fidget or cover myself, not at all used to being exposed to a peer, Shamal being the extent of my experience.

There were a few beats of silence, only disturbed by the sounds of the tattooing process, as the young Storm gathered his thoughts. He looked as if struggling internally, his brows furrowed as he clutched his knees, plastic of the inhaler groaning under the assault.

* * *

 **|JUN|**

Yamaguchi Daiki, the fifteenth oyabun. Yamaguchi Daiki, the oyabun strong enough to fight off 245 men in eight days, with little water and no food. Able enough to stand on equal ground as the Young Master. Able enough to fight off poison.

How? How could someone be so strong, when such a weak gender is their body?

The idea was preposterous to the mind of the young, conditioned Hayashi Jun. This didn't make sense to him, years of having the idea that women were weak and mild drilled into his mind by his higher ups and the people around him.

But Yamaguchi Daiki, his lady-lord, was a blatant counter.

Female, and yet as strong as any male. A women, and yet as skilled as any man. A lady, and yet as deserving as any lord.

All of this, but nonetheless a woman!

Jun cast his eyes over the muscled body of the fifteenth oyabun, female chest exposed as the linework encroached on its collar bone and over the shoulder.

"How can you be so strong? Women are weak and soft to the touch, and yet you are solid!" The mousy boy asked, remembering all the times he had laid hands on the older.

"Everyone's body is different, I just have a broader body than most- definitely more so than those the media shows. It's in my genetic makeup to create muscle easier, burn fats faster, grow taller and such. My father looks much like I do, I pick up most of my appearance from him."

The Yakuza boy nodded slowly, accepting the answer as it was given, before attempting to breach the question tapping at the back of his mind.

"But...Why? Why would you..." He tried, trailing off as the elder hummed in understanding.

"Why would I lie about my gender?"

"...Yes." Jun nodded, tearing his eyes away from the bare body to look at familiar orbs.

"My parents, would be the excuse, but I'm the one who submitted to their desire, so I guess I, myself, am just as much to blame for the state of limbo I find myself in." Daiki admitted, glancing at the elder artist as he replenished his ink.

"Limbo?"

There was a beat of pause before the lord sighed, a tired smile coming to his...her face as sh..he glanced down to his own form.

"I am...unclear on my own identity, it would seem...I guess it can be a mask for only so long."

"A mask. Your parents put it on you?" Jun breathed, setting down his inhaler as his lungs settled.

Daiki hummed in response before lifting his...her….left arm for the artist, setting it on a low table to allow the back of his forearm be pierced by needles.

"...No, no they didn't. Not really. They supplied me the mask, I was the one who donned it."

It was rumoured, in Namimori, that the fifteenth oyabun was incredibly attached to his mother. This left the young Yakuza having second thought about how biased his lord's words were, just how much blame was h...she reflecting upon herself to alleviate the mother?

"If that is so, what am I to refer to you as?" Jun asked, the stumbling within his own thoughts enough.

Daiki's amber-earth widened, before a tentative smile touched their face.

"Does that mean you are not against me ascending the position of oyabun? Even with my gender being explicitly against the thirteenth's command?"

The mousy Yakuza paused, crossing his arms as he let out a huff of breath.

"While you are a female, it cannot be denied that you are as deserving of the title of oyabun as any other of your predecessors. Some more so than others." He muttered the last part, looking away as his grandfather coughed loudly, mirth showing in his laughter lines.

"...Thank you, Jun-kun." The fifteenth oyabun breathed, Jun holding back a splutter.

"I'd hug you right now, but I am both naked and being tattooed." The grey eyed Yakuza gave a shout as a wave of warmth hit him in the cheeks, phantom pressure pressing against his chest as his overactive mind gave a ghost of the scene.

"Jun-kun! Do not ogle the oyabun!" His grandfather admonished, making the said oyabun to laugh as the mouse scrambled for reason.

"A man," Daiki suddenly said, making Jun snap to attention. "You may refer to me as a man from here on out."

Slowly, a smile touched Jun's face, the one radiating at him infectious in all ways.

"As you command, Daiki-dono."

 **|JUN|**

* * *

"So wait, you bleed for almost two weeks _every month?!_ " Jun gasped, jaw open as I gave a small laugh.

"Well, sometimes it is only for three days, others it can last for, yeah, two weeks. There's really no telling. And yes, every month." I nodded.

For the past hour since the revelation of my biology, the small boy across from me had been crash coursed on the wonders of womanhood, a newfound drive within him to be competent in order to complete his role as my personal assistant effectively. This being said, however, he was such a sweet and innocent little child, that I couldn't help but really get into the bloody chunks of the female being just to see him cringe and grow pale.

I may be a slight sadist.

"Of course, the blood, cramps, headaches, hormone fluctuations and heat flushes are all just a welcome sign, because that means we are not pregnant." I nodded, making him blink.

"Oh, do I have a tale to tell you, my little mouse! You know all these organs here?" I chirped, using my free arm to rub along my stomach.

"Yeah…?" He responded, eyeing me warily- not that I blamed him.

"All of these get crammed up here when the baby grows, otherwise there would be no room! Fun!"

"Oh, Lord." Jun wheezed, clutching his abdomen protectively.

"Of course, then there's the actual delivery! First, there's the normal one which hurts like all _fuck_ , I think the average time for a first time mother is...eight hours on the table?"

Jun let out a whimper before looking to his grandfather.

"Ojii-san, how long did it take for tou-san to be born?"

"Hm, oh, he was only small, so he took five hours."

"Oh, Lord." He repeated, making me grin evilly.

"Then there's c-section. This is where the woman get's cut open and her intestines are taken out so that the doctor can reach the baby and remove it manually. This all happens while the mother is awake, usually."

Jun's grey eyes rolled up before he fell back, his grandfather and I letting out whopped laughter as he laid mutely, slowly piecing together what I had told him.

"Seppuku. They do seppuku on women every day." He muttered, looking at the far wall blankly.

"What was that about women being weak?"

"I take back everything I've ever said, and apologise."

"Good mouse." I huffed, looking to my phone as it buzzed.

Grinning in anticipation, I allowed myself to be moved onto my stomach, pausing to rearrange myself, before the old Hayashi continued his work, my device propped back up and the voices of the Vongola team flowed through.

"Jun-kun, come, come! It's beginning!" I cooed, the boy slowly dragging himself over to my side.

"Who is fighting tonight, Daiki-dono?" He asked, his grandfather doing a good job of ignoring what was going on.

"The swordsmans. Long silver hair and tallest schoolboy."

I watched as the screen was activated, the small figures of the stationary Vongola party collecting beneath it. The camera rattled as Mephisto shook himself out, an encroaching mist showing behind the tower holding the screen.

My, these camera angles are quite flattering, I'm not going to lie.

Lowering my chin, I let it rest on the back of my lowered arm, watching the scene as the two prepared themselves for a long battle.

The camera jolted suddenly, Mephisto sitting up quickly and snapping around to face the wrathful Sky. Xanxus was looking off to the screen with his ever grouchy expression, one hand occupied with a drinking glass brimming with an amber liquid, the other cut out of the frame as his palm ran along the snowy back of the highlander at his feet.

I blinked, stunned, before letting a mirthful smirk come to my face as wine eyes dropped to the dog, then quickly jumped back up, as if he had known he was caught, a slight twitch coming to his face when Mephisto didn't look away.

"A-ah, Daiki-dono," Jun called, making me turn my attention from the awkwardly shifting Sky. "I am to go to the kitchens now. I believe your dinner is done."

"Oh," I responded, nodding in understanding as he got to his feet. "Do try to be quick, mouse. The battle will begin soon."

The small Yakuza Storm gave an affirmative as he recollected his tray and gave his grandfather a farewell, the older man giving a dismissive wave as he focused on the first colouring of my irezumi.

* * *

 **|JUN|**

" _Daiki-kun is getting his irezumi done now, correct?"_

"Yes sir, he is. I've just come out to get something from the kitchen." Jun nodded, looking to the man behind the screen, tray clutched in his hands.

" _Good, good. You are still administering doses poison to his food and drink?"_

"Yes sir, but there was no reaction to the three drops you said to give. He didn't even seem to notice."

" _Is that so? Well then, we must not be dissuaded. You will up the dosage; twelve drops will flow into his next cup. Understood?"_

"B-but- Twelve!? That's too much, even for Daiki-dono!" The mousy Yakuza gasped, knowing the concentration of such a supply would surely kill a full grown man.

" _Are you questioning me, Hayashi-kun? Are you attempting treason?"_ The man breathed, a silhouette slinking up behind him and draping themselves against him.

"...No. No, sir." Jun breathed, lowering his gaze, fingernails biting into the wood of the tray.

" _Is there anything you can tell me? Much is exposed when the irezumi is painted, and I'm not just referring to the body."_

Yamaguchi-Watanabe Kaede lied to us. Yamaguchi Daiki is a woman. Yamaguchi Daiki is doing many a strange things. My grandfather is treasonous towards you.

"No, sir."

Hayashi Jun is loyal to the fifteenth oyabun, Yamaguchi Daiki.

 **|JUN|**

* * *

 **|Sidekick Commentary|**

This chapter is an absolute GEM, okay? For different reasons.

Jun acknowledging that women are hardcore. My (adopted) baby was raised in a sexist culture, but at least he's working on that. BUT don't think I haven't forgotten the poisoning affair! At least you have been badass in the end…

Takeshi being jealous. Takeshi stating that Daiki would never lie to him… (Yeah about _that_ -)

THE ARTIST AKA JUN'S GRANDPA is AMAZING I _love_ his character so much! Amazing grandparents should be cherished, okay?

Jun realizing he has friends. Holy shit was that an emotional scene. In such little words! Applause, applause.

 _AND NOW…_ *drumroll*

 **Things we have said…**

" _ **heterotrophs"**_ **:**

Me: what and pls add to vocabs for us plebs

Me: who are too lazy to google

Lenori: Organisms who can't make their own food(photosynthesis), so basically every animal

[Edit: K nvm I put this here you don't have to do a vocab thing]

[Edit: also as far as I am aware of neither my dog nor I live on sunlight… I think. Who _knows_?]

" _ **Before the rings, was… that"**_ **:**

Lenori: WARNING! PUBERTY TAKESHI! I NEED HOLY WATER, 3 TIMES A DAY EVERY DAY!

Me: I shall deliver

" _ **The obscenely wet sounds, that all to nimble muscle, the powerful jaw that squeezed"**_ **:**

Lenori: I seriously debated whether or not to write this. It was so embarrassing to write. / Lenori: *Opens arms and submits to the waterfall of holy water you will drop on me*

Me: *drops ocean*

" _ **an attractive snort escaping me**_ " **:**

Me: ...is that a THING? And Daiki does that deliberately?! ?! YOU ASS? (moi)

Lenori: What did I do!?

Me: What have you done

" _ **Daiki-nii-sama, [Lambo the Thing™ is] making noise."**_ **:**

Subtext- "Why is it making noise it is not supposed to make noise what the fuck is this noise what the fuck is it what the fuck am I doing here what am I WHO am I what the fuck what-" Babysitting, a summary. (moi)

" _ **It was the night"**_ **:**

-before Christmas when all through the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse! ...I have no regrets. (moi)

" _ **Daiki-kun would never lie to me!"**_ **:**

Lenori: (...)- _

Me: Uh-oh

 **My, these camera angles are quite flattering, I'm not going to lie.":**

Puberty Daiki. (Lenori)


	24. Chapter 24

**Word Count: 11,454**

* * *

I looked up as Jun came back in, balancing a rather cumbersome looking spread on his tray before he scrambled to place it down, fear obvious on his face.

"Welcome back, the battle is about to start."

He nodded quickly to my greeting, before opening his mouth to speak.

"Do you want to eat now, or later?"

"Later, eating while laying your stomach isn't good." I responded, making him hum and cover the steaming broth, containing the heat.

"Come sit," I called, patting the empty space on my too large futon beside me. "Watch with me."

A pause came before he went a deep red, head snapping back as he looked pointedly to the ceiling.

"A-a-ah, I can't! Um-well-you see, Daiki-dono, you're- It would be improper to-"

Ah yeah, I'm kinda naked, ain't I?

"Just look at the screen, you'll get distracted easily enough." I huffed in amusement, reaching out and dragging him over.

"You're going to have to get used to this, anyway. You're my Right Hand."

The small Yakuza gave a strangled squeak as he came in contact with my right side, eyes impossibly wide as he immediately rolled to the very edge of the futon, a small karate noise leaving him. I laughed at his antics, another round of red hitting him as he realised the sound he had produced, his face burrowing into the white of my sheets.

"Oh, come on, mouse. Watch the battle, it's starting!" I laughed, nudging him playfully.

The Storm groaned before pulling his face up, his neck and chin flat against the sheets as he watched the scene begin.

" _I'm gonna send you into outer space!"_ Squalo roared, racing forwards and swiping at the younger Rain.

A smile crept onto my face as the first signs of confusion showed on Jun's, his head tilting as he tried to make sense of the things displayed to him.

"He has bombs in his sword? How? Wh- _Why is the water moving like that!?_ "

Huffed laughter left me as the fight continued, my poor companion utterly lost as the two men battled it out. I paused suddenly and narrowed my eyes at Takeshi's feet, a slight frown coming to my face when I saw sandals. While they were probably better for the wet conditions, I was not okay with him running around debris riddles waters in open shoes.

"He just disappeared!? No-wait-what?!"

My frown flipped as the sounds of a flabbergasted mouse reached me, Squalo and Takeshi duking it out with their styles, water going everywhere.

"Fuck." I muttered, my feet moving restlessly as a freaking perfectly angled picture of a stanced Takeshi showed, Blowing Rain having just been executed.

He's my fiancé, I'm allowed to fanboy.

Shit, if the entire fight is going to be like this, I'm not gonna survive.

"Water does not move like that! My friend, are you a magical girl!?"

A loud snort left me, the slap to my shoulder from the older Hayashi for moving his canvas ignored as I tried to regain myself from the angered comment.

"Surging Rain." I breathed out, collecting myself as Jun muttered quietly.

"Huh, is that the style?" The smaller boy asked.

"No, no, it's just one of the moves." I denied, shaking my head.

" _Why didn't you attack!? You've lost your last chance to hurt me!"_

" _Haha! Last chance? You're pretty sure of yourself."_

I made a strangled noise as the screen showed the young Rain in open laughter, his smile light and unguarded as he sparkled with water mist.

The Cervello have it out for me. I know it.

" _But you should know, there's a lot more to the Shigure Soen Ryu."_

Yep, fuck, have it out for me and my poor heart.

"He's going on the offensive!"

Shaking my head to clear it of whatever hormones were clouding my mind, I focused on the fight. Takeshi swiftly stepped into Early Summer Rain, his first assault on the other Mafia sending them back into the water.

A frown tugged at my lips as I remembered Squalo's skill, knowing full well that a strike like that was not going to do much good against him. My suspicions were proven true as the white haired Italian rocketed from submersion, a grin of adrenaline on his face. I twitched as a needle struck me deep, the Hayashi artist giving a half-hearted apology which I brushed off lightly, focusing as the Varia Rain mirrored Takeshi's Surging Rain, leaving the both of them within a curtain of torrents.

"He copied it!"

"Yes, now it comes down to who finds the other first." I breathed.

My lip fell under the assault of my teeth, thin skin tearing easily and tasting my tongue sour as I watched Squalo come out on top, his blade seeking blood and getting what it wanted. The Vongola Rain's legs gave out from the sudden and deep blow, his hand coming to cradle the wound as he sat in the slowly rising water.

"Ah, I forgot to ask: Daiki-dono, who are you rooting for?" Jun chirped, looking to me before whipping back to the front, a strong hue on his face.

"...The black haired one." I responded, a moment of distraction coming as I viewed the wounded Mafia.

"Watanabe-dono, please stop twitching. I understand that this must be very exciting, but you must try to hold still." The older Hayashi tisked, giving my side a pinch.

Giving a yelp, I apologised before trying to settle down, berating myself for not even noticing my restlessness. Mephisto seemed to be in a similar condition, however, the camera jolting every now and then as he shifted on the spot, fighting the urge to jump at the screen.

" _Stop that, mutt."_ Xanxus rumbled from off screen, his only response being a loud yap from the highlander as it jumped a step before returning.

"Daiki-dono's companion seems restless, is something wrong? Does he recognise the opponents?"

"Mhm," I hummed, narrowing my eyes as Takeshi listened to Squalo give away the game. "Mephistopheles knows just about everyone in Namimori. He can find them by smell and can recognise their name."

Jun paled beside me, a small whimper leaving him as he settled back to watch the fight.

The moment the young Yamamoto realised what he needed to do was obvious, to those who knew it was going to happen, at least. The Yakuza mouse gave an airy sound of awe as he watched him pull his battered body to his feet, sword working as a cane to keep him from swaying.

" _Shigure Soen Ryu is perfect and second to none!"_

A twitch came to my lip at the declaration, a rush of excitement reaching me as the scene kicked up a notch, the climax approaching. Squalo took the challenge with open arms, rushing at the boy blatantly, paralysing his arm and nearly dealing another dangerous blow.

The knowledge that Takeshi would win didn't seem to give me solace as I watched his shirt stain red, the muscles under my skin twitching to move and assist the one who usually soothed them. I let out a long breath as I forced myself to relax, having half the mind to cut the feed to give myself the bliss of ignorance, but knew I was already too far gone to even attempt the action.

Takeshi was hurt, and I wasn't there to heal him.

Takeshi was fighting, and I wasn't there to help him.

Takeshi was stepping up to the plate, and I was backing out of the field.

…

"God damn it." I hissed quietly, Jun tensing visibly beside me as the needle in my arm paused painfully.

Of course, he's stepping up to the plate, it was his purpose! He was simply following the roll dictated to him by a being beyond this plain! Yamamoto Takeshi is a _fictitious character!_ You've submitted yourself to a figment of a person's imagination, you fool! The boy has no choice but to go with the script, his desire to protect and befriend was written into his bones!

Do not glorify the actions of people who can only do as they are told, Daiki.

My teeth ground against each other as the sounds of battle came from my device, swords clashing to mirror the friction between thoughts in my head.

He's warm when I hold him, isn't he? He laughs when I make a fool of myself, doesn't he? His voice carries vibrations in my shoulder when he lays with me, and his eyes reflect light, just as mine did and do.

Yes, Yamamoto Takeshi _was_ a character in the world I once knew, but _here_ , he is as much of flesh and blood as I am. There was no script for Yamamoto Takeshi to engage himself to a Yamaguchi Daiki, I was non-canonical! There was no tailored dialect for a voice to recite when he spoke to me. My fiancé chose to become so, no great, superior being decided that at their writing desk.

"H-huh!? What's-" Jun spluttered, waking me from myself and drawing my attention back to the screen.

My eyes widened as I lost the struggle to contain the grin that stretched my gnawed lips, the water flowing in a familiar pattern that gave way to the Vongola Rain's technique.

" _Utsushi Ame_ , the ninth offensive form." I breathed, unable to cap the pride I felt bubbling in my chest as he showed prowess and ability, Rain Ring hanging off the blade of his sword.

That's my Takeshi.

My smile dropped along with my stomach as the rest of the scene came back to my mind, the grip I had on the sheets of my futon causing the threads to give groans under the abuse. I held my tongue between my teeth as I barred myself from expression, the Yakuza artist no doubt feeling the tension in my muscles beneath his hands.

The Vongola Rain moved to assist his fellow Flame, sword donned arm thrown over his shoulder as he pulled them both to their feet, smiling as the Varia gave grunts of confusion and pain.

Get out of there. Get out of there, quickly.

" _The water has reached the designated level, the beast will be released now."_ The voice of the Cervello came, Mephisto snapping the camera to face them.

Xanxus, as usual, had his face passive with hints of aggression, his hand still resting on the snowy hide of the highlander beside him.

Out. Out. Get out, please, Takeshi.

Jun gave a loud yelp as we witnessed the too large shark break the surface of the water, flat eyes set on the wounded Rains ahead.

"Why is there a shark?!" The mousy Yakuza squeaked shrilly, eyes wide in terror.

"To add difficulty." I muttered, only half aware of my answer as I watched stiffly for Takeshi or Squalo to move.

The young Yamamoto must have thought they were safe, standing atop a mass of concrete, itself perched precariously on a frail pillar of stone. This was proven to be wrong as the shark bulldozed into it, knocking the males off balance with sounds of panic on their tongues.

My mouth tasted blood as my teeth sank into the muscle between them, Jun yelping and scrambling for a tissue as a trail of crimson leaked from my lips. I ignored his frantic dabbing as Squalo responded to the situation, using his might to throw his fellow Rain across the water and onto another slab of fragmented concrete.

 _Splash!_

I let my hand curl into a fist as I listened to the reactions, lowering my gaze as Jun gasped in fright, silence crackling along in static through the speakers. The elder Hayashi had stopped at some point to witness the climax, his breath steady as he watched his grandson stare wide eyed at the video feed, before turning his head away and placing his needle in my skin again.

" _Hahahahahaha!"_

A long breath left me as the laughter of the wrathful Sky sounded, expressions of fear and outrage vague from the Vongola. I didn't pay either parties mind as I focused on the emotion marring the young Yamamoto's face, the grip on his sword causing the blade to rattle within the handle.

Oh, Takeshi…

As the Cervello women announced the Vongola's apparent success, their Rain managed to pull himself from the waterlogged building, clothes clinging to him with liquids both vermillion and clear. I fought a flinch as I saw Takeshi's eyes swipe along his friends, clearly searching for someone- ' _someone',_ what am I talking about?

" _Hm, we're leaving."_ Xanxus huffed, getting to his feet swiftly.

Mephisto looked away from the Namimori group at the words, doggy eyes and camera lens landing on the wine eyes that stared down at him. The white mutt held his gaze for a few beats, before giving a loud bark and moving to stand, shaking himself out as he began to trot away.

" _Trash, where are you going?"_ The Varia Boss growled, making the pup pause.

The Yamaguchi pet gave his body another settling shake before taking off, escaping the range of Leviathan's grabbing hands and bolting down the stairs, camera shaking uncontrollably. Little paws flashed in and out of frame as Mephisto bounded out of the building, the winding halls no match for his nose, the sense leading him directly to the mass of students.

An echoing bark left his jaws, startling the company into snapping their heads to the fast approaching pup, sounds of surprise leaving them.

" _Huh? Isn't that Yamaguchi-san's dog?!"_ Tsuna yelped.

" _Why is he here?!"_ Gokudera growled, lifting a foot to let the canine run past.

Mephisto wasted no time in finding his target, bouncing around on his hind legs as he balanced against the leg of the Vongola Rain, barks and gruffs of greeting leaving him.

" _Miphy? Why're...Why're you here?"_

With the camera facing up, I was given a clear view of Takeshi's eyes stilling in recognition, before turning heart breakingly soft. A strained smile came to the boy's face as he reached to pet his furry friend, only to pause when he realised that his left arm refused to move. Mephisto didn't seem to be bothered by the lack of reaction, instead dropping down to circle the familiar human, providing the camera with a full perspective of the damage done to his body.

God damn it, Mephistopheles knew what he was doing.

Takeshi eventually came to a shaky kneel, his sword working as a cane, and allowed for the snowy pup to reach his face, wet tongue leaving streaks of saliva on his cheeks. Unlike before, when the dog showed affection to the swordsman, there was no jocund laughter, the Rain painfully quiet as Mephisto attempted to comfort him.

Neither male strayed from the other as the Cervello announced the Mist being the next competitors, causing panic to ripple within the Vongola, the members unsure of where Mukuro was, despite knowing his identity. Takeshi let his hand hang numbly, the highlander nuzzling it ruthlessly, as if to try and bring feeling back to it.

" _...Why didn't Daiki-kun come, Miphy?"_ The Vongola Rain breathed, making the pup give a whine in response, jumping slightly to bump his wet nose against the boy's jaw.

I didn't bother to address or acknowledge the looks Jun was sending me, too caught up in the sharp, continuous, stabs of pain that tortured my chest.

"...Hayashi-san," I spoke suddenly, the artist looking up from his work. "How much longer will this take?"

He gave a hum and looked over my limb thoughtfully, before breathing out and answering.

"Another three hours." The Yakuza artist nodded, his needle piercing me again.

I gave my own muted nod of understanding, then turned my attention back to the screen, the Vongola Rain being treated by Ricardo of the Cavallone. Takeshi held onto Mephisto as he was wrapped and bandaged, the highlander settling in his lap, snout pressed to his sternum. He seemed scared of the pup leaving, fingers jumping to tighten whenever he thought that the canine was about to leap off of him.

"Daiki-dono, you need to eat now. Before your dinner completely cools." Jun urged gently, seeing how the scene affected me.

"...Yeah, okay, I'll eat." I breathed, reaching out and shutting the device, the knowledge that Mephisto was there to provide giving me some comfort.

…

"Thank you, Mephistopheles. You may rest now." I breathed, running my hand through his fur as I removed the equipment from his collar.

The highlander shook himself out before leaping up onto my bed, burrowing under the sheets.

I smiled slightly before giving my arm a glance, the transparent wrappings binding the inked skin. A huff escaped me as I grabbed a jacket, pulling it on before I opened my window and climbed out, my feet catching an imperfection on the wall before I dropped. A flash of pain went off in my legs before it faded, allowing me to stand straight and walk into the quieting street.

" _Oh, Daiki-kun, out a bit late tonight, don't you think?"_

I blinked and looked to the call, a sheepish smile coming to my face as I locked eyes with the old florist Kikiyo.

"Haha, maybe, just a bit. I'm going to see a friend, so I won't be in the open for too long."

She smiled at me with her worn face, laughter lines deep in her skin.

"Be careful then, our Namimori isn't as quiet as it used to be."

The words made me pause, mouth opening slightly in surprise. The elderly woman gave a quiet laugh before turning, her cane clacking against the tiles of her shop as she hobbled back in. I watched after her for a moment, before pausing as her granddaughter, and my classmate, came scrambling out the door, almost going head over heels in her rush to throw it open.

"Obaa-san said she talked to you, whatever it was,mutleyjust ignore it. She just likes to gossip sometimes!" She cried, breathing heavily as she relied on the handle to keep herself up.

"Ah...Sure, Yuuki-san." I responded, nodding slowly.

My fellow third year gave me a shaky smile before jumping as the previous woman's voice drifted back out.

" _Yuuki-chan! If you're done talking to your crush, could you please come and help me with the petunias?"_

I looked back to her as she remained stunned, face making a slow progress to vermillion as she momutely.

"Bye Daiki-san, I'll see you at school tomorrow!" She shrieked, dashing back inside with a slam of the door.

" _Obaa-san! Oh my God!"_

Blinking dumbly, I turned my attention back to the road and walked on, shaking my head as I turned the corner and began along the strip of restaurants. As late as it was, there were still a few stragglers who were eating out late, diners lit by candles or artificial as couples and families had their meals. The restaurants continued for a while, myself doing a fair bit of dodging as I weaved through late night outers, eventually, I came to the one I was after, a grimace coming to my face as I read the all too familiar sign of TakeSushi.

I didn't want either Yamamoto to know I was here. I just wanted to get in, check on Takeshi, sate the buzz in the base of my chest, and get out.

Looking off to the side, I hummed and began walking around the building, mentally going through the layout of the house until I came under the darkened window of the young Rain. Casting a look around the back plot of land, I gave a sigh, mentally wishing the smaller boy had a conveniently placed tree to guide me to his window- however, that was not the case, his backyard empty of any plants surpassing the line of the fence.

Gazing up at the pane, I thought for a few moments before letting out a long breath and moving a few paces away. Lining myself up with the opening in the wall, I pumped Sun into my legs and shot off. My heels dug into the soil as I launched myself up, muscles working to exceed human limitations with their fantastical fuel, slight sound leaving me as I grabbed the sill and hauled myself up onto the small ledge.

A quiet breath came as I calmed myself, before slowly pulling the Rain's window. I was unsure whether or not to be worried by the fact that the younger boy didn't lock his window, before deciding that most people in Namimori couldn't jump 6 metres. _Most_ people.

With the window slid it's full length up, I peeked inside, curtains drifting from the slight breeze.

The young Yamamoto was curled up in his bed, completely unaware of the intruder, his hands clutching something tightly. His sword was balanced against the side of the bed's frame, easily within arm's reach for the young Rain.

Carefully, I slipped into the room, feet hitting the ground silently as I stepped up to his side. I bit my lip as I took in the various plasters and scratches that marred his face, a medical patch covering his left eye and causing his hair to stand up oddly. Takeshi was going to be in pain when he woke up, of that, I had no doubt. If not from his injuries, then the strain he had put his body under during the fight, at least.

My Flame flared instinctively for a second, a faint heat touching my core as it warmed in preparation for something I hadn't even decided to do yet.

Maybe I could...It wouldn't wake him up, surely.

I shifted for a moment, before lowering myself onto the floor, my knees touching the wooden panelling as I knelt at his bedside. Bringing up my hands, I let them begin to warm before a luminescence showed, low and dull as to not rouse the Rain. Keeping my hands off him directly, I let the sunshine permeate the air between our skins, wisps of gold slipping into his arms as I trailed my hands up his body. Being sure to be very careful, I brought my glowing palms to his face, giving attention to the damaged eye.

A stab of panic hit me as an airy sigh left the younger boy. Snapping my eyes to his face and quickly removing my hands, I watched him with wide eyes for a few moments, before realising just why he had made the noise: his eye must have been irritating him.

Letting out my own sigh of relief, I cautiously went back to work, grazes and scratches knitting together with the assistance of the Flame. When I could find no more damage on the boy, I pulled back, crossing my arms on the sheets as I let my eyes trail again.

He really was quite small, even if he was 177cms. Takeshi wasn't bulky like me or Ryohei, he was lithe and slim, resulting in him being perhaps two thirds of my own width.

I paused suddenly, when I noticed the thing clutched in his hands again, the dark mass pressed against his chest possessively in his sleep. Leaning closer, I tried to make out what it was in the bad lighting, before stopping, eyes widening slightly as the familiar, red 5 peeked out from between the creases.

"..."

My hand hovered slightly as I forced it to stop in its tracks, the sudden need to touch, cradle, _comfort_ hitting me. Takeshi was hugging my jacket for a reason, he was obviously upset, even if he didn't show the others.

I lowered my eyes and dropped my arm beside its partner, the two limbs crossed again as I rested my cheek on them, a heavy breath leaving me.

"I'm sorry, Takeshi-kun." Came my quiet apology, sheets crumbling under my fist.

" _...Daiki-kun?"_

My eyes snapped up, teeth clattering together when I saw sleepy mocha orbs look at me, moonlight reflecting off them.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit, he's awake. I need to leave.

Before I could move, a small smile of resignation came to his face, a tired sigh leaving him as he gave a quiet laugh.

"Another dream I guess. I thought I had stopped having this kind of dream after the second day, but I guess not." He breathed, unmoving.

"Takeshi-kun..." I muttered, fingers twitching for a moment, before I relented and reached out.

He was as warm as always, plasters disrupting the flow as I laid my hand on his cheek, thumb coming to rub just beneath the stark white patch. The itch in my chest settled at the contact, giving me peace for the first time since the morning after the Sun battle, days ago.

Takeshi gave a hum as he let me cradle his face, turning his head slightly to nuzzle my palm before he exhaled into my wrist.

"I like this dream a lot better. The others weren't as nice as this." He breathed, making me frown.

"Why weren't they nice?"

The Rain's smile mellowed slightly, his head falling back to his pillow as he drew his gaze onto me again.

"You said you were bored of me, that we had been going for too long and you'd had enough."

Bored? Was it even possible to get bored of someone like Takeshi? To have enough of him? He was always yanking the carpet out from under me and sending me head over heels, time and time again.

Moving my hand from his face, I gathered one of his hands and brought it closer, his fingers hooked over the side of my palm. We watched each other as I pressed a kiss to his ring finger, pausing when I felt the cold band wrapping the digit. Smiling against his skin, I reached for the clasp at the back of my neck, unhooking it and bringing the golden ring in front of me. Untangling the marital symbol from the chain, I observed the silvery light that flashed off of it before sliding it onto my own ring finger, sharply aware of the eyes watching the action. Tanned fingers came and grasped my hand, drawing it over the threshold and bringing to soft lips, earth orbs keeping mine deliberately.

Blinking slowly, I let out a heavy breath as I lowered my head, not at all used to being the subject of such an intense gaze. My lips became pinched between my teeth as I failed to fight off the rising heat in my face, Takeshi not relenting his attention.

"Better dream, this time?" I managed to ask, the other boy on doubt able to feel my pulse through our hands.

"Mhm," He hummed, smiling against my fingers as he tightened his hold slightly. "Much better this time."

I gave him a small tilt of the lips before gently removing my hand from his grasp, pausing when he clamped down suddenly.

"Just for a second, I'm just moving. Hardwood isn't very comfortable for my knees."

The Rain frowned slightly, but released my hand, watching me carefully as I rose and turned to sit on his bed. Twisting myself, I brought my leg up to curl it on the edge of the bed, allowing me to face the smaller boy. Takeshi didn't waste any time to reinstate physical contact, his head coming to lay atop my thigh as his hand scrambled for my own again.

"Squalo-san, he got..." He muttered after a long pause, making me give him a gentle squeeze.

"I know, sweetheart. I know."

"I couldn't...Why would he-"

"Calm down," I cooed, rubbing the back of his hand with my thumb. "Calm down, it'll be okay."

Shifting closer to the smaller boy, I felt him coil around me tighter, his legs pressed against my back through the blankets wrapped around him.

"How could this be okay? Squalo-san got killed- _eaten_ , right in front of me, and I couldn't do anything." Takeshi asked, clutching my hand to the point of painful.

"It just will be, I know it will." I assured, leaning against him slightly. "Have I ever been wrong before?"

He paused to think it over, before relaxing and shaking his head, a long sigh escaping him.

"No, you haven't."

How long we stayed like that, I don't know, but eventually, I knew I had to move. The lights outside had all been turned out, showing that even the night owls had returned to their homes, and the same would be expected of me soon, no doubt. I didn't really want to leave Takeshi, but I knew it would be best to while he was still under the belief that this was just another layer of his sleep.

Looking down at the young Mafia, I smiled softly at his half-awake expression, my jacket still pressed against himself with his free hand like a security blanket.

"You really like my jacket, don't you?" I laughed quietly, moving my free hand to thread into his hair.

"Mhm," He hummed sleepily, already drifting again. "Smells nice. Warm. Like Daiki-kun."

I gave a low noise of amusement at his mutters, my thumb pressing the soft flesh behind his ear as he coiled around our topic tighter.

"That's my favourite jacket, so look after it well, love."

Takeshi preened at the address, his nose bumping my hip in a lazy nuzzle.

His action wrestled a smile out of me, before I bent and planted my lips where I could at the odd angle, the Rain's body breaking out in goosebumps as I pressed a kiss to the juncture of his neck.

"Sleep, love. You've exerted yourself today, I know."

"But-"

"Don't worry," I cut off, squeezing his hand softly. "I'll be here. I'm always here."

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Takeshi blinked himself awake under the assault of the bright light of the morning sun, a groan of annoyance leaving him as he pressed his face into the warmth under him. He felt oddly calm, despite what had happened yesterday, as if he had been settled by something.

Daiki.

The Vongola Rain jumped up as the night came back to him, alert eyes snapping around the room as he searched for the older boy.

"He's...not here."

He looked to what was grasped in his hand and bit his lip, sheets bundled in his fist in a mockery of a larger hand. His pillow was misshapen and on an angle, creating the feeling of firm muscle in the night.

Of course. Of course it was a dream, Daiki wouldn't just climb through his window after days of ignoring him- not when he had that boy Hayashi Jun to worry about. It must have been the Sun's jacket that caused such a nice dream, the familiar smell triggering fantasies for the Rain's heart.

Takeshi gave a shuddered sigh of disappointment, before reaching for the black and red cloth, pausing when his hands met sheet. His head snapped around in panic, a swell of paranoia coming as he threw his blankets to the side and began the desperate search for his security.

"Where is it?" He panted, leaping off the bed to pull his drawers out.

"Not here. Not here. Oh, God, where is it? _Tou-san!"_

" _What is it?"_ Came the bellowed response, footsteps coming down the hall before his father stepped into the room.

"Daiki-kun's jacket, the one he left, do you know where it is?" The young Yamamoto asked, trying to hold decorum before his father.

"The black one? It's in the wash, I think. You were out like a light last night, so I picked up the clothes you left on the floor."

Takeshi's eyes widened as he froze, stomach dropping with dread. His father sidestepped as he barreled out the door, footfalls heavy as he ran to the clothesline as pulled down the jacket he was after. The heavy material was still damp from the washer, but was on the verge of warm after the time it had spent in the sun, making it an unpleasant sensation to the Rain's fingers as he held it in his fist and brought it to his nose.

The young swordsman gave a choked noise as the scent of detergent and water carried through, the once lingering smell of his fiancé thoroughly washed out and gone. His one piece of Daiki left, gone.

The Rain gritted his teeth as he felt phantom kisses on his hands and neck, his nose desperately trying to remember the scent of his comfort, but an almost mental block keeping it just out of reach.

Daiki's gone, he's not here.

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

" _Don't mind me, I'm just a son of a gun!_

 _So don't stop, don't stop 'till your heart goes numb!_

 _And now I'm just numb!_

 _I don't feel a thing for you!"_

My headphones pulsed with the English lyrics as I sketched out a diagram in my workbook, little kanji written beside it to give a brief explanation.

A flash of light made me flinch and broke my attention, a huff leaving me as I placed down the pen in my hand to look to the distraction, golden band catching the light of my lamp and the new morning. It was too early to begin the trek to school, so I had sat myself down to add some extra notes to my workbook, though not much time had passed since I had begun. There was something unsettled about me, a tingling in the back of my mind that could only be described as a watered down paranoia. It felt like something was wrong, but not obvious enough to heed reaction.

Shaking my head, I dismissed the buzzing, instead turning my attention to the sudden muting of my music and the subsequent ringing of my phone. Unplugging myself from my earbuds, I opened the device before frowning, the caller ID unfamiliar to both phone and myself.

"Hello?" I answered, leaning back in my chair as I did.

" _Hello, this is Yamaguchi Daiki, yes?"_ A quiet, female voice came through, hesitant at best.

"Yes, though might I say, it is quite worrying how often I get asked that question these days. May I ask, how did you get this number?"

" _Well, Mukuro-sama said to call this number before I showed myself to the Vongola Tenth. He said you could help me."_

Oh God, don't tell me...

"...I'm gonna cave that boy's head in."

" _A-ah, please don't."_

I gave a long sigh and shook my head, the metal of my ring clacking against the plastic.

"Mukuro-san, you say, I believe I remember briefly meeting someone by that name. However, I can't say why he would suggest you to me- Ah, may I know your name?"

" _Oh, sorry, Dokuro Chrome. My name is Dokuro Chrome, nice to meet you, Yamaguchi-san."_ She greeted, an almost robotic quality taking her voice.

The rehearsed nature of the words unlocked a faint memory in my head, recollections of the girl's time as Nagi coming back to be, albeit rather faded.

" _Mukuro-sama said that I was to call you before the Mist Battle, but he didn't exactly say anything else...Only that you would help, though, he did admit that you would be a bit stubborn."_ Chrome continued, a barely there tone of amusement coming towards the end.

"Dokuro-san-"

" _Just Chrome is fine, Yamaguchi-san."_

"You can call me Daiki, as well, then. Chrome-chan, can you tell me where you are?" I asked, flashed of the decrepit theme park going past my mind's eye.

" _Kokuyo Land."_

"Okay, and where are you staying?"

" _Kokuyo Land, with Ken-kun and Chikusa-kun."_

I groaned, wondering just how what those boys were feeding her if that was their base of operations. She had recently gotten out of the hospital, if memory served, and was probably surviving off of street food and illusions right now, not the best of diets for a recovering body.

My teeth gnashed against each other as I shook my head, a well of sourness coming as I reminded myself of the consequences that had already presented themselves. If I continued to fall, to give into the pull, who knew what could happen to the canon I knew? The closer the story remained to the original, the more I could assure their safety.

Was that an excuse, though?

The thought made me pause, eyes fixing on the cork board across from me. Flashes of scenes and emotions going through me as my mind waged a war of seconds within me.

Was that an excuse? An excuse to pardon myself from doing things I didn't want to do? An excuse to pardon myself from responsibility?

I had already jumped into the deep end, and I was attempting to pull myself out- but did I have the right to? Was I allowed to? How many people was I leaving to drown in doing so? Was I willing to give up on the people I had met, knowing that once I did, there was no getting back to them?

"I'll come talk to you in person, I'll be there in half an hour." I sighed, slumping as I heard the small girl give a breath of relief.

" _Thank you, Daiki-kun, Mukuro-sama will be very grateful. I'll see you then."_

"Yes, yes. Tell that boy that he owes me one, now. I'll be seeing you."

Closing my phone, I rested the edge of the plastic on my forehead, my brow furrowed in aggravation.

"Kaa-san, I'm going for a walk!"

" _Eh? But you have school!"_

"In like three hours, I'll be back before then, don't worry. I'll take my bag with me in case, though." I called, closing the clasp of my bookbag before walking out, Mephisto peering up at me from beneath Lambo's crib.

I was making my son scared, my fiance hurt and my brother confused. Even I was starting to have enough of this rut I had fallen into. It would take a while, but with small steps, I'd pull myself out. I'd pull myself out, but not out of the water, just out of the shallows and submit to this hell I've put myself in.

Like the bastard, Shamal said: I can't expect to have connections, and not be entangled.

…

" _Watanabe-dono, are you sure about this?"_ Cooper asked through the phone, the sound of keys jingling showing that he was on the move, despite his concern.

"As sure as I could possibly be about it, I'll see you soon?"

" _Yes sir, traffic is light today."_

"Good, good. Thank you again, Cooper-san." I hummed, snapping my phone shut and shoving it into my pocket.

A yawn escaped me as I passed the rusted gates of the theme park, overgrown greenery giving way to the recent catastrophes. I gave a hum as I walked around the edge of the caved in amphitheatre, a pebble falling in and giving off echoes as it hit the concrete flooring.

The sky was brightening with the sun, and I had the gut feeling that I wasn't going to make it to class in time.

Loud footfalls sounded as I stepped into the rotting building, the doors that had been barely hanging on when I had last came laid strewn at the base of the short stairs. Small lizards and insects scrambled to make way as I walked through the halls, rushed memories guiding me back to the main room where Mukuro once sat.

Casting my gaze around the barren space, I gave a noise of discontent, the place in even more disarray than when I had last seen it. The moth eaten curtains that once hung were now pooling in matted, torn mounds on the floor, their seams damaged beyond repair, and the couch where the antagonistic pineapple had rested was upturned, fluff peeking out of holes.

"I see you've been doing some renovating." I hummed, looking over my shoulder as Ken and Chikusa emerged from the shadowed corners.

"Took you long enough, bastard. I almost fell asleep waiting for you!" The feral Sun scowled, his hands in his pockets.

"Good to see you too, where is Chrome-chan?" I responded, turning to face them.

"Why the hell would we-"

"Chrome-chan is in her room, I'll take you." Chikusa interrupted, making me nod in thanks.

"The hell Kakipi!? Why are you taking him for!?" Ken roared, but went ignored by both of us as we began down another hall.

The gameboy ranted and raved behind us, before falling into simpering silence, his footsteps exaggerated in volume as we came up to another room, just like the rest.

"Chrome-chan, Yamaguchi-san is here." Chikusa called, rapping his knuckles against the rotted wood door.

" _Ah, thank you. Send him in, please."_

The dead eyed Rain nodded in response before turning to me, allowing for me to announce my order to them.

"I want the two of you to gather anything you need, whether that be valuables or weapons, and get ready to leave."

"Huh!? Why would we do that, bastard?" Ken snapped, baring his teeth at me.

"Mukuro-san called me because he knew I would provide you with help, and even though I hate to admit it, he was right. Now, pack your bags and get ready to go, the car will be here soon." I huffed, waving my hand at them.

"And where will we stay then? The Yamaguchi Bakery? That place is too tiny for all of us!"

My halved eyebrow twitched in aggravation, but I managed to cap it before I reacted further.

"It's not the Yamaguchi Bakery where you will be staying, don't worry. Just shut up and get your stuff together, Game boy."

The ever composed, beanie wearing boy nodded before dragging away his flailing companion, a sigh of exasperation escaping me as I gathered my decorum in preparation.

"Excuse the intrusion." I breathed, opening the door of the dim room, the smell of moist carpet hitting my nose.

Hiding the expression of disgust that threatened to show, I walked in, the visage of Dokuro Chrome sitting up on a scarcely covered bed greeting me.

"Hello again, Daiki-kun." The small girl greeted, her voice quieter when not spoken directly into a receiver.

"Same to you, Chrome-chan. I would say that you look well, but I'd be lying." I responded, not bothering to sugar coat the sickly image before me.

Chrome was pale in colour, noticeable even in the dark room, and her frame was small. She had faint bags under her eyes, and slowly healing bruises peeking out from under her night clothes. Her hair was down and in a certain disarray that could be blamed on sleep, but the limp quality showed the state of her health.

"I suppose," The Mist hummed quietly, not once holding my gaze for more than a second. "But I'm improving."

"You will only get so far while staying here. You and your companions will be removed from the premises and stay under my care until further notice." I stated, giving the small girl no room for argument.

"Okay...Thank you, Daiki-kun." Chrome nodded, a nervous smile touching her face.

I watched her for a few moments, disregarding the discomfort I was putting her in as I did. She was small, only standing to my chest, at best, and she was easily one third of my size. Her wrists were thin, but her legs showed strength, even from beneath the paper thin sheets.

Despite her frail and small appearance, I was not fooled of her prowess. I knew her ability resided with the skill of illusions, and if the faint, whispered hiss of snakes slipping between shadows was any sign, it showed she knew how to take care of herself. This was good, Chrome was in store for a lot of pain in the future, so she would need all the talent she had to protect herself and the Family she was about to enter.

Stepping forwards, I ignored the threatening strike a snake sent at me, the creatures following me as I crossed the room to stand beside the girl's bed, purple eyes watching me from behind her lashes.

"May I sit?"

The Mist blinked slowly, before nodding.

Turning slightly, I sat on the edge of her cot, the worm eaten wood groaning at the extra weight and the frame shifting from the push. The two of us sat in silence for a few beats, just watching the other, before I reached for the tiny hands folded over her stomach.

 _Hiss!_

Two snakes latched onto my legs, strong bodies of muscle tightening their hold as they slowly climbed, yellow eyes gleaming at me through the dark.

"May I touch you, Chrome-chan? I mean no harm." I assured, not reacting to the reptiles.

The frail girl stared at me openly, calculation clear in her eyes, before she eventually slipped a porcelain pale in my own tanned one. Giving a nod of thanks, I flipped the small limb and pressed my fingers to her wrists, feeling the sluggish pulsation and tsking in annoyance.

I guess illusions, even ones of Mukuro's prowess, can only do so much.

"I am going to put some of my Flames into you, Chrome-chan, please do not be alarmed when you feel it. It will not hurt, but it may feel odd." Came my admission, the Mist needing to be aware of my doings.

When the girl gave no move of rejection, I slowly inched my Flames to life, allowing for a golden glow to bloom from our hands.

The goosebumps that once covered her bare arms smoothed out at the warmth, the tension in her body seeping away as she relaxed against the headboard. A faint colour came to her face, showing the effect of the fire, but it still wasn't enough to warrant health.

"I'm sorry that I cannot do more than that, I am not all that experienced in healing internal injuries, and I've spent most of the day's quota on another." I hummed, letting a last dribble slip through before cutting the flow.

"That's all right," She smiled, her voice less strained from fatigue.

" _Thank you, Daiki-kun."_

I fought not to bristle at the sudden drop in vocals, the hand in my grasp changing to become bigger and clad in a black glove. Before I could remove the connection, strong fingers clamped down, keeping me where I was.

"Oh, don't run away! I'm not going to _hurt_ you, _Daiki-kun_." The newly replaced Mukuro purred, his other hand slinking up the trapped limb until it rested on the skin of my collar.

"Hello Mukuro-san, I see Vindice has been treating you well." I huffed, keeping my face blank as heterochromatic eyes narrowed in dangerous mirth.

"Good-" He glanced to the dusted window, a slight frown marring his face.

"Morning." I supplied, understanding his predicament. "It's morning, around 7:30am."

"Hm? Well, good morning then, Daiki-kun."

The Mist twisted his lips into a smile as he dropped his gaze to my arm, colour peeking out from under my sleeve and igniting his curiosity. He made no move to request permission before he began pushing up my jacket's limb, showing off the irezumi.

"Kufufufu, is that a tattoo? And here I thought you were a _good boy_." Mukuro laughed, examining the stains.

From the wrist to my shoulder blade curled patterns inked in blue, traditional and cloud-like in nature. Inked atop the swirls of blue, stood a golden bird, flashes and ombres of red hinting to its true name of phoenix, known for its tendency to be reborn from fire, an ode to my origins.

The tattoo was scabbing over in some place, which was good as it showed that the skin was healing as it should. I hoped that no harm would come to the healing, or I would need to call the Hayashi artist back out from his home to provide a touch up.

"I behave when I am required to." I hummed, before yanking the sleeve down and my hand out of his grasp.

"Aw, no need to be so rough." The illusionist grinned, holding his hands up in surrender.

A long breath left me as I got to my feet, no longer wishing to be in such proximity to the Mist boy. Now standing at the foot of the rocking bed, I crossed my arms, casting my gaze around the mostly barren room before centring it back on the Mafia criminal.

"What do you believe you and Chrome-chan will need? Most of the necessities will be provided for you, however, personalised weapons and such will need to be retained yourself. That trident that you so love to stab people with?" I asked, making the antagonistic pineapple smirk.

The illusionist unravelled his hands before slipping them under his sheets, a sigh of outward resignation leaving me as he withdrew the propertied weapon.

"You'll forgive my little Chrome-chan, my description of you scared her quite a bit." Mukuro chuckled, spinning the pronged staff lazily.

"Mukuro-san, why'd you make her scared of me?" I breathed, borderline whined, getting a little bit used to the Mist's double Flame.

Chrome and Mukuro's Flames were reminiscent of an unbalanced scale, two indigo flairs that crackled side by side, the weight tipping in the favour of the present person. When Chrome sat before me, her Flames were dominant, twice the size of the other and smothering the smaller presence, almost protectively. The same could be said for when Mukuro came forth, the two exchanging sizes along with control.

They really were one in the same, but completely different.

 _Bzzzt!_

I broke out of my thoughts, noticing for the first time that the Mist had been staring back at me with equal intensity, and pulled out my phone, the caller ID showing Cooper was on the line.

"Hello?"

" _Watanabe-dono, Kokuyo Land is the place correct? It looks a bit…"_

"Decrepit, I know, but yes, that's the place. Just wait outside of the gates, it's too dangerous to drive a car into here." I responded, looking to the grimy window as if I could see the car from here.

"We won't be too long, there doesn't seem to be much to pack."

" _Very well, please, take your time."_ The Yakuza Storm hummed, before prompting me to end the call.

"Your hand. Is that a ring I spy, Daiki-kun?" The Kokuyo boy asked, grinning coyly at the band of gold.

Lifting my hand, I displayed it to both myself and the other, a part of me kicking myself to hide it, while another happy that it had been recognised.

"Yes, it is." I answered, waving my foot at a rather courageous reptile.

"Is it just for decoration? I never spotted you as someone to accessories- but then again, I doubt many will be expecting such an upstanding boy to go and get a tattoo."

"No, it's an engagement ring." Came my response, fingers going to click away at my keypad to warn Jun of the impending guests.

"Oh! And when did this happy new happen?" Mukuro chuckled, getting from the bed to walk around me.

"A bit after the other's conflict with you- hands to yourself, Mukuro-san."

"Ah, yes," He laughed, withdrawing his fingers from my arm. "We should leave the intimate touching to your new _fiancé_."

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, not at all liking the way he stessed the phrase, before turning back to the task at hand.

"Anything else you want to nick from here?" I asked.

"That box over there is Chrome-chan's uniform and select personal effects, but that is all."

I gave a hum before walking over to the small box, snakes slithering out of my way as to avoid being trampled on. Picking it up, I ignored the subsequent jangling of a metallic content, before turning back to the standing Mist.

"Come on then, Mukuro-san, give Chrome-chan back and let's go. Your boys must be done their own packing by now."

The illusionist gave a chuckle, shrugging his shoulders before speaking.

"I'll see you again soon, Daiki-kun. Keep her safe for me, won't you?"

I scoffed and moved the box to one hand.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't plan on it." I answered, before watching the boy phase into a girl.

My arm reached out and caught Chrome as she teetered, her eyes unfocused as if just waking up from sleep.

"Welcome back, Chrome-chan."

"Thank you, Daiki-kun." She breathed, using my arm as support as she eventually found her feet.

I looked her over once, taking in the thin nightgown and bare feet before sighing.

"It's cold outside today, do you have a jacket?"

"...No."

Not bothering to comment, I shrugged off my own top layer and gave it over to her, hesitant hands coming to take the item with a muttered thanks. The small girl shuffled over and donned a pair of slippers that looked suspiciously like hospital attire, before coming to my side, trident clutched to her chest.

"Ready?" I asked, the response being her nod.

Opening the door, I gestured for her to go first, closing the damp room behind us and allowing for the Mist girl to guide us to, what could have been called, the lobby. Ken and Chikusa looked up from their own small load of possessions, school bags seemingly the bulk of it.

Ah yeah, these guys were students, weren't they? I'll need to provide transport for them, too…

I didn't miss the look both of them cast Chrome, eyes scanning her quickly to check for any sort of tampering or damage that wasn't there before their last witness of the girl. Hiding the slight smile that threatened to come forth from the show of attachment, I instead nodded to them firmly, provoking the two to pick up their items.

"The car is at the Kokuyo Land entrance, it's not too much of a walk, and I really don't want it coming into this rugged terrain." I stated, making Ken huff irritability.

"Okay, Daiki-kun, we understand." Chrome hummed, looking to me.

"Don't speak for us!" The channel user snapped.

I cast a glare over him quickly, making him give a tisk and look away. Rolling my eyes at his attitude, I used my head to promote movement, the group following as I brought us from the building and into the open, Chrome walking a little behind me and the others behind her.

"So, Ken-kun, Chikusa-san, Chrome-chan, you're all students of Kokuyo Middle, yes? Or were you just using them as cannon fodder?" Came my question, the three looking up from the ground.

"Huh? Kokuyo? Yeah, we're students, so what!?" Ken growled, making me narrow my eyes.

My fellow Sun was irritated, this was no doubt caused by the orders given to him by Mukuro. He obviously didn't want to come with me, better conditions or not, and was going to make it as blatant as possible.

"I was just wondering if I should arrange for transport or not, but I guess I do. Not to worry, it won't be too hard."

This made the boys pause their stride, before quickly collecting themselves and catching up.

"Transport? You talk like you've got the money, _baker's boy."_

I smiled mutely ahead of us, gates coming into view.

The sleek black of the car was the first thing to be seen, before the model became apparent, Cooper leaning against the hood as he waited for us to approach. The Eurasian Yakuza quickly straightened when he noticed us, glancing around me through his tinted glasses to observe the slack jawed Mafia.

"Good morning, Watanabe-dono." The Storm greeted, bending at the waist.

At the words, the sounds of Ken choking and the door flying open divided my attention, the figure leaping out of the vehicle winning it over.

"Daiki-dono! You should have told me that you were not planning on turning up to school!" Jun cried, stepping right up to me with teary eyes.

I smiled slightly at him, causing the mousy Yakuza to relax slightly.

"Sorry, Jun-kun, this was a bit short notice."

"You could have texted." He breathed, before looking to the people behind me.

I shook off his questioning look, implying an answer later, and instead turned to the quietly standing Eurasian Yakuza.

"Could you open the boot please?"

Cooper nodded sharply before walking around the car, casting the Mafia an unimpressed glance from behind the frame of his shades.

I withheld a snort as he opened the back, allowing for me and the other boys to dispose of the items. Jun held the door as I stepped in, following after before the others could move to do the same, leaving the opposite side of the car seats the only place for the trio to claim.

My phone buzzed from within my pocket, causing me to fish it out, a sting coming as I read the ID of my brother Sun flash on screen.

 _From: Sunny Boy  
Oi, bro, you didn't show up to first period! Are you okay?!_

My thumb hovered over the reply key, but I closed my device before I could. Shaking my head, I assured myself that the time for them would come, but just not yet. Right now, I'd take it a step at a time, and these three were my first step.

"Daiki-dono, who are these friends of yours?" Jun asked, gazing at the trio carefully.

"Jun-kun, this is Chrome-chan, Chikusa-san and Ken-kun. They will be staying with us for some time." I introduced, each person responding to their name as suited to their character.

The mousy Yakuza gave his own greeting to them, before looking to me again.

"May I ask, why are they requiring our hospitality?"

"I'm minding them for a... _friend._ "

"Minding? You make us sound like-!"

Ken was silenced by the tip of a small blade pressed to his throat, Chikusa tensing and palming his weaponised yoyo.

"Do not speak so crudely to the Watanabe heir." Jun hissed.

I sighed quietly and looked away from the others in the back, giving Cooper a quick nod to calm his grip on the wheel. Turning my gaze out the window, I watched as we left Namimori and entered the next town, the now familiar layout of the houses telling me exactly where we were.

"Daiki-kun," Chrome called, making me give a grunt of acknowledgement. "Jun-san called you 'dono' and 'Watanabe heir'. Why?"

"That's because it is my title. I am the heir apparent to the Watanabe Yakuza." I hummed nonchalantly, resting my cheek on my fist, feeling cool metal on my skin.

"Ah, Daiki-dono is wearing his engagement ring!" The Storm chirped, eyeing the marital band.

Ken heaved suddenly, saliva making his throat sting as he thumped his chest for relief.

"Yes, I thought it would be best if I did from now on. During battle, is the only exception." I smiled, playing with the piece carefully.

"I'm sure your partner will be very happy with the decision!" He grinned, making me give a small laugh.

"You know, sometimes I think you're more excited about my love life than I am."

"That means you've just got to up your game, my Lord." Came his retort, a mirth coming through his tone.

I grabbed his chubby cheek and pulled, making him give a cry and grasp my wrist weakly, pleas of mercy spilling playfully from him, a smirk coming to my lips and I watched him squirm.

"Don't challenge me, mouse." I huffed lightly, releasing his face from between my fingers.

Jun pouted and rubbed his cheeks, reddened from the abuse, before sticking his tiny tongue out at me.

"You wanna lose it?" I asked, causing a high squeak to sound in the car and the wet muscle to retreat at full speed.

…

"Watanabe-dono, we've arrived." Cooper informed, opening my door and allowing me to step out.

"Thank you, Cooper-san. I'll be needing you again tonight, but the rest of the day is yours." I hummed, straightening out my clothes as I stood to my full height.

"What the fu-!"

Ken was once again cut off by a strike to the back of the head, Jun coming down from his jump with a frown on his face.

"Do not speak in such a manner when in the presence of the Watanabe heir." He scowled, wiping his hand off on his pants.

...Jun had to jump to hit Ken's head. He is such a small mouse.

"Chrome-chan," I started, making the teens look to me, Cooper pulling out of the circular cul de sac driveway to park the car in one of the ports. "You will be taking one of the rooms in the dorms. Ken-kun, Chikusa-san, you two will be staying in the main house, along with the other men."

"Huh? Why are you separating us, you f-Ack!"

"Watch your tongue."

A small huff of laughter escaped the small Mist, making me give a small smile, before I called for them to follow.

" _Good morning, Watanabe-dono."_

" _I hope you are well, Watanabe-dono."_

" _Good to see you again, Watanabe-dono."_

" _Watanabe-dono, welcome home."_

I nodded to each greeting as I cut through the halls, men and entertainers moving to get out of my way. The sounds were louder than usual, and I was more than happy that some of the doors were closed, for the noises that emitted within did not seem like something that should be witnessed.

Chrome clasped her own wrist for comfort as she avoided the interested looks from the men of the Watanabe compound, her eyes fixed at the wooden panelling of the floor as we walked.

"Chrome-chan, it is okay. These men will not lay a hand on you, nor will they speak crudely in your presence, I will make sure of it." I assured, casting her a look over my shoulder.

The small Mist nodded slowly, a smile gracing her face softly, making me reflect it, before opening a door, leading us to the outside. We stepped off the small deck before passing the wall of sakura, the lavish house of the Watanabe heir's generation coming into our view.

" _Daiki-nii-sama!"_

I smiled and knelt to receive Nami, her small body jumping to wrap around me and cling on as I rose to my feet again.

"Hello, Nami-chan. Are the others here too?" I hummed, my question answered by the opening of the door.

"Daiki-kun, I thought you would have been at school." Honda breathed, walking out to meet me, her bare feet pressing against the grass.

"It would seem that I will be truant today, cousin."

The Watanabe woman gave me a look before pressing a kiss to my cheek, the small girl balanced on my hip copying the action.

"Honda-nee, Nami-chan, this is Dokuro Chrome. Chrome-chan, this is the eldest of my cousins, Watanabe Honda."

The Mist girl bowed politely, flushing when Honda did the same, the two women exchanging pleasantries.

"Nami-chan, why don't you go and introduce Chrome-chan to Ame-chan and Akia-chan? I'm sure they'll be excited to meet her." I smiled, lowering the girl to the grass, her hand immediately finding the illusionist's and guiding her into the house.

"Jun-kun, take Chikusa-san and Ken-kun to their rooms, if you'd please."

The mousy Yakuza nodded before guiding them back, my gaze turning to back to Honda, who was watching after them carefully, a slight frown on her lips.

"Who are your new friends, Daiki-kun?" She asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"I am holding onto them for a friend, they are his companions." I responded, before gesturing for us to walk.

"Chrome-chan needs a room within the dorms. She is unwell and quite fragile at the moment, she was only recently released from hospital, and hasn't been in the best of conditions since. Do you think it can be provided here?"

Honda made a small noise, before nodding in understanding, the two of us ceasing before the koi pond, her kimono's pattern swimming in the distilled surface.

"I do not want to disturb you all, but leaving her in that place wasn't something I'd have a clear conscience of either." I admitted, my hands clasped behind my back.

"Daiki-kun, I can understand your reasoning, but if this puts the girls in danger-"

"It will not," I assured, looking to her. "If anything, it will be an added layer of extra protection for the dorm."

The eldest Watanabe cousin turned her gaze back on the water, a sigh eventually coming from her, shoulders relaxing after a few moments. Slowly, a small smile came to her pink lips, a soft expression taking her face.

"How is your partner, Takeshi-kun?"

I paused for a moment, before giving her my hand, her eyes immediately finding the golden band holding my finger.

Her face dissolved into one of shock as she closed the distance and grasped my hand, flipping it back and forth as if to check for falsities.

"Y-you're e- _engaged?_ "

"Yeah." I smiled, before jumping when hands came down on my shoulders.

"You, cousin, are bringing this boy to the compound first chance you get. Am I understood? You are not marrying him without us meeting him!"

A shaky smile came to my face at the stern expression painting her own, my hands coming to show surrender.

"Will do, Honda-nee. I'll bring him the first chance I get, but he's... _we're_ busy at the moment." I responded,onspausing to correct myself.

Not just Takeshi. Takeshi and I, both of us.

Honda pursed her lips before releasing me, a breath leaving her before he straightened herself out.

"Very well, but do it soon. I wish to meet this Yamamoto Takeshi. Now, let us go back inside and get to know Chrome-chan."

I nodded and walked with her to the main room, opening the door for the two of us, and pausing when we witnessed the goion'swithin.

Chrome was seated on the floor, surrounded by all the Watanabe women, her hair down and being brushed by Nami. Sora was seated before her, smaller hands clasped by the Watanabe as she painted her nails with the plethora of colours from her polish box.

"So, Chrome-chan, how old are you?" Bunko asked, laying on her stomach as she worked through a bowl of strawberries.

"She's thirteen, Bun-chan." I answered, swiping the fruit before she could put it into her mouth.

A squawk of betrayal sounded as I threw myself onto a lush pile of cushions, sweet berry between my teeth as I grinned at my cousins, Honda coming to sit beside me in a more refined manner. I looked up and accepted my own bowl of strawberries from Gin, the girl flushing before scrambling to return to her harp, fingers plucking the strings as she prepared to play.

"Chrome-chan," Honda began, calling the attention of the room. "You will be staying in the vacant room in the dorms, it will be prepared for you by lunchtime, for now, make yourself familiar with the compound."

"Ah, thank you, Honda-chan."

The eyes of the Watanabe women lit up at the information, Mist cowering under the attention as Nami threw her arms around the older girl.

"Chrome-nee is staying!" She giggled, making the illusionist gain a hue, tiny smile touching her face as she touched the hands of the child.

"Be nice to her, girls." I called, making them look to me. "She's my guest, and I'd rather you not scare her off."

"Oh hush, Daiki-nii-sama. Have faith in our abilities as hostesses, we were raised to be hospitable." Kaguya shushed, waving her hands as she urged her nails to dry, having also fallen to Sora's brush.

"Yes, that is exactly why Ame-chan has a small dagger in her room."

"Ame-chan!" Honda scolded, the samurai-wannabe puffing her cheeks up at me.

"I don't use it! I just want to look at it!"

"In your room?" Bunko asked, dropping the leaves in her scraps bowl.

"So?!" The little girl huffed, crossing her arms and pouting intensely.

I let out a laugh as her face became red, the child giving a sound of outrage before barreling at me. Reaching out, I lifted her from the ground before she could hit me, holding her up above my laying form as her little legs kicked wildly.

"Daiki-nii-sama is mean!" She wailed, before I lowered her into my stomach, shoving a berry into her gaping mouth.

"You can't buy my silence with food." Came her response, but she accepted another, nonetheless.

"Daiki-kun?"

I looked to the Mist girl at the call, my hand carding through the short hair of the stubbornly munching child.

"Thank you, again." She flushed, bowing her head slightly.

"No problem, Chrome-chan."


	25. Chapter 25

**Word Count: 13,626**

* * *

"Sorry about this, Cooper-san. It was pretty last minute." I apologised, unbuckling myself from the car as the Eurasian Yakuza pulled up outside of Namimori Central Hospital, small bouquet of flowers in hand.

"No problem, Watanabe-dono, but may I ask: Why are you visiting the hospital? Is someone you know unwell?"

I smiled slightly at the back of his head, stepping out before moving to his rolled down window.

"I guess so, but I'm the one who put him in here- though, not entirely of my own will."

Before the Storm could respond, I had begun walking into the building, waving over my shoulder. The doors slid open for me automatically as I strode in, one hand in my pocket lazily. Walking to the front desk, I requested the name from the receptionist, the man sending me a flat look.

He rolled his eyes, as if remembering something, before searching for the room and rattling off the number to me.

Nodding in thanks, I began the trek, following the signs until I came to a rather secluded hall, private rooms lining the way. Grabbing the door, I slid it open before stepping through, a small, Lord to-behissed laugh falling from my lips when I saw the full body cast that contained the man.

"Hey, Lussuria-onee-chan." I greeted lightly, producing a small vase from within his cabinet and dropping the bundle inside.

"Ah, Daiki-kun! You came to see your poor big sister!" The flamboyant man cried, turning his head minutely to look at me.

"What, am I your only visitor?" I huffed, pulling the chair out and reversing it, crossing my arms on the back as I sat.

"Oh no, the others are coming later, and Belphegor has been coming regularly- even if only to tease me." He answered, a slight pout coming to his face as he did so.

"Ooh, but I also have the cutest doctor! Like, please, push _all_ your needles in me!"

I couldn't help the snort that rattled my throat, caught very much off guard by the sudden plea.

"Belphegor, the one with the fringe?"

"Yep, that's him! I'm sorry I haven't been texting you as regularly anymore, but I can't use my hands, and you broke my pointer!"

"Oh no, no apology required. The silence has been a blessing." I shrugged, a rough smirk coming to my face as his fell slack in offense.

"Rude!" Lussuria exclaimed, voice hitting high.

" _Shishishishi, Lussuria got shot down."_

Looking over my shoulder, I gave the new arrivals a bland expression, fighting to hide the painful tension in my back as I leant back, nodding in greeting at the four Flames Users.

"Good afternoon, Varia."

"What is that guy doing here?!" Levi shouted, pointing a gloved finger at me.

"It's rude to point. Do it again, and I'll break it." I grunted, a sense of satisfaction coming when he withdrew the digit swiftly.

Mammon floated from his perch on Belphegor, drifting over to hover before me, a raised eyebrow being his response.

"While Levi was quite simple in going about it, his question is still valid. What are you doing here, Vongola Sun?" Came his squeaked voice, weird frog familiar eyeing me.

I forced a civil smile onto my face, cashier persona coming to shield my thoughts from the illusionist.

"I am here to visit an acquaintance. Though, since you are all here now, I suppose I should leave you to your buis-"

"Don't try it, trash."

My cheek became caught between teeth at the sudden cut off, head tilting slightly as the Sky moved closer, Flames brushing purposefully against mine.

"There is nothing stopping me from leaving, Xanxus-san." I stated, looking to him out of the corner of my eye, standing quickly when I saw his hand come near me, knowing better than let him come in physical contact with me.

The wrathful Sky watched me with wine-red eyes, before plonking himself down in the vacated seat, his back to Lussuria who was whining at Belphegor, who in turn paid him no mind.

" _Shishishi,_ Yamaguchi-san got his seat stolen." The prince snickered, grin ever present.

"Well," I smiled, moving to lean against the wall beside my fellow Sun's bed. "Us youths have to give up our seats for the elders, no?"

The Varia Storm let out a long, high series of cackles as the Sun hooted along, a wave of irritated Flames hitting my core and making me smirk down at the insulted Boss, his glare doing nothing to faze me in my moment of amusement. I pressed my hips back as the man made a swipe at me, fire dancing off his fingertips only making my smirk twist into a grin.

"To speak to the Boss in such a disrespectful way-gah!"

Levi's advance on me was interrupted by a leather-clad foot in his gut, the giant man giving a dry heave as he was knocked back.

In my surprise, I didn't manage to pull back before fingers had looped around my belt and yanked me forwards, my feet being forced to move until I had stumbled up against the wrathful Mafia, wine eyes glowering up at me.

"Can I help you, Xanxus-san?" I managed out, my voice somehow managing to keep its amused tone despite how the proximity rattled me.

A frown came to his lips before he threw a look over his shoulder at his Sun, the fabulous man watching us raptly with a hue on his face.

"What the hell is with that look?" He grunted, yanking me when I attempted to take a step back.

"N-nothing, Boss!"

"Xanxus-san, please let go of me." I breathed, trying to move out of his grasp again.

"Stay where you are." He snapped, pulling me _way_ too close to him, not at all caring about the threatening crackle my Flames released at him.

' _I told you to stay where you are, trash. Do as you're told.'_

I frowned down at him, neither of us breaking eye contact as the people around us quietened in anticipation and confusion.

' _I've told you many times, I owe you no obedience. Now let me go, I don't like you touching me.'_

' _You make it sound as if you have a choice.'_

' _You make it sound as if I don't.'_

"Lussuria-onee-chan, I hope you get better soon. I apologise, but I have to go now, I'll leave you with your friends." I said suddenly, the Sun flinching minutely before he gave a quiet cry of dismay.

"Really? You have to go already?"

I turned away from the Sky and smiled at him, raising my hand to pat him on the chest.

"Yeah, sorry, but your Family is here now, you'll be fine."

Giving him another smiled, I grabbed hold of Xanxus' wrist and ripped him off me, a flash of surprise going through his eyes at the upfront response, before I breezed past the Varia. Pausing at the door, I looked over my shoulder at the Mafia sub-group and waved slightly, a lazy smirk on my face.

"I'll see you lot tonight, then."

Ignoring the look the scarred man sent me, I walked from the room, intent on the next order of business.

…

" _Hey!_ "

My heart shuddered as the voice ripped through the quiet street, feet pounding the pavement heavily as the caller came to a stop behind me, my eyes staring ahead widely.

"Hey, you stale piece of bread, turn around!" Ryohei hollered again, making me rotate rigidly as I fought to shift my face into one of blankness.

"Yes?" I breathed, shoving my hands in my pockets to hide just how shaky they had become.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. I was not ready for this. I said that I'd take steps, but Ryohei was a fucking _leap!_

"Where've you been, bro? You've completely shut down these days!" He laughed, the sound strained and painful to my ears.

The breath in my throat caught as he walked closer, coming to arm's length. The Sun waited for my response, but I found myself awkwardly looking off, not being able to muster the courage to look at the friend I had run from. Ryohei remained quiet for a few moments more, before letting his smile drop, an expression of concern marring his face.

"Daiki-kun, what's wrong?" He asked, voice mellow.

My tongue became pinched between my teeth, fists clenching within cloth.

"Shouldn't you be in school right now, Ryohei-kun?"

"I could say the same for you." Was his response.

My lip twitched downwards as I withered under his stare, gaze falling to the pavement as I scrapped the sole of my shoe along the flawed surface.

"You've been avoiding me. You've been avoiding everyone."

"...Yeah." I admitted, finding no benefit in denying the obvious.

"Why?"

"Just-" I paused and rethought my words, deciding on silence after moments of conflict.

"Daiki-kun," He started, a determined frown coming to his face. "When we were kids, you rarely smiled, or laughed. I have never seen you more happy than the time you've spent knowing those guys. You smile more a lot more these days, you laugh freely and, God damn it, you've fallen in love!"

I flinched as he got into my space, our shoes scuffing against each other as he forced me to look at fiery earth.

"So, what makes you think that ditching all of that will make you better!?" He roared.

"You- It's not something you'd-!"

"Not something I'd understand!? Try me!" He snapped, cutting me off. "I know that I'm not smart like you, but, damn it Daiki-kun, I'm not dumb, either! I know when my friend, my _brother,_ is an absolute mess!"

"You've been running yourself into the ground for days! Whenever I see you, you look more and more like a paranoid hysteric! My God, Daiki-kun, are you so cooped up in your own head that you don't even realise when you need help!?"

"How could you help?!" I hissed, irritation and anger bubbling in my gut.

"I don't know!" He shot out, hands flying to the side.

"I don't know how to help, because you won't tell me what's _wrong!_ How can I give a solution to a problem I don't know about!?"

"You don't _need_ to know! It's better for everyone if they don't know."

"Who is 'everyone'?! Takeshi-kun? He's ripping himself apart thinking that you hate him! He's always checking his phone for any sort of contact from you! Sawada-san? He's even jumpier than usual! Gokudera-san? The kid is constantly in bitch mode now!" Ryohei listed, giving me a slight shove at each name.

My back hit the wall as I found myself cornered, eyes wide.

"Hibari-san? He's hospitalised more students this week than he has in the entirety of last month! Me? I haven't attended the boxing club since the Sun Battle! I've been looking after Takeshi-kun and looking for you, because I know that you wouldn't forgive yourself if you came back to a broken fiancé!"

The two of us heaved with exertion, emotions riding high. My biceps screamed in pain under the brutal grip of the Vongola Sun, but I paid it no mind as I reeled with the information being spat at me.

"Daiki-kun, we need to support each other, _lest we drown._ "

" _We need to rely on our friends and family when we're out of our depth, lest we drown."_

Wow...He remembered that? From six years ago?

"I...I have always been a hypocrite." I finally muttered, hands slowly coming up to mimic the hold he had on me.

"Yeah." He laughed airily, relaxing his grip slightly.

We stood in silence for a while, just settling ourselves from the outbursts, before I was dragged off the wall, solid arm coming around to squeeze me comfortingly. It took me off guard, and made my breath hitch, this being the first source of comfort provided to me since I had started to crack. It didn't take much time for me to wrap my own arms around my brother, his hug tightening when my frame gave an unwitting shake.

"Tell me. Tell me when you can." Ryohei breathed into my shoulder.

Oh, I want to. I want it gone. Why couldn't I have forgotten it all? Been wiped clean?

"I'm sorry." I murmured, voice sounding thick.

"For running, or for not telling?"

"Both."

* * *

"Kaa-san, I didn't make it to school today." I admitted, walking into the empty bakery and making her look up from the register.

"Huh?" She breathed, brow furrowing. "Why not? Daiki-kun, you shouldn't skip so often! You're in your third year!"

Giving an apologetic look, I closed the door behind me before leaning against the counter across from my mother, her arms coming to cross over her chest.

"Sorry, but it had to do with the clan. I was getting some people settled in."

In an instant, her face switched to one of glee, eyes flashing with light as she straightened from her previous stance of disappointment. A smile stretched across her lips as she danced around the counter, hands coming to grasp my bicep.

"Oh, well, that's fine then! You should have told me, then I wouldn't have been so upset! Daiki-kun, you can be so misleading sometimes."

A small noise of understanding left me as I pushed off the table and walked around her, the woman letting me walk up to my room without resistance, calling after to tell me that she would call me in sick to the school. Shouting a thanks over my shoulder, I pushed open my door and came to the side of Lambo's cradle, finding the small boy in a state of lethargy, green eyes staring blankly at the bars.

"Hey, Bo-kun. Feeling any better?" I hummed, reaching in and gathering the child in my arms, flooding him gently with sunshine.

Sitting down on my bed, I drew Lambo up and rested his ear over my chest, his fingers twitching in time with my heartbeat as he breathed out heavily. Smilingly slightly, I felt him settle against me, a small sound of sleepiness coming from him as he pressed his cheek against my shirt. I shifted slowly, before leaning against my headboard, a sigh slipping past my lips as I relaxed, finding peace of mind in the weight in my chest, however small it was, with the buzz of my phone in my pocket shattering the moment.

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
Where are you? Daiki?_

My teeth gritted painfully as I brought the cold plastic to my temple. Reeling my arm back, I paused in the motion of throwing my phone, hand falling onto the bed next to me as the device vibrated fiercely again.

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
I love you, you know?_

I'm sorry. I'll make it better. Give me time, and I'll make it better. I love you, too.

* * *

 **|COOPER|**

 _From: Watanabe-dono  
Cooper, could you go and bring those three from before back to Namimori, they're needed._

 _To: Watanabe-dono  
Of course, they'll be there within the next two hours, taking the traffic into consideration._

The Eurasian Yakuza looked up from the screen and waved over a waitress, the small girls scuttling over and taking his payment before he rose from the table and exited the quaint, little cafe he had found during his time in the Watanabe ruled town.

 _From: Watanabe-dono  
That will be fine, thank you, Cooper_

"Watanabe-dono always thanks me..." He muttered to himself, unlocking his car and climbing in, the engine revving upon ignition.

The large man frowned slightly behind his sunglasses, the pleasant feeling he got whenever the superior youth thanked him blooming in his chest. Cooper always felt a little awkward when the heir said 'please' and 'thank you' to him, or used polite syntax, older or not, the man very much used to being treated as his rank: a chaperone.

" _Cooper-san, are you okay with driving back and forth? I mean, I am very grateful that you've been doing this for as long as you have, but you must have other things you need to attend to, other than me."_

" _No, Watanabe-dono, you are my only priority."_

" _...Okay, but be sure to take care of yourself as well. You may ask me if you need time off, or anything else."_

" _Yes, sir."_

I am grateful. Take care of yourself. Ask me.

The Lord had been nothing but respectful to those who served under him, even to those who had done nothing to deserve such praise and luxury. Hayashi Jun, he could understand. The boy had a hidden talent when it came to projectiles, however untapped, and he knew when to step up the defence of the young Lord. Cooper himself, however, he could see no benefit from.

Cooper's grip on the wheel tightened as he pulled up to the Watanabe compound, three teenagers piling in, glancing at him unsurely.

"Watanabe-dono has ordered for you to be taken to Namimori Middle school." The Eurasian Yakuza stated bluntly, before rolling up the partition, a small camera in the dashboard showing him the silently sitting trio.

Oh, how Cooper regretted the way he acted to the heir when they first met, the man unknowing of the skill and pedigree the boy carried. If he had known just _who_ he had been carrying to the doors of the Watanabe, he would have treated him as nothing short of the underground royalty he was.

The way he shrugged off the Lord's approach made him want to cave in on himself every time it resurfaced in his mind, a hissed breath coming out from between his teeth.

The tall Yakuza turned a corner, the sign that showed their entrance into Namimori flashing with the headlights.

" _So, where are you taking me exactly?"_

" _The Watanabe Family house."_

" _Ah...Can I know your name?"_

" _No."_

Fucking hell, Cooper.

" _I won't say I'm not disappointed..."_

At the red light, the Eurasian man rested his forehead on the cool plastic of the steering wheel, a groan leaving him as a stinging pain struck.

Disappointed. He had made his Lord Watanabe disappointed in him.

It wasn't that Cooper was _against_ the relationship that the heir had chosen for himself, he just didn't _expect_ it. The Yakuza man knew that there were plenty of people who indulged in their own gender, but...The Watanabe Lord didn't seem like someone who would find a mirror attractive.

Though, perhaps it was the person attached to the parts that he found appealing.

His foot went down on the acceleration as the light flashed green, a long breath of air leaving him.

Whether or not the heir spent his time laying with men, it wasn't Cooper's position to question it, nor to comment on it. Even if the Lord was to make use of the partition and the back seat, all the Eurasian man could do was turn up the radio, then drive the car in for a thorough cleaning.

" _But I respect your opinion."_

How can you respect the opinion of someone beneath you? How can the Lord-to-be respect the opinions of a chaperone? A driver?

A long breath left the Eurasian Yakuza as the lights of the Namimori Middle building became obvious, his spine straightening as he shook himself out, determined to keep some of his decorum before the young heir.

 **|COOPER|**

* * *

The Sky and his Guardians had gathered in the Namimori Middle gym, the sounds being enough to tell me that, and the Mists were taking their time to get here.

A breath of foggy air left me as I sighed, hands shoved in my pockets as I shifted on the spot slightly. I shrugged my jacket closer around myself as a breeze went through Namimori Middle, the headlights of Cooper's vehicle catching my eye as he stopped, letting out his passengers.

"Thank you, Cooper-san. This might take a while, so I suggest you try to sleep. It'll make the return trip safer for you and everyone else." I spoke, leaning against the wound down window to talk to the Yakuza man.

"Understood, Watanabe-dono." He nodded, sunglasses flashing light from the dashboard.

Ken, Chikusa and Chrome gathered a before me, the Mist's light clothing traded in for her uniform and character style. The illusionist's hair was done up for the first time since I had seen her, Nami and Honda working their magic on the purple locks to pin it in the pineapple frons Chrome adopted from her counterpart.

"Nice night, a bit on the cold side, though." I hummed as the Yakuza Storm moved off to park the car elsewhere.

"So, are you ready for the Mist Battle, Chrome-chan?" I asked, twisting my ring absent mindedly.

"Mhm." She responded, nodding firmly.

A smile came to my face before I gave my own incline of the head, causing them to step around me and enter the Namimori gym. They walked in with the same dramatic flourish they had in the canon, my own figure obscured by the wall as I listened to the confused spluttered of the Storm and his Sky.

" _What?! I thought Mukuro-san was meant to be here!?"_

" _Who the fuck are you!? Are you possessed by the creepy bastard!?"_

"Are you coming in?" Chrome called softly, making the shouts quiet in surprise.

" _Is that red-eyed dick outside?!"_

Giving a slight sigh, I pushed off the wall and stepped into the significantly warmer space, my eyes stinging slightly from the flood of lights that hit them. I fought to keep my face passive as I took in the battered form of Gokudera, plasters and bandages covering him thoroughly. Ryohei was in better condition than canonically decided, his hand not broken, but lightly fractured and intensely numb.

"EXTREME DAIKI-KUN HAS ARRIVED!" The Sun roared, snapping the others out of their stunned muting.

"Yamaguchi-san!"

"Oi, you fucking giant, where the hell have you been!?"

"Focus on the task at hand." I stated bluntly, nodding my head at the Mist.

"Chrome-chan here has come to represent the Vongola, will you accept her?"

This was directed at Tsuna, the small boy stiffening as my eyes fell on him. He flailed for an answer for a moment, a hue of embarrassment coming to his face, before he suddenly mellowed, turning to look at the purple haired female at his side.

"Boss, if you think I am not qualified," Chrome started, her voice soft as she spoke to her apparent superior. "I will obey and relinquish the title of Mist Guardian."

"A-ah, but this is so sudden! And it's important too..." The small Sky spluttered, hesitation clear.

In his time of thought, I let my gaze fall to the polished floors of the gym, my eyes trailing along floorboards until they landed at the feet of the Vongola Rain. I watched how he shuffled minutely, legs twitching occasionally in indecision.

Argh! Why was I so hesitant!? I wanted nothing more than to squeeze the life out of my little lover, but a faint inkling of fear kept my feet grounded.

"Daiki-kun! You came!" The Vongola Sun cheered, hooking his arm over my neck and bringing me into a side hug.

"Sorry for taking off before, I had to tell kaa-san that I ditched." I apologised, rubbing my arm, a faint bruise forming under the sleeves the shape and size of Ryohei's hands.

"Well, what matters is that you're EXTREMELY here now!"

"Yeah," I smiled, noticing the glance he sent at the Rain. "I'm here."

' _Come here. Now.'_ Xanxus flared, making my head snap to him.

"And I'm gone again," I laughed lightly, patting my Flame brother on the back. "Gimme a sec, yeah?"

Ryohei frowned suddenly, earth eyes narrowing before they snapped between the scarred Sky and I. A small smile came to my face at this, hand coming to the back of his neck comfortingly.

"Sure, but be _extremely_ careful." He warned, reciprocating the grip before we split.

' _You have no patience, do you?'_ I sparked, but allowed for a non-physical pull to draw me across the threshold until I stood amongst the Varia.

"Shishishi, looks like the tiny brat settled on the girl. Mammon is going to win this easy." Belphegor cackled, before falling silent when he noticed me side on look.

"What? Did I make the baker's boy mad?" He mocked, leaning close to me and getting into my space.

"Be careful not to swallow your tongue with all that flapping it's doing."

I didn't so much as blink as a flash of silver shrieked through the air and came dangerously close to my neck, knowing full well that any damage to me would cause that Ring around his neck to go to the opposition,and Xanxus knew it too.

"You dare talk to a prince like that?" The prince giggled, blade tip touching my chin.

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Shishishi, I am a prince. You will obey me."

"If I didn't listen to the boss of a prince, what makes you think I will for the lower rank?" I huffed, batting away the knife and letting it clatter to the floor.

The Vongola party had been unsettled by the display, but I had no time to pay them mind as the scarred Sky gave a harsh grunt, reaching out and yanking me by my belt.

"Is there something I can help you with, Xanxus-san?" I asked, as if I wasn't pressed up against wrath's incarnate.

"You left without my permission."

A sigh left me at the words, hand coming to rest on the back of his portable throne.

"Really? I told you I would, you have no reason to be upset." I hummed, before moving back slightly, belt straining against the grip. "Now, let me go so I can stand by the- _Fuck!"_

Protective prisms of reinforced glass dropped down on either side, caging in the two parties of Mafia and locking me with the opposition. A growl left me and bounced off the walls as I glared down at the Varia Sky, a tongue of mocking and triumph prodding my core and sending its signal, loud and clear.

' _I swear to God, get the Cervello to lift the cage, or so help me-'_

"And now, the Battle of the Mist between Mammon and Dokuro Chrome, begins!"

' _I owe you no obedience.'_ He snarked, yanking me forwards swiftly.

A yelp escaped me as my footing was lost, hands flying out and grabbing ahold of the back and opposite armrest to save myself, the smirking face of the Sky suddenly very close to my own. Gritting my teeth, I ripped myself from the chair, his hand breaking the hold on my belt

' _Why do you insist on touching me? It is unnecessary and invasive.'_ I hissed, the usual face of victory unchanging as he watched me from the corner of his eye.

' _Do you do it because it simply irritates me? Or because it upsets the Vongola party?'_

He gave an audible grunt of humor before reaching out again, making me step back and out of his range. Wine eyes watched lazily for a moment, before they flickered and a foot was buried in my back, sending me stumbling forwards. With his fingers looped around the faux-leather of my belt, Xanxus looked up at me with an expression of amusement, his body tilted slightly to allow his shoulder to press against my front.

' _I touch you, cause I want to. Simple as that.'_

He turned his head to face me fully for the first time since we had begun, eyes narrowing in mirth.

' _And you can do nothing to stop me.'_

My hand shot out and clamped down on his jaw, fingers digging into the hollows beneath the rise of his cheeks as I glared coldly down at him, my sense fighting with my temper. I felt the Mafia man smirk against my palm as he gave me belt another gostle, daring me to harm him and forfeit the Sun Ring.

" _Daiki-kun?"_

I looked away from Xanxus to the glass, my face smoothing out when I saw Chrome tentatively touching the surface.

"U-uh, please try to calm down...I'll try to make this as fast as possible- to get you out." She breathed, clutching her trident as she spoke.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded as I exhaled, my hand falling from the Sky's face, faint marks marring his cheeks before they faded.

"Okay. Good luck, Chrome-chan."

The Mist smiled softly before running back to the arena, leaping off the ground before striking the floor, setting off the first illusion.

Glancing to the remaining Varia, I moved until I could lean against the portable throne, Xanxus glancing at the motion out of the corner of his eye. Leaving the three men to themselves as I shoved in my headphones and blasted the music, turning to focus on my phone's screen.

 _From: That one annoying guy  
Hey, heyey! Guess who finally gott their phone back!? :D_

 _From: That one annoying guy  
I can'tuse my hands right now, ao im typing wth my nose!_

 _From: That one annoying guy  
The cute doctor is bing a deae and holding it over my fce for m_

Slowly, I brought my palm to my face, a quiet sigh leaving me as I pieced together the ill spelt words from the opposing Sun. The floor beneath me shook and fractured, but some my Flame flickered with disbelief, my feet remaining steady amongst the chaos.

Pocketing my device, I placed a hand on the back of the throne, holding myself in place as I closed my eyes and was greeted by a sea of writhing, indigo fire. It was hard to see amongst the blended backdrop, but I managed to make out the most mobile of the Flames, Mists dancing around each other as they lashed the opposition with illusions. A frown touched my face as the world stopped rocking, the expanses of fire flicking out as if gust of wind had billowed through.

" _I'm borderline happy,  
_ _And I'm borderline sad!  
_ _I'm borderline good,  
_ _And I'm borderline bad!"_ _  
_

I twitched as the chorus of the song kicked up, the sudden rise in volume startling me, but not taking my attention away from the battle of personified fires. Peeking out through my eyelashes, I blinked when I saw a double layered image before me, white wrappings barely visible beneath a thick collection of tendrils.

Weirdness touched my face, before I squinted in confusion, a question burning in my mind.

"Why does Mammon-san have a toilet roll hidden beneath his cape?"

Levi gave a choked snort into his hand as Belphegor cackled freely, Xanxus looking to me blandly. I gave them a genuine look of bafflement, shrugging at the scarred Sky's expression.

"It's a legitimate question! I can think of many different kinds of storage!" I defended, gesturing my hand at the rogue Arcobaleno.

" _Shishishishishishishi!_ I'm gonna tell Mammon that when he wins!"

' _The wrappings are under Mammon's illusions. How did you see them?'_

I held back as wince as the wrathful Sky suddenly stuck we with the question, his grip on my belt tightening enough to make the faux-leather give a noise.

 _Bzzzt!_

I paused before pulling out my phone, the music returning to my ears as the notification faded.

 _From: Sunny Boy  
You should really talk to Takeshi. He's focusing on you, rather than the fight._

My teeth crunched harshly against each other, but I kept my face lax with apathy, my grip on the chair of the Sky tightening until the wooden frame gave a groan. Ignoring the probing curiosity sent at my Flame, I quickly stabbed my thumb into the keypad, fighting to not glance to the Vongola Rain and co.

 _To: Sunny Boy  
I will. Give me time._

 _From: Sunny Boy  
Yeah, I don't mean_ _now_ _, but soon. Like,_ _extremely __soon._

 _'Who're you talking to? Shouldn't you be paying attention to your Mist?'_ Xanxus suddenly flared, giving me a welcomed distraction from the sudden sharp awareness of eyes drilling into me.

Giving a grunt, I focused on the restrained from of Chrome, catching a flash of the Rain from beyond the scene. Blinking again, my mind skipped over itself as a flash of orange showed through the Vongola Mist's body, my brow furrowing before my eyes snapped to where the young girl was now standing, safely behind the Arcobaleno. Glancing around it seemed that the others had yet to see her, all their attention fixated on her replication.

Ah, so it's like misdirection. Chrome is a magician.

"Ugh, I'm getting a headache." I muttered, trying to keep up with two layers of vision.

"I'm relieved that my opponent has some measure of skill, that means I can use that in your presence." Mammon breathed, turning to the free Mist.

Giving a hum of interest, I watched as chains fell from within the rogue Arcobaleno's cape, a flash of light going off behind my eyes as they hit the floor. The frog that sat atop the Mist's head began to split at the seams, a luminescent, yellow bulge working its way out of the fracture skin before its lizard-like self shook in release.I gave a noise of surprise as it leapt up, its body elongating as it twirled and snapped up the end of its tail.

Mammon's pacifier began to glow indigo, Reborn and Collanello's responding to its signal and clearing any doubts they had about the mysterious infant.

"I knew it. His real identity is the Arcobaleno, Viper!" Reborn announced dramatically, making the hovering Mafia give a sound of displeasure.

While they spoke, I cast my gaze over to Chrome, pausing when she looked back. The girl jumped slightly when she noticed that she had been caught, her grip on the trident tightening slightly as the tucked her chin in slightly.

God damn it, Mukuro. Why did you have to make the poor kid scared of me?

I sent the young girl a small smile, trying to seem as supportive and soft as possible. She watched me for a moment, before a faint hue touched her cheeks. The Mist didn't unravel herself, but did give me a small nod of acknowledgement. At that, I gestured with my head to the floating opponent, her posture returning as the scene changed.

It seemed, that Chrome took a comfort in battle, finding it more doable than social interaction.

The thought made my lip twitch downward for a moment, before I shook my head, a sigh leaving me. I managed to hold in a flinch as a geyser of flame burst from the ground just before the throne I was leaning on, Xanxus not so much as blinking at the sudden appearance. Closing my eyes against the double layers, I fell back onto Flames, the sight being a relief to my mind.

"A direct hit!"

Not quite, I thought as a flash of foreign Mist flickered through the false fire.

Mammon's Flames snapped out and wrapped around the pillars of Chrome's two Wills clashing until the more experienced one over, the scene changing to show the dominant Mist Flame. The heat in the room suddenly was sapped away, a chill falling over me as a different illusion took the gym.

"You seem very attached to that weapon." The Varia hummed, alarms going off as I remembered what came next.

My teeth clashed against each other as the trident shattered, the sound reaching me through protective layers of reinforced glass. As Chrome fell, I let my gaze fall to her exposed midriff, watching in morbid fascination as her skeletal frame became more prominent, her internal organs fading from existence.

The sounds of confusion and panic filled the room as both Vongola and Varia expressed surprise, a noise of annoyance leaving me audibly. I didn't need to call for my Flame to understand the next moments, a prodding of foreign amusement touching my sunshine as the form of the Mist double layering from within a cloud of smoke, clearing to then become the being of Mukuro. Giving a slight grunt of distaste for the escaped criminal, I shut my eyes and looked past him, hesitantly toeing around the pitifully flickering Rain Flame.

I knew I was being distracted, that I should have been paying mind to the battle, but I couldn't help but bite my tongue as my sunshine caught a wave of mourning and pleading, the signal ringing true and trying to call for my physical form. My arms suddenly felt awkward hanging where they were, the need to fill them with something becoming prevalent as another cry rang from the blue fire.

Maybe I could…? As long as I was careful not to interfere with the Mists, then, I should be able to.

Relaxing myself against the throne of the Sky, I relinquished the hold I had on a piece of my oh so emotive Flames, the small torch unwavering as it began moving with only a single goal in mind, no doubts in place for it to stumble over.

Hah, if only it were that easy for the rest of me…

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

He's not looking at me…

He doesn't even want to see me…

Daiki. Daiki come here.

"Oi, baseball freak, stop ogling the fucking giant and focus on the witch! Priorities, idiot!" Gokudera snapped, making Takeshi jump out of his thoughts, gaze dropping from the far away Sun.

"Haha, sorry!" He laughed, ruffling the hair at the back of his head.

"Really, we find out that she hasn't got any insides and you still can't pay attention." The Storm grumbled, turning back to the scene.

The young Yamamoto gave a strained sound of amused apology, before copying the hurricane's example, shifting his gaze to the battle, and subsequently, to the man leaning against the enemy's throne. Takeshi gritted his teeth as he eyed the hand that was looped through his Daiki's belt, the way that the taller teen had come to accept it only intensifying the bitter taste on his palette.

When he had come in, Takeshi had been half-way ready to vault at him with all the power he possessed, to wrap up the taller boy in his arms and squeeze until that long spine cracked from the pressure. But the way he had purposefully turned his gaze away from the younger had made his breath hitch- and not in the good way, the air catching painfully in his throat.

Takeshi wanted amber-earth focused on him so badly, he wanted all of Daiki's attention. He wanted the older boy to feel remorse for the slow days of lonely torture he had put him through. He wanted him to pander and pamper, laugh with him, lay with him...

Takeshi wanted Daiki to love him again.

Suddenly, the young Rain bristled, his eyes widening as a warmth consumed his interior, a nonexistent body coming to press against his back, intangible arms wrapping around him and holding him close. At the non-physical touch, the teen spun around, eyes widening when he saw only empty air and protective glass.

"Oi, you okay? _Kora!"_ Colonello asked, looking away from the battle to address the eye-catching spin.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, just thought I felt something!" He laughed, trying to play it off in front of the others.

When the baby turned back, Takeshi allowed for his eyes to go sharp and glance back over his shoulder, a rhythmic thumping bouncing off his back, not dissimilar to the heartbeat that had beaten a tattoo on his mind. The thought made him fight back a noise of distress, not even bothering to tense anymore as he felt warm attention come to his neck.

Why was he like this? Everything is perfect and blissful for so long, and then everything starts falling from under them. Doesn't he know it hurts to suddenly have him disappear? To have the one you're utterly devoted to, want nothing to do with you?

Daiki...

Takeshi glanced down at the non-existent arms that hugged him, their warm hands pressing against his skin and letting him soak up the touch. This heat was similar to Daiki's too, the presence was familiar and, despite its sudden and foreign appearance, it was comforting, doing things for his heart.

" _Takeshi-kun..."_ Came a rumble, the image of a smouldering hearth accompanying to deep, crackling tones that hinted his name.

The touch, the heart, the presence. It all screamed of his Daiki, luring him to lean back and submit himself to the embrace, but he knew it he did, he'd fall through free air, because Daiki wasn't there...

 _"Kufufufufu, it would seem you've found yourself on the wrong side of the war, Daiki-kun."_ Mukuro purred, pressing his hand to the glass of the Varia's cage.

...He was over on the _wrong side_ of two layers of reinforced walls _._

"Focus on your fight, Mukuro-san." The Sun huffed, finally opening his eyes and giving Takeshi a view of amber-earth that looked elsewhere.

A panicked breath left the Rain suddenly as the warmth began leaching from his skin, the embrace breaking and rumbling fading. Whatever spell he had been under shattered as the reality of the distance came back, tan hands scrambling to cover where ones of familiar warmth once covered, trying to anchor them.

No. No, no, no, please don't leave me again!

His quick breathing must have been loud, as his friends started turning around, expressions of concern marring their faces as they watched him frantically grab at his arms.

"Yamamoto-kun! What's wrong?" Tsuna asked, touching the Rain's shoulder.

Takeshi froze suddenly at the call, his mind quieting as he tried to think of a way to justify his sudden hysteria. Giving a hesitant laugh, the young Yamamoto forced a sheepish smile onto his face, the forming of facial muscles slightly painful.

"Sorry! Sorry! I just got really bad chill all of a sudden!"

"That's one hell of a chill." Gokudera grunted, not believing the excuse for a second, an opinion shared with their Sky.

"It's gone now though, it was only a quick one!" The Rain laughed, a flash of movement out of the corner of his eyes making him shift his gaze.

Amber-earth orbs caught his own mocha, a muddled kaleidoscope of emotions reflecting in his subject of adoration, a heavy breath leaving Takeshi from finally being given a fix after so long without. It lasted too short, however, as the tall Yamaguchi suddenly jumped to attention, his eyes turning away to focus instead on the smirking Mist.

That was unfair...Daiki was unfair, and Takeshi couldn't help but love that hateful attribute of his. The way he was able to, even in moments like this, give the Rain reminders of the bliss of their relationship, giving the smitten boy tiny tastes, just enough to keep him craving. Those hints and fractions of a second are what kept Takeshi in even a parody of patience, half a moment enough to keep him hooked…

Haha, God damn it, he sounded like an addict.

And Takeshi couldn't lie, he most definitely was.

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

" _Kufufufu_ , my, my, Daiki-kun. The baseball boy? I didn't think he was to your taste." Mukuro hummed, getting very close to the glass as he grinned like the cat that got the canary.

"Yes, Takeshi-kun. What of him?" I snipped back, ignoring the looks sent at me by the Varia I was trapped with.

"Oh, _nothing._ Tell me, my dear Daiki-kun, is your lover a jealous one?"

I narrowed my eyes at the way he spoke, not at all liking the mischievous and sly smile that took his face, his own heterochromatic eyes slimming in mirth as he pushed off the wall and took the stage again, his trident renewed and ready for action.

" _Shishishishi,_ did I hear that right? That beanpole Vongola Rain is your boy toy?" The prince cackled, grin splitting his cheeks, Leviathan looking to the exchange out of the corner of his eye.

"Yamamoto Takeshi is _not_ my _boy toy._ " I hissed, uncrossing my arms and flashing my once tucked away hand, the gold gleaming in the light of the gymnasium. "He is my fiancé, and you would do well to respect him in front of me."

The spiky haired Lightning fell into an abrupt coughing fit, his gloved hand coming to cover his mouth as he tried to clear his airway, wide eyes locked with the floor boards. Belphegor's smile dropped in a moment of genuine startle, his voice catching as he stared at the wedding band through the curtain of his fringe.

"The hell?" Xanxus rumbled, making me look to him as Mammon blasted the room with a winter's wind. "You've already got yourself tied down to a piece of shit kid? When are you from? The 18th fucking century?"

"Was it your parents that signed you off? An arranged?" Belphegor hummed, amusement strained.

"I made the decision myself, thank you. I've been in a relationship with the boy for a while now- though it has only rather recently taken a more serious turn." I huffed, returning my arms to their previous position, moving my attention to the battle before us.

I heard an ever so faint hum sound from the Mist of Vongola before the ice that encased him so effectively shattered, vines enriched with blooming lotuses taking a brutal hold of the rogue Arcobaleno. Mammon gave a quiet sound of distress as the vinyl plant threatened to crush his infant body, Mukuro seemingly amused by the pain he was putting the small male though.

Vaguely, I could hear Reborn breaking down the situation for the poor Vongolas, the Mist in question giving flickers of humour against my sunshine fire.

"I reject you and your Paths or Rebirth!" Mammon exclaimed, scandalised by the physical attack launched on him by a Mist user.

Mukuro didn't seem the least bit put out by the announcement, his gaze shifting to the hovering baby lazily as duplicates of the hooded child began polluting the air. He wasted no time in proving the action ineffective, however, as he struck the closest illusions with his trident, the figures caving in on themselves as they were disturbed by the foreign Flame.

I gave a dispassionate hum as the assault was finally launched, Mammon charging all of his forms at the Vongola representative, only to have each one disperse when they came into contact with the expertly spun pronged staff.

Hm...I wonder, does Mukuro know how to spin a baton?

My face pinched in an odd expression as the Mist boy was suddenly consumed by the Varia's hood, the ouroboros snake enlarging before clamping down on it, thorns appearing to pierce the bag.

"Oh," I muttered, tilting my head slightly as the Vongola gave shouts of concern. "That looked like it would have hurt."

" _Shishishishishi_ , definitely. Your Mist is a goner."

A smile came to my face at the prince's words.

"Allow me to correct myself. That looked like it would have hurt, if it had landed."

On cue, the pieced containment expanded, Mammon's voice coming through, strained and shocked before lotus ripped free, releasing the Mist man inside in quite the spectacular fashion.

"Die, and be reborn."

As epic as that may have looked, I couldn't resist the urge to roll my eyes, a slight snicker falling from me at the oddity the words were presented from my vantage point. I felt Mukuro give a disgruntled jab at my Flame, not impressed by my amusement in his execution, still physically poised with rings in hand.

"Hey, Daiki-kun." He called, making me look to him. "I put these two Rings together, yes?"

"That's the idea." I nodded, feeling the grip on my belt tighten, my body tensing.

" _Not just yet!"_ Mammon declared, slowly reforming himself.

"I still have so much more power to presen-Ah!"

"I thought you knew?" Mukuro hummed, suddenly behind the hooded baby.

The Arcobaleno spun around, only to meet empty air, traces of panic beginning to permeate his Flame to the point it was almost tangible to my physical nose.

"When you turn an illusion back on the illusionist, it means the illusionist has completely lost control of his perceptions."

I held back a twitch as Phantasma contracted around Mammon's neck, its long body able to take a hold of the infant's quite well, the child squeaking as he tried to call sense to his familiar.

"Now then, care to show me your 'true' power?"

Shit, I thought, biting my inner cheek, Mukuro's not kidding around. Maybe it was because he had no reason to attack me, or I had been lulled into some sort of false sense, but it was almost like I had forgotten just how brutal the younger boy could be, his face showing nothing but amusement as he turned Mammon's defences against him.

"Well, Arcobaleno, do you like my world?"

Schooling my expression, I bared down on the bubbling anxiety and stood straighter, my lips remaining in a cold line as Mukuro forced an entry into the Mist's body, Mammon convulsing as he took the larger being. A slow breath left me as I listened to the muffled cries of the Varia Mist, English lyrics making some of the pleas indistinguishable.

A jolt made me look to the scarred Sky I was forced to stand by, his Flames flickering irritably as the win was obviously going to the Vongola, yet again. Sighing slightly, I hesitated for a moment, before gently prodding his fire with my own, begrudged comfort tapping on the outermost of his tongues. To accompany this intangible action, I shifted slightly, the wrathful man having no qualms in accepting the unspoken offer and slumping against my front fully, his head hitting my ribs. Silently, I began slipping sunshine into his system, wine eyes looking up at me with open hostility.

"What are you doing trash? I have no injuries to heal." He rumbled, narrowing his eyes.

"No external ones, but your liver is crying." I huffed, continuing to sooth the abused organ as well as I could.

"Tch, your sympathy is useless." Xanxus hissed, looking away, but not moving away.

"You don't deserve my sympathy. I'm just bored." Came the lie, the way his Flames scoffed telling me he knew.

" _You lost for one simple reason: I was your opponent."_

'I mean, not to brag but-' Jesus Christ, Mukuro. Always the drama queen.

I didn't give myself time to think before my hands came up and covered the scarred man's ears, the loud boom that rattled the building coming seconds after.

Xanxus looked to me out of the corner of his eye, both of us slightly confused by my actions, but not put out or bothering to question as I lowered my hands, both of them returning to their original stations on the opposite bicep.

The Vongola Mist floated down from his jump, the reddened surroundings fading to the gym's interior once more as he presented the pink haired women the completed Mist Ring.

"The Mist Ring now belongs to Dokuro Chrome. As a result, she is the victor of this match."

"Mammon was...blown to smithereens?" Belphegor hummed, before a snicker fell from between his teeth.

"Y-You didn't need to go that far!" Tsuna yelped, clearly stricken by the idea of death in his name.

I sighed and let my eyes fall shut, a long, fragmented trail of Mist slipping out of the high windows, showing that Mammon had made his escape with a bruised pride. Opening them again, I glanced around as the cage was lifted, a waft of fresh air blowing over me.

' _You can let go of me now.'_ I flared, glancing to Xanxus from the corner of my eye.

' _Wear a belt from now on around me.'_ He ordered, jangling the faux-leather.

' _Why?'_

' _Either I grab the belt, or I grab your pants.'_

' _Or, you know, you could leave me alone. That's always an option."_

' _Well,'_ The scarred Sky looked to me. ' _Good thing I didn't ask you for options. I gave you an order.'_

I rolled my eyes to the ceiling before prying his fingers off the band, forcefully placing his hand back on his lap and patting it for good measure. Moving quickly, before he could make a move against me, I crossed the threshold of the gym, a slight frown coming to my face.

I needed to talk to Takeshi, and like Ryohei said, it needed to happen very soon. Glancing around, I let my gaze fall on the distracted swordsman, my heart stuttering as I collected my breath.

 _Bzzzt! Bzzzt!_

Shit. Really, now of all times?

I bit my lip, before submitting to the persistent buzzing and pulling out my phone, my eyes downcast as I watched the flooring just shy of the Rain.

"Hello?" I gritted, noticing Ryohei shake his head slightly.

" _Ah, Daiki-dono! It's Jun!"_ Came the mousy voice through the speaker.

"Oh, hey Jun-kun. What's wrong?" I breathed, hearing the panicked hitch of his voice.

" _The Oyabun and your grandfather have summoned you! They will require your presence post haste!"_

"Ah…" Came my soft grunt, my eyes trailing as they followed the sudden movement from the Rain, his feet carrying him out the Vongola group swiftly, if not a bit stiff.

God damn it…

" _Daiki-dono, this is urgent!"_

"Okay! Okay! I'll come! Calm down, mouse!" I huffed, the breath becoming settled.

"Give me two hours, I'll try faster but there's only so fast I can cover that distance."

" _Yes! Understood, I'll see if I can stall for time. Please hurry!"_

Closing the device, I let a long sigh escape me, pausing as a hand came down on my shoulder.

"You fucked up, bro." Ryohei stated, making me look over my shoulder, the two of us the only Namimori students left in the gym.

"Yeah…" I sighed, placing my hand on my face. "I know."

…

"Daiki-kun, welcome home." The Oyabun chuckled, his voice carrying easily through the loud room if partly drunken Yakuza.

 _This_ is what I was summoned to so urgently? A drunk party?!

I bundled my fists as I inclined my head in greeting, pleasant smile stitched onto my face as I received to address.

"Quite the gathering you have, Oyabun-sama. Any specific occasion?" I hummed, noticing Jun being chased off to help the other hands.

"Why, this is a belated celebration for your heirship, my boy!" Grandfather bellowed, cheeks a drunken hue.

"He means he wanted an excuse to get drunk, and we hadn't used you yet." A high ranked man laughed, ceramic cup in hand, half empty.

I held back an eye roll at the commentary before looking to the head of house again, his beckoning catching my attention. Walking up onto the stepped platform, I allowed Jun to bustle out of the kitchen and bring me down on a cushion, a small tray of possibly alcoholic beverages being placed between me and the leading man.

"I do hope you weren't doing anything too important when I called for you. You were in that Namimori town, yes?" The Oyabun chuckled around the dish of misty liquid, gesturing for Jun to pour me some of my own.

I noticed that the mousy Yakuza was a bit shakier than usual, but wrote it off as being in a loud environment with high standing men, taking the small saucer with a grateful nod. At my relatives motion, I tipped the liquid down my throat, faintly tasting something akin to cough medicine. Peering around my cup, I gave a half a second glance at the still ginger scar that marred the man's jaw, a deep crevice cut along his mandible and perhaps gave him more credit than he deserved.

"So, Daiki-kun, I've heard some rumours floating around recently." The man started, refreshing his cup. "And, while I place no stock in them, they're still rather confronting."

"Oh?" I hummed, giving Jun room to top off the murky alcohol.

"Surely there's nothing too bad about me going around already!"

The two of us gave a laugh at that, ceramic cups hiding the hostility in our smiles.

"Well, you should know the grunts. They gossip like housewives in their down time. But anyway, the rumour I heard."

"Ah yes." I breathed, straightening slightly.

"Apparently, you find _company_ with those of your own gender."

I blinked mutely, stunned by the sudden claim.

"Preposterous, I know!" He boomed, tossing back the alcohol without so much as a flinch.

"But my boy, we need to control this rumour. If it gets too out of hand, then the Watanabe will lose face."

Opening my mouth, I attempted to interrupt his spiel, only for him to wave it off.

"Do not worry, do not worry. I have a solution already in order!"

With that, he turned to the two grunts sitting by the door, both of them moving at once to split the sliding doors and reveal a prostrated woman, her heavily ornamented kimono spread out around her in a silken sea of colours.

"Daiki-kun, meet your concubine."

 _Concubine!?_

"It is a pleasure to meet you," A familiar voice purred, a flash of red going through my memory as painted lips smiled seductively. "You may call me Kimiko-chan, Watanabe-dono."

There was no way to deny that the bowing woman was anything but beautiful, a mature and regal aura consuming the air around her and making the men lean forwards as if they were magnetised. Long, luxurious hair was pinned up as per the usual for an oiran, heavy pins and broaches decorating the loose bun and tinkling as she rose slightly. White, unblemished skin caught the late night moon as her sleeve slipped slightly, showing a delicate clavicle.

"I'm sorry," I said suddenly, turning away from the creature. "But I don't think I can accept her."

"Oh? Do you prefer them younger?" My grandfather slurred slightly.

"What- No!"

"Then it's no problem! Ah, you must be shy! All young boys are like this at your age, and being introduced to such a fine woman, too. Jun-kun!"

The mousy Yakuza sat up sharply at the call, wide eyes focusing on the Oyabun.

"Take Daiki-kun and his concubine to his quarters. I'm sure they want to get to know each other."

My face turned hard as I allowed Jun to guide me up, another two helpers coming to take away my cushion and tray. The stiffness in my form was obvious to anyone who watched, but only a few could tell that it wasn't from fear or nervousness.

"A-ah, this way, please." The Storm whimpered, prompting Kimiko to gracefully rise, my teeth gritting as I noticed the design of her kimono.

Blues and golds intermingled with each other intimately in designs that I couldn't place, her sash a fiery red and mimicking the blood on her lips.

She's wearing my colours, mixed with her own.

"Daiki-dono?"

"Let's go, I have to get Chrome-chan settled. We'll find somewhere for her." I breathed, looking to my small companion before breezing down the halls.

Jun nodded before waving Kimiko over, the two trailing as I walked fast, my feet making little sound as I came to the veranda, the mousy Yakuza coming forwards to produce sandals for both I and the woman. Glancing over my shoulder, I watched as the oiran looked around in wonder, her eyes trailing over the out of bloom sakura and the playful koi that were jumping after fireflies. The doors to the heir's dorm opened as we approached, Honda standing on the step with a small lantern in hand, the dim glow illuminating her figure as she observed the new member of the house.

"Nice night, Honda-onee." I greeted, a warm breeze coming through to punctuate my statement and tickle windchimes.

"Very, Daiki-kun. Who is your new friend?" She hummed, casting a surveying gaze over the oiran.

"Pleasure to meet you, Honda-nee-sama. I am Kimiko, Watanabe-dono's concubine. I am in your care." The red lipped woman introduced, bowing perfectly to the lady Watanabe.

"Daiki-kun's concubine," Honda repeated, looking to me and seeing my displeased expression. "Really."

"I'll be staying here tonight to help Chrome-chan settle in, Kimiko-chan will take up the room beside her's. Is that acceptable?"

"I suppose so. Chrome-chan is in the main room, she's waiting for you." My elder cousin breathed, before stepping aside, hanging the lantern by the door.

Entering the warm halls, I shrugged off my jacket and let Jun take it from me, disposing of it somewhere. Kimiko followed quietly as I stepped into the main room, the elder girls still up despite the late hour.

"Chrome-chan," I called, making the frond haired girl look up, Sora tinkering with the stubborn pins as the tried to let out the purple locks.

"Do you want to stay up for a bit longer? I have some…" I glanced at the woman behind me. "Things to deal with before I can turn in."

"Yes, please." The Mist nodded, giving a sigh as her hair fell at once, the girls giving a whoop of success.

"Okay, I'll come get you when I'm done. Stay with the girls until then- Oh," I paused in the doorway and looked to the attentive Vongola. "Well done on your victory today, you fought very well. Though, it did give me a bit of a headache to watch."

It was slow and subtle, but even Honda saw the faint flush and pleased smile that took the young girl's face, her eyes widening as if she didn't expect me to bother commenting on her abilities.

"Thank you, Daiki-kun." She hummed, curling in on herself slightly while my cousins around her cooed at the cute nature.

I found it kind of endearing how my cousins flocked to young guest, the way they cooed and fussed over her like she was a tiny fallen bird I had brought home…

"I'll see you later then, baby bird."

With that I moved down the halls, passing rooms that were filled with soft breaths until I came to my mostly untouched one, only having stayed in it for a few nights. Crossing into the room, I sighed as I dropped down by a low table with two cushions, and one off to the side, meant for Jun.

"Come," I waved the waiting oiran over. "Sit."

Jun came into the room not seconds later, balancing a tray of steaming tea, and making me slightly worried about such a thing being in his care.

I blinked silently as the mousy Yakuza gave up the serving to Kimiko, who proceeded to pour me a generous cup of the tea, placing it softly on the table before me. Nodding in thanks, I took a slow sip as the other two served themselves.

"Kimiko-chan," I started, placing down my cup and getting right to it. "While I appreciate the offer of having you as my company, I will have to decline."

"..."

It was obvious that she was stunned, perhaps unused to or not expecting a rejection, and I couldn't fault her for that mindset. If I were in a different circumstance, a different moral integrity, I might just have taken this woman aboard. However, this was not the case.

"May I ask why? Have I not met expectations?" Kimiko breathed, keeping her perfect exterior.

"Do not get me wrong, you are plenty desirable, I will not deny that." I assured. "I simply already have devoted myself to someone."

Oh, my Takeshi would throw a fit if he knew...He _is_ going to throw a fit when I tell him.

"Devoted? Watanabe-dono, you couldn't-"

"I am engaged, yes. Of my own choosing, as well." I hummed, finishing my cup and prompting Jun to refill it. "I am sure you've heard the rumours. That the Watanabe heir is seeing another man?"

"Yes, but that's only suspicions! Stories for the vacant, surely." She breathed, attempting to inject humour into her tone.

I smiled slightly at the woman from behind my cup, watching realisation dawn on her and her expression waver for a moment.

"You are…"

"Homosexual? No. Pansexual? Yes."

"Pansexual?" Kimiko asked, an interested spark coming to her eyes that she quickly made to smother.

Oh, she finds this sort of stuff engaging?

"Pansexual is where you find anybody attractive, no matter their gender identity. I find my fiancé very attractive, the fact that he is a male doesn't bother me in the least." I explained, watching that sparkle in her eye shine as she soaked up the information.

"Kimiko-chan, how old are you?"

The sudden change of topic made her straighten slightly, a coy smile coming to her face as if she had caught herself being too invested.

"Why, don't you know it is rude to ask a woman her age?"

"Hm, don't you know it's rude to proposition an engaged man?" I shot back, sipping away at my drink and sighing as I was warmed from the inside.

Kimiko gave a low laugh and nodded in defeat.

"I'll be 20 on December 16th, Watanabe-dono." She answered, swirling her wrists slightly to disrupt the surface of her tea.

20? She's four years older than me. Not that far, I suppose but in the current time frame, I'd say this is a legal no-go. But then again, we _are_ a Yakuza family.

"I'm 16, have been since January 21st." I hummed, placing down my empty cup. "I can only imagine that you were picked for me, despite the gap, to show me the proverbial ropes."

"I suppose so." She breathed, red lips parting and blowing gently across the rising steam.

"However, that is unnecessary. I am fully aware of the mechanics of sex, and find myself efficient enough."

"And your partner, Watanabe-dono? If he finds you inadequate?" Kimiko asked, lowering her cup.

"He doesn't." I chuckled lowly, eyes narrowing in mirth. "Though we have agreed upon withholding ourselves from penetration until both of us have reached the age of 18."

"Two years…"

The narrow of my eyes lost their humour and took on a colder appeal as I watched the red lipped oiran smile darkly, a slight lean to her body which allowed the swell of her breast peak from within her blue and gold kimono.

"That's plenty of time, my Lord. You may be proficient in the intimate arts, however, there is always room for improvement." She purred, voice taking on a salacious lilt that put me on edge and made Jun whimper from behind me.

"Kimiko-chan…" I muttered, her smile stretching as she reached across the low table and brushed pale fingers along the tanned back of my hand.

"Try to control yourself." I finished, standing swiftly.

A startled look painted her face as I straightened my clothing and walked to the door of my room, waving at Jun with my hand.

"Take her to her room, get her settled in. I'm going to help Chrome-chan."

"Understood, Daiki-dono."

...

"You can't send her away, you know." Honda breathed, sitting beside my laid out form in the much less populated living room.

"If you send her back, it'll be a shame upon her. People will think she's ineffective or she has something wrong with her. Her value will go down." Sora elaborated, expertly painting Chrome's petite nails.

"I know." I sighed, an arm behind my head. "But Takeshi-kun's not going to like this."

"And we can't expect him to." My elder cousin responded, pressing a thin cut of apricot past her lips.

"Haha, maybe you can _both_ use her!" Our younger cousin laughed, no shame in her voice as she suggested a rather lewd answer.

"Sora-chan!" Honda scolded, a grimace on her pretty face.

"Hey," The neon-nailed Watanabe shrugged, blowing on Chrome's dark purple polish. "It's a peaceful solution. I doubt that oiran will mind, she's probably entertained _plenty_ of men at a time."

"Sora-chan." I grunted, frowning disapprovingly.

The younger girl dropped her gaze and muttered an apology, swapping hands as she moved to the other set of five the Mist possessed.

I gave a hum and opened my mouth at Honda's cue, allowing the older relative to drop a sweet slice onto my tongue. She smiled and petted my stomach before giving a piece to Sora, Chrome hesitating before accepting the same treatment.

"Either way," I muttered, playing with a lock of soot hair that cascaded from my cousin's shoulders and brushed my arm. "I'm going to have to leave her in your care most of the time. Feel free to use her as you wish, but be polite, try to get her comfortable. She is my possession now, as crude as that sounds."

"Okay." The young Watanabe lady sang absently, tutting at the state of the Mist's nails.

"I'd be careful if I was you, cousin." Honda warned lowly, making me look to her. "You're beginning to sound like those in the main house."

"...Oh, how terrible."

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Hayashi Jun. Hayashi Jun.

" _Haha, c'mon Jun-kun!"_

" _Oh, hey, Jun-kun."_

" _Morning Jun-kun."_

Daiki has been ignoring him. Daiki _is_ ignoring him. Yet he'll readily take that _boy's_ call and summons, promising a hasty return to the kid's side right. In. Front. Of. Him!

The Rain had said it before, he was a patient man, but he was at his limit. And that bloody phone call _was his limit._

Takeshi gave a hissed breath as he stood, somehow keeping a semblance of his normal exterior as he walked from the room, feet light and quick as he moved down the halls and rounded the corner to the room of 1-C, his hand wrenching the door open with a barely restrained ferocity.

"Hayashi Jun, come 'ere please!" The Rain called, his voice laced with jocund falsities, no one noticing the deadly difference in the baseballer.

"A-ah, that's me!" The mousy boy squeaked, on his feet and following the call.

"H-how can I he-Eh!"

"Come with me! C'mon!" Takeshi laughed, grasping the boy by his wrist and taking off, dashing past 1, 2 and 3-A as he pursued the roof.

Closing the door behind him, the second year let go of the younger, leaving him to desperately try to regain his footing as the metal door was secured as to not give a chance for disturbing.

"U-um...You're Yamamoto Takeshi...yeah?" Hayashi asked hesitantly, making the Vongola Rain's blood boil.

So he _knew_ who he was, and yet he carried on as he had.

"Haha, yeah!" Takeshi chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he approached, sharp eyes noticing the loosening of the home-wrecker's muscles.

"May I ask, what you needed from me...all the way u-up here?" He asked, glancing around the roof.

"Hm? Oh!" The young teen hummed, getting nice and close to the smaller male, his figure towering quite well over him with the 20cm difference.

"I came to tell you something!" He stated, smile suddenly dropping and eyes growing cold, Hayashi's stance stiffening at the switch of character.

"Stay away from Yamaguchi Daiki."

Hayashi blinked mutely for a moment, before he frowned in confusion, his chin pulling into his collar as he began to take up a defensive position.

"Why?" He asked carefully, taking a step out of the Rain's range.

"Because I told you to, of course!" Takeshi laughed, though his expression didn't reach his eyes.

The mousy boy's shoulders grew tense at the baseballer's voice, his defences high as he took another set of steps back.

"A-ah, I don't think you understand the situation, Yamamoto-san."

"Oh? How so? All I understand is that you have been sticking to his side since you came here."

The first year shivered as the taller boy tilted his head innocently, flashes of the battle he had seen making him very aware of the danger he was in should he provoke this boy.

"W-well, that's how you see it." He huffed shakily, trying to straighten himself. "I'm sure Daiki-senpai sees it differently, and that's all that matters."

Hayashi fought back a whimper as a pressure came down on him, the bright expression on the other boy's face darkening despite there being no movement.

"So, what you're saying, is that my opinion on this matter doesn't mean anything?"

"Y-yes! Your take on this is inconsequential!" The small boy nodded, taking confidence in the thought, before moving forwards, set on returning to the safety of the inner halls.

"Now, now, who said you could go anywhere?" Takeshi rumbled, Hayashi finding himself winded against the wall, a large shadow taking him.

"My opinion doesn't mean anything, you say? _Inconsequential?_ "

The small first year slid to the concrete floor, thankful that a fit hadn't been sparked, but still very rattled. His Lord had ordered him not to engage the Vongola in combat, so he was not allowed to wield his darts at the older boys, leaving him very much at the mercy of his assailant.

"W-well, you are no one of such standing!" Hayashi tried, looking up at the looming second year.

"Who are you to control who remains in the presence of Daiki-senpai?"

"Who am I?" Takeshi repeated, narrowing his eyes down at the boy.

"I'm his _fiancé!"_

…

The Rain took a moment to bask in the stunned look on the kid's face, a sense of victory washing over him as Hayashi mouthed mutely up at him with wide eyes.

"F-fiancè?" He parroted, disbelief clear.

"Yes." The second year huffed, crossing his arms. "For years now."

"I-"

" _Yamamoto Takeshi open this door!"_

Both boys jumped as Daiki's roar ripped through the metal, heavy bangs resounding and making the lock jump from impact.

"Daiki-senpai!" Hayashi called, his voice mixing with Takeshi's similar shout.

" _Takeshi-kun, now!"_

The Rain startled but quickly abandoned the prone boy to unlatch the door, slab of iron groaning as it was blown aside by a large hand, Daiki's huge form taking up the doorway as his face showed a deadly calm.

"Explain." He ordered, walking onto the roof to join them.

Takeshi couldn't help but stare mutely at his partner, watching how his muscles shifted beneath his shirt, fists clenched weakly as he tried to control whatever temper he had simmering underneath his skin. Despite his momentary hypnosis, the younger boy knew better than to close the gap between them.

"U-uh..." Hayashi croaked, making amber-earth eyes snap to his seated form, his voice dying immediately.

"I asked for an explanation." The Sun reiterated, looking between the two boys.

"Well," Takeshi started, glancing to the slowly rising first year. "I wanted to...talk to Hayashi-san here and- uh, we started to-"

"Talking, I'm sure." Daiki huffed wryly, the way his eyes narrowed making the tall Rain want to cave in on himself.

Oh God, why did this happen? Of all the times! The first time his Daiki had talked to him in days and this!

"I, uh," Hayashi began, drawing attention. "Had a disagreement with Yamamoto-san, a-about the frequency of the time I spend in your company, my Lord."

Takeshi blinked, Lord?

"And why would how I spend my time cause a disagreement of this calibre? People could tell there was a confrontation!"

"Because you've been ignoring me! Then suddenly you have this new friend who's uncannily close to you! How can you not expect me to worry?! To snap? Get jealous?" The Rain asked loudly, gesturing with his arms as he felt his temper boil in his belly.

"But you can't just grab-" Daiki started, only to be cut off as he moved forwards, a harsh gleam in his eye.

"Why can't I? Why can't I tell people you belong to me? You do, don't you?!"

"Takeshi-kun, calm do-"

"No- Gah!"

The young Guardian gave a grunt as his arms were grabbed and the stone of the wall dug into his back, the Sun's large frame eclipsing his namesake as he restricted the smaller boy's movements.

"Jun-kun, leave us."

Hearing the first year's name in Daiki's tongue renewed his rage and Takeshi tried to fight the iron-clad hold, either to grab his fiancé or rip himself away, he was unsure yet.

"But, Daiki-do-"

" _Now, Jun-kun!"_ The hulking senior ordered, the mousy boy sent dashing for the door without another word.

The snap made the young Rain tense up, it having been a very long time since he had last heard such a tone leave his fiancé and bursts of fear going off in his mind despite it not even being used on him. A long suffering sigh left the older boy as before he turned amber-earth onto his simpering partner, both tense and high strung.

"Now, _you,_ " Daiki growled lowly, bass rumbling threateningly in the Mafia's ears. "Since you obviously can't get along with the other kids, you're going home until we can sort this out."

With only that as a warning Takeshi was ripped from the wall and dragged by his wrist through the school, people casting the two boys odd looks as they stormed from the grounds, Hibari not so much as glancing at them as they exited the gates.

"Daiki-kun, what the heck are you-"

"Be quiet. I'll deal with you when we're at your house."

Under his bubbling temper, the part of him that was utterly owned by the larger boy took the moment to recognise that they were going to the Yamamoto household. No doubt done as a small mercy from Daiki, his fiancé knowing that the Rain would feel most comfortable within his own walls. The restaurant was empty despite it being the middle of the day, the vague memory of Tsuyoshi listing off the many deliveries he had to pick up coming to mind as he was pulled through the halls, the door of his room wretched open and his body tossed with too much ease onto his bed.

"You, Takeshi-kun, have got a temper." Daiki huffed, closing the door behind them and cutting off the rest of the vacant house.

"Funny, I was going to say the same to you." Takeshi grunted, rubbing his reddened wrist and watching the elder boy irritably yank off his school jacket, the house too warm to keep it on.

"Care to tell me what that was all about? Why did you get so angry at Hayashi Jun?" He asked, watching the swordsman rearrange himself to a more comfortable position on his sheets.

"Why do you think?" The irritated Rain shot back, narrowing his eyes at his partner. "You've been ignoring me for _days_! You can't expect me to be fine with that!"

"Then you get this new kid on your arm and you walk around like it's acceptable! It isn't! Daiki-kun, it really isn't!"

"Takeshi-kun, Jun-kun isn't someone I think of in that way." Daiki grunted, walking towards the bed but keeping a safe distance.

Takeshi didn't like that distance.

The Sun gave a noise of surprise as his partner grabbed him by his tie and yanked him forwards, knees hitting the mattress and sending him sprawling across the Guardian's messied sheets. The young Yamamoto wasted no time in moving himself to an advantageous position, straddling the elder's hips as he held the grounded shoulders.

"Then why do you touch him so much!? You always grab his hand, or pat his head, or touch his shoulder! That's not normal behaviour!"

The sudden change of position made Daiki blink in shock, his mind slow to catch up with the hasty movements and making his response late.

"I'm a physical person, you know that!"

"You haven't been very physical with me in a while! A long while!"

"And what do you want me to do?!" Daiki snapped, brow furrowed as his teeth bit into each other.

"Love me!"

The elder boy was stunned into silence at the plea, all anger sapped from the straddling teen as he felt a warning warmth in the back of his eyes.

"Just love me again! Remember that I exist! Stop it from hurting!"

Fingers dug bluntly into the muscled shoulders of the pinned third year, amber-earth trained on the tightly closed eyes of his partner as the swordsman's breathing became unsteady.

"It _hurts_ when you ignore me. It hurts so bad, Daiki-kun, don't you know that?" Takeshi heaved, voice strained.

"It hurts. You're hurting me, Daiki-kun." Slowly, he lowered himself until he could press his nose into the other's collar, wet breaths fanning across dark skin. "Make it stop. Make it stop, _please_."

Takeshi made no attempt to hide how his body trembled, his arms coming to wrap around his fiancé's neck to hold the elder close in attempts to alleviate the brutal stabbing in his chest. A pause in his quaking came as the body under him shifted, the strong limbs of the other lifting until they crossed over the swordsman's back, squeezing gently with one as the other ran soothing circles across his shoulder blades.

"You're hurting…It's my fault." Daiki breathed, making his partner nod slowly, sinking into the embrace given to him.

"My fault...Takeshi-kun is hurting because of me…"

"Your fault. Your fault." The Rain confirmed, nodding into his little haven.

"I've been hurting you, and I promised I wouldn't. I said that I would never hurt you, be it physically or otherwise, but I did anyway..." Came his fiancé's voice, quiet and airy.

Takeshi shifted atop Daiki, an expression of confusion coming to his face as he watched him raise the hand that bore his ring, the gold plated band catching the light as the Sun slowly pried it off his finger. Taking up the Rain's hand, the elder pressed the circlet into his palm with a strained smile, forcing his hand closed with perhaps too much force.

"I am unhealthy for you, Takeshi-kun. All logic points to a dissolving of this relationship in order to preserve both of our emotional wellbeings."

...What?

 **|Y.T|**


	26. Chapter 26

**Word Count: 13,230**

* * *

"I've been hurting you, and I promised I wouldn't. I said that I would never hurt you, be it physically or otherwise, but I did anyway..." Came my voice, quiet and airy.

Takeshi shifted on top of me, an expression of worry coming to his face as he watched me raise the hand that bore his ring, the gold plated band catching the light as I slowly pried it off my finger. Taking up his hands, I pressed the circlet into his palm with a strained smile, forcing his hand closed with perhaps too much force.

"I am unhealthy for you, Takeshi-kun. All logic points to a dissolving of this relationship in order to preserve both of our emotional wellbeings."

I bit my tongue as I noticed my sentences becoming wordy, a forced, unsteady apathy coming as I called for cold pragmatic thought, knowing that emotion had no place in this moment.

"This relationship we have only seems to bring you pain, and that's something that can never happen. It would be best to end it here, when you are still resilient enough to...recover from my damages." I breathed, dropping my gaze before squeezing the hands in my grasp, slightly smaller and warm.

When only silence was my response, I slowly remove myself from under the boy and lifted myself from the Rain's bed, mattress bouncing back from the pressure as I reached for my jacket, the material billowing loudly in the deadly quiet room. Stepping away from the young Yamamoto, I pulled on the clothing and moved to the door, hand grasping the knob.

" _What the hell...?"_

The voice came out so quietly, I thought it was only my mind creating the illusion. However, as it sounded again, stronger and louder, it proved me wrong.

"What the hell, Daiki-kun? What're...Why are..." Takeshi croaked, his fisted hand clenching around the returned band tighter as his breath picked up, eyes narrowed in aggravated confusion.

"Was this some sort of plan? A ploy?"

Plan? Ploy? What?

"How could- How could leaving me fix any- Daiki-kun, you aren't making sense!" He finally snapped, looking at me through hazy eyes that made my heart drop.

"You ignore me for days, then as soon as I've got you back again you spring this on me?! The _hell_ Daiki-kun?!"

"Was this some sort of long winded plan to end it? Are you done with me? If you wanted to leave me so badly that you'd do this, you should have just told me straight up! Not _tortured_ me for days!"

My hand dropped from the knob and I turned to him, my eyes wide as his prickled with wetness. The Rain had rocked forwards on his knees and balanced on a free hand, looking ready to launch himself at me.

"Takeshi-kun, no, I-"

"Then what the hell is this all 'bout?! Really! You never tell me anything and just run away, expecting me to be okay with it!" He shouted, pinning me with passionate eyes. "Well, guess what?! I'm not okay with it! I'm not okay with you disappearing all the time! I'm not okay with you shutting me out whenever you feel like it! God damn it, Daiki-kun!"

Takeshi got to his feet, hunched slightly as his frame shook from tension and heavy breaths.

"Do you have something better to do? Someone you love better to go to?!"

"Wh-No!" I sputtered, a ghastly reaction to the question.

I flinched as hands were slammed to the door on either side of me, head snapping up to lock gazes with the suddenly closer boy, his eyes reddened by salts.

"Then why do you leave?! Do you not trust me?! Don't care that it hurts?!"

" _I'm scared!"_

The sudden snap of my vocals stunned us both into a silence, heavy heaving replacing it as we watched each other with wide eyes.

"I'm scared, Takeshi-kun." I repeated, nailing the message home. For both of us.

"Why are you...What is there to be scared of?" He asked, voice suddenly quiet.

My fists clenched as I dropped my gaze, looking off to the side as I tried to deny the rising heat in my eyes, the state of the young Rain not helping my own emotional instability.

"Daiki-kun…?" He called again, to once again be met with silence.

"Daiki-kun!"

"The choices I've made!" I shouted, voice rough as I faced him again. "Everything is going wrong, and it's my fault! I know it is!"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I _can't tell_ you!"

By this point, it was me who was yelling, speech growing thick as my throat and nose became hot and clogged.

I couldn't tell him, I couldn't! What was I going to say? Oh hey, love, I've fucked up your canonical world beyond repair due to having an emotional attachment to you and all of your friends! Oh, and because I apparently have no self con- _fucking-_ trol, I might just be the indirect cause of your death! Remember, I love you~!

"Bu-"

" _No!_ No, no, no, no! Stop _asking!"_ I denied, pressing myself further into the wooden slab as I tried to compact my larger framework.

"Wrong! I've made it all wrong! Why can't I do anything well enough?"

Takeshi might get seriously hurt or killed because of me. Ryohei might not reach his potential if I take up too much space. Tsuna might not feel the pressure if I help too much. They all might not bond with each other as well as they should have because _I fucked up._

"Why not? Daiki-kun, why not?" He asked softly, though there was an edge to his voice, leaning closer, only for me to dodge his advance by turning my head slightly.

Need to calm down. You need to calm down, Daiki.

"I...This is something that I barely even understand...You would have no chance to understand either." I tried, the breath broken and shaky.

"Why wouldn't I understand? What's wrong?" He cooed, hands rising to cup my cheeks and rub away the slight wet.

Why did he have to do that? He must know what that does to me, how easily it unravels me for him. It was a dirty trick, but Takeshi played it anyway.

"If I told you, it would only make it worse."

"Daiki-kun..." Takeshi breathed, gently manipulating.

"I've made so many mistakes. Oh, so many. But the problem is...I can't bring myself to regret them." I breathed as my own hands coming to cover his, looking to my smaller lover with a teary, strained smile. "I don't regret being Ryohei-kun's friend, I don't regret saving Sawada-san from drowning, I sure as hell don't regret becoming Bo-kun's father."

"And I could never regret agreeing to you. Not even a little."

Oh God, it was actually terrible how much I loved this boy. Borderline pathetic how easily he could play me. But I couldn't bring myself to hate, or even dislike how just by touching me Takeshi could completely disarm me.

"I was...a mistake?" He breathed, confusion mixed with hurt marring his features.

I nodded with a smile, a brittle laugh crackling out of my throat.

"In the grand scheme of it all, you were a mistake. You should have never met me, or at the very least, never have become so close."

Releasing Takeshi's hands, I grasped a hold of his own face, mirroring his grip on me and narrowed my eyes with happiness, a faint blur coming to my vision.

"You were a mistake Takeshi-kun!" I laughed, fingers tightening their hold.

"My biggest mistake," I breathed, pressing my brow against his. "And my greatest achievement.

I felt the Rain's jaw move mutely as he tried to form a response to what I had just babbled, his unsure expression pressed against my forehead.

"You and I are a great mistake, but one I'd repeat again and again, in every life." I continued, not giving him time to speak and point out my outlandish words. "Even if you were the worst choice to make, if being with you caused the worst possible outcome, I'd still choose you!"

God damn it, now I'm sounding obsessive. But I couldn't help it, it just felt so good to hold him again. To feel his heartbeat under my fingers and breath against my skin, it was the best comfort I could be granted.

"I'd still choose you too...Even if it hurt sometimes, cause the good outweighs the bad." Came his voice, vocals vibrating under my touch.

"You were my most wonderful mistake...but hurting you will always be my most painful one." I sighed, feeling the salted stick of his cheeks on my palms.

"I love you Takeshi-kun. _So_ much. But if this continues, I fear that even that won't outshine the damage I'll deal."

I felt him shudder as I pressed a kiss to his forehead before pulling away, hands used to angle him up to look at me.

"I'm not good for you, love. I'm too young, too rash, too rough for you. You've still got so much of your youth left, don't waste it on worrying after me and my dumb problems."

Smiling slightly, I tilted my head and sealed my lips over his quickly, not responding to his attempts to press the act further, gently forcing him backwards after a few moments of contact.

"Bye-bye, love."

I bit my lip as I hurried out the door and closed it behind me, a pained breath scratching my lungs. Pushing off the deadly silent barrier, I almost stumbled down the hall, noticing that the sun was somehow still shining despite the eternity I spent in that room. With the door to the restaurant in sight, I forced my steps to go faster, feeling the pull to run back becoming prominent as my teeth assaulted my vermillion border.

"And where do you think you're going?"

I froze as the old voice came through the room, berating myself for not noticing the rhythmic thunks of a knife against the chopping board.

"I was leaving, sir." I muttered, keeping my head low, hiding the state I was in.

"Hm," Tsuyoshi hummed, cleaning off the steel of his blade. "Sit down, Daiki-kun."

"I don't think-"

"Sit."

Shutting my mouth, I moved over to the bar stool before him and plonked onto it with as much grace as my drained mind and body could manage, shoulders shaking as I exhaled.

"So, care to explain to me why you're leaving so abruptly?" He asked, pulling over a wad of fish and artfully destroying it.

"I-" I coughed when my voice caught. "I decided it would be best to end it with Takeshi-kun."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because, I can't do anything right. I can't do anything _for_ him. I'm not good for him."

"But he loves you." The father stated bluntly, my body flinching at the verbal strike.

"I know but-"

"Do you not love him? Were you lying this whole time?" He pressed mercilessly.

"No!" I shouted, before coiling myself in, wary of the man and his temper. "I've never lied about loving Takeshi-kun."

"But you just can't seem to do any good?"

I paused, lowering my gaze to the marble counter between us.

"Yeah."

I guess I'm more like my father than I thought.

"Sounds like bullshit to me."

I jolted at the sudden curse, snapping up to look at the hard mocha that burnt me with disapproval. The chef has decimated his work and had lowered his knife to give me his undivided attention.

"You have done more for that boy than you could ever understand." He started, leaning forwards on the workbench.

"I highly doubt-"

"Shut up, idiot." Tsuyoshi grunted, narrowing his eyes at me.

My teeth made an audible click as they met, hands grasping each other as I stiffened painfully.

There was a quiet pause, before the chef gave a long sigh, as if he had been working to calm whatever rage he had bubbling in his stomach.

"You," He started again, making me reconnect our gazes. "I bet you didn't know this, do you remember the day Takeshi-kun and you met?"

"Yes," I nodded. "At the park. February. "

"Mm, yeah, February. Nearly seven years ago now." He agreed, looking very aged all of a sudden. "Takeshi-kun, he didn't seem odd at all did he? When you first met."

I thought about it for a moment, before shaking my head.

"No, not really. Though his smile did seem practised at first."

The old swordsman nodded slowly, a hollow laugh escaping him as he did.

"Yeah, that boy would be a great actor if he went into theatre or media. He could lie someone out of their life savings."

I couldn't help but agree, remembering the way he acted around others before he had found his friends.

"Then, I guess he never told you, either." He sighed, recollecting himself.

"Daiki-kun, the day Takeshi-kun met you was the day after his mother's funeral."

...His mother? What? But he didn't seem at all…

"He had been quiet as death since the funeral, and I guess he didn't know what to do with himself other than just carry on. He grabbed his baseball stuff and just walked out the next day." Tsuyoshi breathed, gripping the marble as he delved into recollection.

"He stayed out so late, I was just about to run out and find him, when he came home. But this time, he _really came home._ It was like he had left something at the gravestone, but it had come back with him this time." The man laughed, amazement in his voice.

"He was back to his old self, running around, yelling, cheering, talking the ears off customers. It was like a switch had been flipped while he was out. He was excited to go the park every weekend, coming back with stories of his new friend and how smart and cool he was. And I decided, I just had to meet this kid!"

His smile faded slightly, head tilting as he narrowed his eye ms at me, not hostile like, but cautious.

"And then I met you, and you were so odd. Nothing like I expected." He said, face scrunched in confusion. "I expected a ball of sunshine, someone who would kick start Takeshi-kun's own heart, but instead, I met a boy who was too smart, too quick and more than a little sarcastic."

His face softened after a moment, and he shrugged pitifully.

"But somehow, you had managed to fix my boy. Despite how I didn't understand you, he seemed perfectly at ease in your presence."

"And yet here you are, trying to leave him with the understanding that you can do nothing right. Are you trying to insult me?"

"No, I-"

"Because you're saying this to the father that was unable to do anything because he was too caught up in his own misery to see that his son was just as pained as he was." He snapped.

My lips became a thin line as I listened to the man silently, letting the words beat my abused mind as I gripped my hands till they went white.

"If Takeshi-kun's mother were here, bless her soul, she would have kicked your ass by now." The old swordsman grunted, leaning back and crossing his arms. "But since she's not here, I'll take a page out of her book and say this for her as proxy:"

I flinched as I found the steely tip of a knife hovering between my eyes, Tsuyoshi's glare using the blade as a channel to direct at me.

"Yamaguchi Daiki, get your ass back to that room and bloody grovel to my son and your fiancé before I _fucking make you."_

Takeshi. Takeshi. Takeshi. I want my Takeshi.

I was on my feet as soon as he finished his threat, thudding into the housing part of the building. My mind reeled, a small part of me finding it pathetically humorous how easily I was swayed, how willingly I ran back to the side of the Rain. Shaking my head, I ran through the living room and found myself careening down the hall, and almost stumbling over myself as I stuttered to a stop in front of Takeshi's door. Not giving myself enough time to doubt my decision, I grabbed the handle and pushed it open, the darkened room greeting me again.

I froze when I saw the smaller teen sitting on the floor, exactly where I had left him. He was slumped over, hands in the hole of his crossed legs as his head hung low. A small patch of water was collecting on the floor boards, the tops of his calves wetted by what was no doubt salted tears. He didn't make a sound or move as I stepped into the room, closing the door behind me to douse us in the dim light that made it through the curtains.

Slowly, I kneeled, trying to see the younger's face, but still finding myself unable to view him. My next action was very careful, hand coming up to brush his shoulder lightly. I felt him jolt, as if woken from some sort of daze, his head rising sluggishly, reluctantly.

My heart lurched as his eyes widened, mocha framed by watery red as he looked up at me.

"Hey, love." I breathed, wiping his cheeks with my sleeve as he remained still, one hand supporting his jaw by cupping it.

"I'm here again," Came my mutter, fingers combing through his hair in attempts of giving him comfort. "I didn't make it far before your father caught me."

Takeshi still didn't speak, he didn't cry, he didn't move.

My brow creased even as I forced my smile to stay, gently taking up his hands and wrapping his arms around my neck. With them secured, I carefully lifted him off the floor, his legs around my waist, and seated myself on his bed. Curling my arms around his waist, I hugged the small body close to me, feeling the shallow but steady breaths fill and empty his body.

How long would he have just sat there? How long would he have just cried? Would he only have moved if someone had come and instructed him to?

"Your father," I started, running my hand along his back as I used the other to rest his head on my shoulder, feeling the flow of tears continue slowly. "He told me some things. He told me that your mother passed away just before you met me, and that it really affected you. Is that true?"

There was a long pause of just breath in my ear, before a faint, languid nod happened. Using the hand on his head, I began dragging blunt nails lightly along his scalp, remembering how much he liked the feeling, how it calmed him.

"He told me you went to the park that day on a whim. That you went completely on autopilot." I continued, leaning my cheek on the side of his head to talk into his ear.

"...I'm so glad you did." I sighed, hugging him tighter and pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "I'm so glad that I got to meet you, my dear."

We stayed like that for a long while, Takeshi refusing to speak or move any further as I clung to him, swaying us gently and humming into his ear. My hums soon became unintelligible mutters, desperation for a reaction leading me to quietly chant encouragements, apologies and praises, trying to garner the youth's attention.

"Takeshi-kun, will you talk to me? Please, love? Can I hear you, please? I want to hear you, I love your voice."

He gave no response.

The room was bathed in a young orange light by the time the Rain in my arms finally shifted, waking me from my light daze. He withdrew from my shoulder slowly, his arms remaining around my neck as mocha came to look down on me. His face was as blank as it was before, but his eyes were still wide, like he didn't want to miss a thing.

"You left me…" He muttered, voice scratchy and low.

"Mmm." I hummed shamefully, rubbing his back.

"You left me…"

"I know, but I'm here." I pressed.

"You are so cruel to me." Takeshi breathed, sliding his hands to my shoulders before shifting his weight forwards and forcing me back on the mattress.

I remained still and pliant as he shuffled around, untangling his legs and moving onto his knees to trap me against the bed, my hands remaining around his waist through it all, not willing to release him. His hands moved off my shoulders and planted on either side of my head, provoking me to turn and press my cheek to his wrist, watching him carefully.

"It would be better if I left you."

"Yet here you are." He rebutted, tracing my features with his eyes, the action bordering on obsessive.

"It would be better," I repeated, allowing his hands to move until they gripped my jacket and the back of my head. "But I just couldn't seem to do it. It only took a bit of a push and my resolve was gone."

A low note escaped him as he looked down at me, observing the visible pulse in my jugular.

"The day I met you at that park was the one sunny day of a whole two weeks of rain. It took me a month to figure out I had a crush on you, and on a sugar induced whim, I asked tou-san to let you sleep over. It took me exactly three hours after the run in with Hibari-san for me to decide you were going to be my husband." Takeshi said, making me furrow my brow slightly in confusion.

"From there, it took me two years to solidify that decision, and wrestle you into submission of the idea. Then, another three days before I gathered the courage to kiss you. It took another two years for you to kiss me back."

I blinked as his hands moved and long fingers threaded through my hair, my back sinking into his sheets as he pressed down.

"It then took little over a year for me to say 'I love you,' and a couple days more for you to return the sentiment. It took another couple months for us to become physically intimate, you giving me possibly the best sensation I've ever been dealt."

I held back a noise of distress at the reminder, the grip on my strands tightening as he continued his part.

"The morning afterwards, I gave you my mother's engagement ring, to match my father's which I wear now. And immediately afterwards, we renewed our six-year-old promise to each other."

His eyes suddenly became hard, but not cold or cruel, only determined and sure.

"If all of that, all our years together, was a mistake, then I'm glad I'm failing this test we're sitting. And even if I get a retry, you can bet I'm still going to pick ' _Daiki'_ as all of my answers." Takeshi breathed, bending down to hover incredibly close.

"You're...You're making a mistake, love." I breathed shakily, feeling warm exhales across my lips.

My heart stumbled its rhythm as he smiled softly at me, a faint hue on his cheeks, not unaffected by the lack of distance either. I watched Takeshi's smile intently as I let my hand slip from his waist to slid under his arm to cup the base of his skull, my own tanned fingers finding purchase on short hairs.

"That seems to be a common theme here, shujin-kun."

The words were a trigger, an agreement, and both of us collided halfway, a faint tinge of metal flavouring the kiss as one of the participating lips were split, perhaps both. Takeshi's arm hooked around my neck as his other hand anchored itself in my hair, an all too pleased sound coming from the rough tug as I allowed invasion, happy to pamper the offered muscle while the Rain grasped at the back of my jacket.

Using the arm around the Rain's waist, I pulled him forwards and made him drop, relishing in the warmth that spread across my front as he pressed against me greedily. I sighed into his mouth as his hips ground down, a happy groan coming from the boy above.

"You," He started, moving only slightly to give room to talk. "If you ever get scared, I want you to tell me. I'll get rid of it for you."

I winced at that, shaking my head slightly in disagreement, his brow furrowing softly.

"I'm scared of a lot of things, my dear, don't do that to yourself. You'll soon tire."

The Rain let his lips tilt downward before pressing forward, his chest working to almost crush mine against the material of the mattress beneath me. The arms around my neck and shoulders tightened to hold me from retreat, the smaller of us giving a low note of displeasure with me.

"Try me, shujin-kun."

I was barely given time to inhale as my mouth was sealed again, the resistance I gave was weak and brittle, and it took almost no effort on the swordsman's part to get me to relent. Wet noises clicked in my ears, but didn't disgust me as they usually would, sighs of satisfaction coming from both of us and intermingling wonderfully.

A quiet grunt escaped me as I felt teeth on my lower lip, Takeshi pulling back to grin cheekily at me, causing a huff of humour to come.

"Really, love? You'd bare your teeth at me?" I hummed, trailing light kisses along his jugular.

"Only if you wanted me too." He laughed, tilting his head to give me better access.

Both of us turned back to each other after a moment, soft smiles reflected off the other as we basked in our shared presence. Our breaths steadying after the emotional and physical highs we had just experienced, arms still tightly wrapped around each other. Letting my smile stretch further, I craned my neck and pressed a sweet kiss on Takeshi's lips, the younger boy reciprocating it gently as we calmed down, just happy to be able to touch the other after so much confusion.

"Mm," He suddenly hummed, the note vibrating low as he pulled a glistening circlet from his pocket. "You misplaced this."

"...Oh," I breathed, allowing him to move the hand on his hip and manipulate it into the marital band. "Thank you...I was wondering where that went."

A part of me I didn't notice before settled as the familiar weight of the golden ring set itself on my finger, the light catching and gleaming as my little fiancé laid on my chest, massaging my palm gently as he admired the claim.

"It's fine, you know, that we're so young. It means we have more time to figure ourselves out. More time to learn each other's ins and outs." The young Yamamoto sighed, his small smile pressed into my sternum.

I looked down at him in wonderment,

"Stay with me tonight?" Takeshi asked, a hopeful shine in his eyes as he looked up at me.

I smiled and was fully ready to pounce on the offer, before I paused and sighed, my smile dimming as I remembered the infant waiting at home.

"I can't, Lambo-kun is still unwell and I can't leave him for too long." I admitted, watching the Rain's face fall slightly at the negative.

"Then...Can I stay at yours?"

"You'd have to ask your father first."

It didn't seem to bother the smaller boy as he nodded and got up, his hands lingering for a moment before he went and grabbed a jacket, my halved brow raising in amusement when I saw the red 5 that had been missing from my wardrobe for nearly two weeks now. My smile faded as I noticed a small jolt in his movements, my eyes catching the way he hissed between his teeth as he tried to work his jacket on.

"Takeshi-kun," I began, rising and holding my hand out, letting him slip his fingers into my own and secure our connection. "What's wrong with your shoulder?"

My breath stilled as a remarkably fake smile came to my spouse's face, one he often used to mask and withhold things from the people around him.

"Nothing, just a bit stiff!"

I narrowed my eyes at him, seeing this, Takeshi sighed and dropped his gaze, his thumb coming to run along the edge of my knuckles.

"It's just a little nick, not anything to worr-"

"When did it happen?"

He paused, obviously thinking over his answer.

"When Mephistopheles came to visit me, it's fine now though so-"

"You had no little cuts after that night, tell me the truth." I grunted, tightening my grip on his hand and reaching for his other arm to bring him more forwards.

The Rain opened his mouth to answer something, before stalling and looking up at me.

"How would you know that? You were gone for days!"

I gritted my teeth, wanting to know what he was trying to hide, but decided to address his question first. Leaning forwards, I kept my eyes warning to show that this wasn't an advance on him, but a reply.

" _I'm always here, love."_

There was a sharp inhalation of air, the sound clear in my ears as I straightened. His hold on my hand doubled as recognition flashed across his face, mocha eyes wide. A smile flickered onto his lips before he gave a broken laugh, looking unbelieving.

"Wait," He breathed, "I swore that was a-"

"And I thought it was best to keep it that way." I huffed, patience growing thin. "Now, what' wrong with your shou-"

Shoulder. The left shoulder. What which shoulder got struck by Squalo in the Rain battle?

But it's been tended to. Takeshi showed no continued pain in the shoulder in canonical events, so why was it still…

"Show me your shoulder." I ordered, tugging at his shirt, my eyes widening with fear.

"H-huh? It's fine, shujin-kun, there's nothing for you to be so freaked out about." He laughed, though he tried to cover the flash of reddened skin.

"Is that a..." I wheezed.

"Daiki-kun," He called, wrapping his arms around me as he tried to calm my erratic breath, hands shaking as I pulled them off him. "Calm down. It's just a scar! Like you, you have a scar too! I'm like you!"

"You've got a scar." I panted, not really seeing him as I stared at the pinkish, tender skin. "I- How? I tried to- Oh God, did I not give you enough? Was it my fault? Should I have just left it alone?"

"Give me enough?" He repeated, before smiling with enthusiasm. "Did you heal all my scratches? Why did you come?"

"I- I wanted to see you." I answered distractedly, hands flitting around the permanent, non-canonical marr.

I was unresponsive as he hugged me to him tightly, his grin pressed against my neck as he giggled happily.

"You came to me. Daiki-kun came to me."

"My fault. You're scarred because of me. I didn't do well enough."

Takeshi stiffened for a moment as I laid my hand on his shoulder, before relaxing as I began to flood him with sunshine. I didn't know what I was trying to repair, there being nothing I could do at this point, but my Flames didn't seem to understand that.

"Daiki-kun." He hummed, gently trying to move out of my grip.

"Daiki-kun stop, I'm getting jittery."

Jittery? Ah, my Flames…

It took more effort than usual to cease the flow, my arms coming up to replace the warmth. My Flames were screaming at me from within the black room, burning lashes of how I let this happen, that I should have been there.

"I'm sorry." I groaned, pressing a kiss to his clothed scar.

"Why? It's not your fault. I was fighting, this was bound to happen." The Rain laughed softly, rubbing my side in an effort to calm me down.

Bound to happen? Yes, you would get a scar, but not now, not from this.

"Now, c'mon," He cooed, pulling me from the door. "Let's go to your house."

I closed the door behind us before letting the younger male lead me into the living room where Tsuyoshi sat, television playing at high volume and making me flush in shame a little with the knowledge of why.

"Hey, tou-san." Takeshi called, tapping the old man on his shoulder.

"Hm?" The chef grunted, looking up at the call. "Oh, boys! I take it you've made up?" He asked, looking to our interwoven fingers.

"Mhm!" My partner nodded, a happy glow coming to his face as he squeezed out connection slightly.

"Hey, tou-san, can I stay over at Daiki-kun's house tonight? Please?" He asked, a chipper note to his question.

I gripped his hand tighter and fought the desire to hide behind his smaller frame as the father turned his gaze on me, a hesitant smile coming to my face.

"We won't do anything inappropriate." I promised as he narrowed his eyes at me.

"That's quite the grip you've got on my boy, Daiki-kun." The older man commented, looking to our interlocked hands.

"Mmm," I hummed, but didn't let go like he expected me to. "He makes me constantly worried."

"Oh?" He huffed, raising an eyebrow.

"Tou-san!"

"Okay, okay, fine." The old swordsman sighed, waving off his son's persistence, before shooting me a look.

"No funny business."

"Yes, sir." I answered, nodding quickly.

I thinned my lips and looked to the ground, an idea bubbling in my mind and anxiety keeping the lid on it. Taking a deep breath, I shoved the feeling aside and spoke anyway.

"Tsuyoshi-tou-san, will you let me marry your son?"

There was a pause.

" _Huh?"_ The father asked incredulously, the sound coming more like a honk than a 'huh'.

I didn't look to Takeshi as he stared at me with wide, imploring eyes, his hold on my hand tightening tenfold as he gaped.

"May I marry your son?" I repeated, before rushing to amend my question. "Not now, I mean, when we're older. I mean-" I glanced to my little lover who wore a matching hue. "If I could do it now I probably would, but-"

"Okay."

"And well, we'd have to figure out our financial situation as well as how we were going to go about the education system and- Wait, what?" I blurted, eyes widening, not sure if I heard what I thought I did.

"Okay," Tsuyoshi grunted, looking disgruntled, yet amused. "You can marry my son, Yamaguchi Daiki."

Takeshi slowly released my hand and walked towards his father, the man grunting slightly as he was crushed by almost 70 kilos of teen, long arms constricting his form.

Did he...Did Tsuyoshi just allow me his son?

I couldn't help the boiling over of glee, a physical pressure filling my chest as I watched my love grin like a mad man at me.

"I love you, Daiki-kun!" He cheered, still hugging his father brutally.

"I love you too, Takeshi-kun." I smiled, not caring about the pleasant heat in my cheeks.

"Yeah, yeah, now get out." Tsuyoshi huffed, pushing his son off him and turning back to his television set.

I looked at his back for a moment, before crossing the distance and wrapping my arms around him from behind, feeling him jump and tense when he realised who was touching him.

"Thank you." I breathed, packing the words with emotion.

"Treat him well from now on, or that knife will be making a new home." He warned, but placed his hands on the arms around him in acceptance.

"Yes, sir." I laughed, pulling myself off him.

"Ready, shujin-kun?"

"Coming, love."

Letting Takeshi drag me out of the house, I gave a long sigh of relief as the door closed, a loud laugh escaping my fiancé.

"Stop laughing, do you know how much willpower that took? You know I'm a chicken around your dad."

"But it's so cuuute!" He giggled, pinching my cheeks as I grimaced.

"My pain is cute to you? Wow, love."

The Rain grinned widely at that, his cheeks taking on a rosy hue as his giggles became airy laughs.

"I'm so happy right now, Daiki-kun. You have no idea. _So_ happy."

Taking a hold of the hands on my face I pressed a kiss to his palm, feeling the metal of his ring sting my lips.

"Hm, I think I have a vague idea." I breathed, dropping one before guiding him along to walk.

"Come, I wanna lay with you again."

Takeshi grew excited at the proposal, and I could only manage to give a yelp as he took off at full speed, my feet barely catching the concrete as I was dragged along for the ride.

 **…**

"Ooh, hello Lambo-san!" The Rain cooed playfully, observing as I cradled the smaller body in my much larger arms.

"He's been pretty out of it since he got zapped," I sighed, swaying my body slightly. "Physically, he's just about healed, he's been waking up more often and been more active, but I'm unsure if he's mentally okay."

"Yeah, that would have been pretty scary from a child's point of view." Takeshi agreed lowly, as if he just realised the position Lambo must have been in.

"Mhm." I nodded, before giving a long breath.

Gentle waves of sunlight washed through the Mafia's form, his Flame giving the equivalent of a giggle as the larger tickled its tongues and attempted to coax it back to its original size. Lambo gave a quiet noise, his ball of crackling green swelling under the yellow attention.

"Mmmm, Pa-mm." The little cow's sentence was quickly dropped as he realised what address was on his tongue, but I paid it no mind as a soft, encouraging smile came to my face.

"Hey, Bo-kun, did you sleep well?"

As he responded lethargically, Takeshi rose from the bed and hovered at my side, able to view the mumbling hitman from over my shoulder.

"He was going to call you Papa, you know." He hummed, an arm coming around my waist.

"L-Lambo-san wasn-" The baby tried, an attempt at raising his voice made for the first time in days.

"I know. I'm aware of that secret title you've got going there, sweetheart." I huffed, gliding my fingers over his cow-pattern stomach and making his flail slowly.

"So…" He croaked, prompting Takeshi to go grab the child's sippy cup from his cradle. "Can I call you Papa?"

The way he asked the question with a small voice and peaked over the brightly coloured lid of the bottle that was practically half his size made me bite back a squeal. Instead, I let an unabashed grin take my face as I squished his cheek against mine.

"I'd be very, _very_ happy if you did, Bo-kun." I cooed, smiling strong as little hands hugged my neck.

"Oh," I pulled up and looked to Takeshi, who was all but glowing at the scene. "If I'm your Papa, then what's Takeshi-kun? He's my husband, after all."

To punctuate this, the Rain pressed a kiss to my cheek and snuggled into my side, the arm around my waist tightening until my hips were pretty much at an angle. I didn't mind this, however, and merely helped Lambo sit up in my arms, little onsied hands grasping at my school shirt as he hummed in thought.

"If Yamamoto-kun is Papa's husband...Then Yamamoto-kun is Daddy!"

Takeshi froze on the spot, his eyes wide as he looked down at the Eureka moment Lambo had had. Slowly, with cogs grinding, the child was lifted from my arms and held a distance, the swordsman staring at the proud toddler.

"Lambo-kun...wants-"

"You've gotta call me Bo-kun now, Daddy! Just like Papa does!"

That seemed to be the last straw for the teenaged Mafia, and I swore I heard a tiny 'oof' leave the little cow as he was suddenly trapped in the arms I knew the power of too well.

" _Yes!_ I'll be your Dad!"

"I do believe he called you _Daddy._ " I hummed, only to get pinched in the side.

"Don't ruin the name with hormones, Daiki-kun." He scolded, pointing at me threateningly.

I laughed and encircled the two with my arms, holding them close as they radiated with glee. Smiling down at the Mafia, I bent my neck and planted kisses on Takeshi's brow and the top of Lambo's head.

"I love you both." I breathed, my Flames washing over the others' in pulses of bliss.

"We love you too, Papa!" Lambo giggled, reaching up to grab my nose.

Giving a honking type noise, I copied the action on him and watched as he squirmed with playful shrieks, Takeshi giving open laughter as he balanced our writhing child in his arms.

Our child…

How on Earth did I almost give this up?

The Rain didn't seem to notice or mind as I tightened the wrapped arm around his waist and the other coming to help support the toddler, Takeshi's shoulder in mind, Lambo babbling away about a nonsensical dream he had to my amused partner.

"So…" The Lightning began suddenly, his tone more hopeful than it had been when telling his story. "Are Papa and Daddy not fighting anymore?"

I paused at the question, looking to the wide eyed expression he was giving the two of us, little hands gripping our shirts in each.

"Yeah," Takeshi answered, quicker to respond than me. "Daiki-kun and I aren't fighting now. We're happy again."

"Ah," The Mafia child smiled. "That's good! Papa kept moping around when you were fighting."

"Bo-kun." I warned, noticing the raised eyebrow the Rain was sending me.

"What? It's true! Whenever his phone went off, he would get all quiet and sniffy! He slept with his phone once, after a lot of texts came."

I cast my gaze to the side as I felt my fiancé look pointedly at me. I jumped slightly as I felt lips on my neck, the action provoking me to turn back around and have them sealed over my own. It was only a quick kiss, but the feeling lingered as Takeshi pulled away and smiled at me.

"Shujin-kun and I love each other very much, we just have a bit of a hard time communicating when we feel overwhelmed." My partner explained, leaning against me.

"But we'll be working on that, won't we?" He continued, a bit more forceful as he looked up at me.

"Yes, love." I nodded, knowing he was right.

"Yay!" Lambo squealed, throwing his arms up and nearly flinging himself out of his father's arms in enthusiasm.

The three of us paused as the door to my room was knocked softly, a faint shuffling coming before I called out.

"Come in!"

"A-ah, good afternoon Daiki-dono," Jun looked quickly at Takeshi, his eyes widening as he saw how we were wrapped around each other. "And Yamamoto-dono."

"Hello, Jun-kun. Oh, are those-"

"Yes!" He yelped, holding up the two stacked book bags with both hands. "I brought your bags back, though, I didn't know where Yamamoto-dono lived, or whether he wanted to see me at all, so I came here directly."

"Thank you, mouse." I breathed, smiling as I prodded my fiancé, provoking him to place Lambo back in his cradle. "Takeshi-kun and I were a little preoccupied and forgot them in the rush."

"I have a question." The swordsman suddenly chirped, his fingers digging into the arm that came back around his waist as he pressed against my side. "Why is Hayashi-san calling me 'dono'? Why is he calling _you_ 'dono'?"

"B-because it is as I should!" Jun squeaked, before recoiling under the mocha eyes that landed on him.

"Hmm," I hummed, pressing the noise into Takeshi's hair comfortingly. "Love, this is Hayashi Jun, my Right Hand in the Watanabe Yakuza."

The Rain's eyes widened as he looked from me to the small Yakuza, a tiny yelp escaping the easily intimidated boy.

"U-uh, pleasure to officially meet you, my Lady…?! Wait, no you're a man! Uh-God- Oh, dear, I meant no offence, my Lord, just-!"

I couldn't help the throaty laughter that left me at his frazzled state, my fiancé huffing up at me as I wrapped my other arm around him, smaller hands coming to rest on each as he pouted at my amusement.

"You hear that? You're my Lady now." Came my chuckle.

Takeshi narrowed his eyes at me and gently batted at my face, the attack done with no malice. Shaking off the half-hearted whack, I dropped my head and planted a solid kiss on my miffed husband, humming an apology against his lips, the noise crackling slightly with lingering laughter.

"I'll j-just leave your bags here then, my Lord..s. I'll take my leave, please excuse me!"

"Ah, Jun-kun, before you leave," I pulled back from the kiss, a bit of a wet sound escaping. "Could you alert the others that I won't be coming to the compound tonight, I have important things to attend to in Namimori."

With the words finished, I dropped my head again and paid close attention to my fiancé, allowing a hand to roam upwards into the scruff of his hair.

"Understood, Daiki-dono." The Storm bowed before bustling out, a faint shriek dying in his throat.

The sound of the door closing swiftly made my partner pull away, a flush on his face as he stared at the vacant spot.

"Daiki-kun!" He scolded, thudding my chest softly.

"What? You had no qualms against claiming me publicly before." I responded, nuzzling his unwounded shoulder.

The Rain rolled his eyes at me before giving me a good push, a grunt escaping me as I hit my mattress.

"You said you wanted to lay with me, come on then." He huffed, smiling at me as I rearranged myself and opened my arms for him to join.

Lifting the blankets and tossing them aside, I hugged my smaller lover against me before pulling them back over, the warm shroud covering us as we settled. I hummed as I shifted to smother my face into the younger's shoulder, enjoying the familiar weight of arms coming around me as I relaxed into him.

"Hang on," My spouse chirped suddenly, grabbing the arm that was thrown around him, fingering the ink that peaked from my sleeve. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Ah, I got my irezumi a while ago."

Mocha eyes lit up and darkened all at the same moment, a taint taking tanned cheeks as he worked my jacket off and pushed up the sleeve of my school shirt. An airy breath left him as he gazed at the shrieking phoenix, the very end of its tail feathers hidden by the brass that hugged my wrists. His hand trailed over the needlework of wings, an expression of wonderment painting his face. The smaller boy tilted his head after a moment, before bending his neck and planting a gentle kiss on the neb of the revered ave. The action startled me, but the grip on the limb kept it from retreating, allowing my spouse to continue to apotheosize of the body art.

"Hehehe, you kissed a bird." I snorted childishly, getting a gentle whack to the shoulder as a reward.

"Shut up, shujin-kun."

I huffed in exaggerated offence, before moving to draw my sleeve back down, only to have the action stopped.

"Nahp, keep that thing up."

A laugh left me as I obeyed, wrapping the coloured arm around him again and drawing him close, the younger boy humming as he traced the soft patterns of the clouds.

"I missed you." Takeshi breathed, running a hand along my back.

"Me too...I'm sorry that I'm so dumb."

"Please, never try to leave me again. Do you know how scared I was?"

"I'm sorry, love." I sighed, rubbing deep circles in his lower back with my thumb. "I'm here, I'm always here."

I felt kisses planted on my brow as I squeezed the smaller body slightly, my senses flooded by my partner. The ache in my chest calmed after so long of enduring it, a sigh escaping me as I pressed my lips to his clavicle, a small noise of content rumbling in his throat at the action.

"You know, after 6 years, I think I know you pretty well, Daiki-kun." Takeshi started, making me give a sound of attention as I played with the string of my jacket that he wore. "So I know, that you didn't have your heart in what you were saying."

I blinked before looking up, confusion painting my face as I waited for him to elaborate further.

"When you said 'it would be best to dissolve our relationship', you really didn't want to say it, did you?"

On anyone else, that knowing smile would have irked me, but on Takeshi, it made me a little flustered.

"Well, yeah." I huffed quietly, lowering my head. "Do you think I'd ever _want_ to leave you? I just thought it would be the best for you…"

"But it would hurt."

"Only for a little while!" I shot back. "Then you'd be fine! Better!"

"Shh, don't be too loud." He hushed, making me remember Lambo across the room.

"Please," I huffed. "That boy could sleep, literally, through an invasion."

"I think you underestimate the hold you have on me, shujin-kun." Takeshi laughed quietly, pressing his cheek to the top of my head. "I'd suffer for a long time if you left me. Longer than you'd think was natural."

"Mmm." I hummed, curling into the smaller body. "I love you. Your Daiki loves you, my Takeshi-kun."

"Your Takeshi loves you too, my Daiki-kun."

 **…**

I frowned as Takeshi attempted to remove me from my bed, his teeth gritting as he threw his weight back on his heels, but only accomplished stretching my back further.

"I can't, Takeshi-kun." I sighed, taking my turn to hold him up precariously. "I'm not...comfortable in that environment, yet. I might never be."

"But Tsuna-san and Gokudera-kun wanna see you again! They're, like, really worried!" He tried, rocking back onto his feet to lean forwards.

"For some reason, I doubt that. But either way-"

"No, they're really worried about you! Even Gokudera-kun's asked where you've been!"

The Rain took a pleading tone as he tightened his grip on my hands, arms bent to shrink the space between us. The look dropped after a moment of consideration, his smile returning as he recognised my caving.

"Takeshi-kun, I have been watching the Battles." I admitted, drawing his closer to stand between my knees. "Whether by proxy or at a distance, I have been there. I've just been careful to not let many notice."

"You mean like Bo-kun's Battle against the big guy?" He asked, prompting me to nod.

"Mhm, that's right. I was watching the Battle from the clock tower, it was...Very difficult not to intervene."

"Mmm." Takeshi hummed, dropping my hands to gently sort the mess of my hair.

"So, I _might_ be able to come with you...But I won't stand with you and the rest of your Mafia friends. I'll stand at a different vantage point. Is that alright with you?"

The boy's shoulders bunched suddenly, his grip doubling as his eyes widened. My lips became a straight line when I saw that, a kiss coming to press into the cleft of his abdominal muscles.

"I'll be close, if you shout, I'll hear you and come running. I'll be able to see you at all times. I'm always here, my love."

My fiancé made a low note before nodding, obviously not pleased, but understanding that this was as best as he was going to get out from me so early.

"I'm sorry, love." I sighed, standing and wrapping my arms around his shoulders.

"Hm," He hummed, leaning on my frame slightly. "It's okay...You're just scared."

Pulling back, the boy grabbed my wrist and kissed the inside of my forearm, no doubt feeling the cooled metal of the guards beneath the sleeves. Takeshi continued to create a trail down to my palm, his eyes turning up to watch me through my fingers as he blessed my skin softly.

"Shujin-kun is blushing!" The Rain grinned, squeezing my wrist.

"Mmm," I gritted, looking away from the eager smile. "We have to go soon. We need to change."

I felt the lips on my palm stretch further as Takeshi watched me scramble to keep on track, knowing full well he was stepping on my control.

"Okay, Daiki-kun." He breathed against me, pressing a sucking kiss to the flat of my hand before stepping back.

Walking quickly, I shed my first shirt and made a quick grab for the blue top that hung from my chair. Yanking out my belt, I became very aware of the quiet behind me, holes burning into my back as soft breaths accelerated.

"Takeshi-kun," I started, making the boy pause. "Could you...Look away, please?"

"Eh? Do I have to?" He whined, perhaps not seeing the unsteady grip I had on the two ends on my belt.

"Please, love." I breathed, turning my head slightly to allow him to see the soft smile on my face.

"Okay…"

His voice had an airy quality to it, like he had been winded by something, and I made sure to give him a quick kiss afterwards when I was redressed, though he didn't want to let go.

Smoothing out Lambo's sheets, I worried over him for a little while as the sounds of clothes rustling emitted from behind me, Takeshi working his way into a pair of pants and a shirt, both of which belonged to me.

"You know, I wouldn't _mind_ if you tried to peep." Came his blasé suggestion, a huff of amusement leaving me as I replaced the cow doll closer to its owner.

"As tempting as that sounds, my dear, we are on a schedule. I don't think we'll leave here any time near when we need to if I see you in a state of anything less than decent."

"Mm, fair enough." He pouted, before calling for appraisal.

Turning to my fiancé, I tilted my head slightly and smiled, finding a strange satisfaction in him wearing my clothes.

"Ready to go, love?" I asked, watching him wrestle on the black and red 5 jacket he had claimed over one of my white shirts, his fingers wiggling from inside the sleeves as he flailed the extra fabric childishly.

"Wait," He responded, stepping around me and pecking Lambo on the forehead. "Okay, now I am."

Closing the door behind us as we stepped out onto the darkened street, Takeshi threaded his arm through mine as he fell in step.

"I don't know why you like that jacket so much. It's big on me, and pretty much _consumes_ you."

"It's comfy and warm." He huffed, fwipping his free sleeve again to make the point. "But it's lost its smell. It used to smell like you."

"And that's a good thing?" I questioned, raising a halved brow at him.

"Very." The Rain nodded, pressing his nose into my shoulder. "You smell nice."

I gave a low laugh at his behaviour before turning back to the road, the lights of Nami-chuu appearing from behind treetops.

I paused and looked to my partner as I felt him rock slightly, as if his foot had caught on an imperfection in the pavement.

"Whoa, you okay there, love?" I asked, grabbing his arm to stabilise him.

"Huh? Yeah!" He laughed airily. "Just got a bit dizzy all of a sudden, that's all."

"Why? Are you unwell? Is it your shoulder?"

"No, no! I'm fine, shujin-kun." He laughed, a hue on his cheeks.

"You always worry about me. It's cute."

"I worry because I love." I muttered, giving him a quick kiss, though concern still buzzed in the back of my mind.

Taking a deep breath that didn't go unnoticed by my spouse, I prepared myself for whatever tension my reappearance would bring to me. The Rain leant against my shoulder, a subtle reminder that he was there with me, making those last steps a bit easier to take before I had light brown and mint eyes of the Sun and Storm turned on me.

"Hey, Ryohei-kun, Gokudera-san." I greeted, getting a grin from my brother and a scowl from the Italian half-blood.

"I'll part with you here." I sighed, making the young Yamamoto tighten his grip for less than a second.

"I'll be close, so if anything happens, just call for me, okay?" Takeshi gave a noise of confirmation as I planted a quick kiss on him. "Be careful, love."

Nodding sharply, I stepped around my partner as we parted ways, my feet carrying me to the imposing building of Namimori Middle, snatches of loud conversation reaching my ears before being blocked out by thick walls. Absently, I allowed myself to walk through the halls, no real destination in mind, just somewhere I could see the situation unfold.

" _Chattering Herbivore."_

I looked up at the call, blinking slowly as I noticed the heavily shadowed figure of the DC Head lounging in his office chair. His head was facing away from me, instead focused on the arena built especially for him and the Gola Mosca soldier.

"You have an opponent waiting for you down there." I hummed, stepping into the room and dropping down on the couch facing the window.

"Is he any good?" He asked, looking less than interested in the doings of the persistent trespassers.

"He is apparently a very challenging opponent for many." I answered, tailoring my sentence carefully.

"Oh?" Hibari grunted, perking slightly.

"Mhm." I nodded, crossing a knee over the other and leaning back as I watched him get to his feet and walk to the window. "Time to make your appearance, birdy."

Without another word, the Skylark threw himself out the window, his jacket billowing loudly as he fell.

I managed a small smile as I was left alone again, before glancing down and cringing, smile stretching wider as I noticed the erratic shaking of my hands.

Grinning from nervousness. How long had it been since I did that?

…

"What the fuck?" I muttered, squinting through the hazy darkness at the Cloud Grounds. "Is that a _Gatling gun_? I don't remember there being Gatling guns...Hm, my memory must be failing me."

A light breeze came through the open window as I leant against the sill, my blue hoodie coming to collect closer as I listened to the faint voices of the Mafia below, quickly tuning into the Cervello's speech.

" _As well as 8 turrets, which are capable of attacking anything that comes within a radius of 30 metres."_

One of the masked women pulled a handkerchief from within her jacket and balled it up, tossing the material over the barbed fence. The guns activated, following the path of the ball, before the closest of them fired rapidly, loud continuous bangs punctuating the assault.

I blinked blandly as tatters fell to the soil, a small sigh leaving me as I heard the ' _tap' 'tap_ ' of shoes come up behind me- three sets. The four Flames made no move against me, but moved around the room, two straying from the other pair.

"Your job is done. Get away." Ken hissed, a faint grumble coming from Chikusa as he claimed neutrality.

"I want to see this through too." Chrome pressed.

"Tch, keep your distance."

I rolled my eyes before using my hand to wave the little Mist girl over, not turning my eyes away from the Vongola team below, vacant of their Sky. Chrome came to stand beside me, though there was an obvious tension in her form.

"You can stop quivering Baby Bird, I'm not going to attack you." I grunted, hearing the faint squeak of metal as her grip on the trident jumped. "Just calm down and sit."

"Okay." She breathed quietly, a slight nod accompanying it.

Turning my attention back to the Battle, I watched as the two Clouds took the stage, both a safe distance from the guns and each other. I froze suddenly, as I felt small hands push my shoulders, upper body straightening up against the back of my chair before a light weight was dropped in my lap. With wide eyes, I looked to the purple haired illusionist as she tried to balance herself, trident piece over her furthest shoulder as to not poke my eye out.

"Chrome-chan, what are you doing?" I managed out, feeling the stares of Ken and Chikusa.

"Mukuro-sama said that this was the best seating arrangement when around you." She answered, looking up at me with a certainty that only came with her orders.

...I am actually going to kill that boy.

"Are you willing to get off?" I asked, being sure not to scare her any further than the stories and descriptions Mukuro had provided already did.

"Well," She began, looking down. "Mukuro-sama said that I should...and I don't want to go against his decision…"

I gave a long, suffering sigh as she trailed off, her answer clear. Hooking my arm around the young girl's waist, I pulled her back up my lap, feeling her skirt shift as she slid dangerously close to the edge.

"Tell Mukuro-san that if he keeps being mean to me, I'll bully him." I huffed, loosening my hold and turning pointedly to the scene below.

"Ah...okay."

Next time I bloody see that boy I am going to throw him at Hibari.

Speaking of…

I looked on in interest as the Gola Mosca robot tore through its pants and blasted off, small fires and heat haze propelling it forwards towards the frowning Skylark. A large, metallic hand rose and hollow fingers shot bullets, the Cloudy teen stancing himself as the rapid fire failed to land. The Skylark snapped into motion, the distilled dirt acting as cover for him as he dashed about the area, his expression unchanging. Hibari burst from the smoke tonfa first and landed a brutal stroke on the Mosca's head, another one coming to rip the arm from the machine, blunt force making the metal give out. Electrical sparks shone through the dust and smoke of the arena, the Skylark's jacket billowing grandly behind him as he came out of his swing.

I huffed as the Mosca groaned dangerously before a ball of flames engulfed it, making me narrow my eyes, wondering just what blew up. The destruction didn't harm the Nono within, his Flame unaffected for the most part, but still weak and small as he was before.

Hibari pieced the two parts of the Cloud Ring together and scrutinised it, before tossing the band as a Cervello woman, a look of disinterest on his face.

" _Here, I don't need it."_

A small snicker fell from my lips as the pink haired arbiter juggled the Ring, still stunned by what she had witnessed. My smile dropped quickly, however, as Hibari turned his attention on the seated Xanxus, memory telling me that this building was no longer a safe haven for any observers.

"Ken-kun, Chikusa-san, Chrome-chan," I called, making the Kokuyo trio look to me. "We're going down to their level. Now."

"Huh? Why?" The cartridge user grunted, but followed as his friends did.

I didn't answer but knew they trusted my decision, more or less.

The sounds of gunfire reached us through the thick walls as we descended the building, a tension growing in my spine as I tried to calculate how long we had left to evacuate the halls. My lower lip came under assault as the sounds shifted, my head tilting as my mind conjured the image of missiles or torpedoes rather than bullets.

Gola Mosca was functioning again. We need to get out.

Speeding up my walk, I heard the others follow suit as we crossed the final distance, Chikusa closing the doors behind us politely before ducking sharply, shards of glass falling from broken windows. Giving a sigh of relief, I covered my head with my metal wrapped forearm and began jogging around the perimeter, hearing the shouts of the Vongola.

" _A compressed particle cannon!?"_

" _He's shooting everything at random! Wasn't Daiki-kun and the Mist in there!?"_

" _Huh- Oh, shit!"_

Laughter took the air as Xanxus stood amongst the flaming carnage, my feet carrying me to the edge of the battlefield before the Kokuyo stopped behind me.

" _Well, ain't this a cryin' shame!?"_ Cackled the wrathful Sky, my eyebrow raising at his behaviour.

"Shit, this guy's got a few screws loose!" Ken gawked, taking in the disaster zone that was the Namimori field.

" _Can anybody see the fucking giant!?"_

" _Oh God, oh God, Daiki-kun you son of a-"_

"Hey!" I called, cutting Ryohei off half cuss. "Don't bring my mother into this!"

"I knew it!" Gokudera yelled, the three turning to us as we ran over to join them in the rubble.

"He's like a cockroach, he never dies!"

"I resent that." I huffed, before finding myself on the receiving end of a bone crushing vice grip.

Looking down, I was greeted with a mop of dark hair, a soft sigh escaping me as I wrapped my arms around Takeshi and rubbed his back. The Vongola Storm rolled his eyes at the action, but made no comment against it, a small mercy for the clinging Rain.

"That wasn't funny, Daiki-kun." He mumbled into my collar.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'll be faster next time I'm in collapsing building." Came my apology, quickly pressing a kiss to the top of his head and swaying us slightly.

"That guy had no interest in the Battles, he only wanted to cause an incident to wipe us out." Gokudera scowled, turning his glare onto the grinning Mafia man. "That's why he provoked Hibari-san."

"That's low." Ryohei gritted.

I nodded in agreement before looking to my partner, the boy having collected himself but stuck close to my side as he sent the Varia an acidic look. Turning my attention to the field, I grimaced when I saw the state of Hibari, his body unsteady as he stood.

"We need to get Hibari-san out of there." I grunted, unravelling myself from the Rain.

"But the guns go off for anything within 30 metres!"

"I kn- _Chrome-chan!?"_

My eyes widened as I saw the Mist girl run past and onto the minefield, a strike of cold fear hit my chest as she paused, the beep of warning ringing high in my ears. Her expression was one of confused shock as she stared down at the hidden explosive, not entirely sure what she had stepped on. Ken and Chikusa were the first to move, their figures blurring past as they took off, their combined efforts sending the trio flying away just as the detonation completed.

Gola Mosca and a Gatling gun followed their trail, my eyes snapping between the two, before I shook my head and made my decision.

The ' _whirr'_ of mechanical parts made me tense and run forwards, the Gatling gun my target as I ran onto the minefield. I didn't give myself time to realise just how dumb this was as I approached it fast, beeps following my all the way as loud detonations burst from the ground where I was seconds before. Speeding up my sprint, I gritted my teeth as I kicked off the ground and nailed the mechanical gun with the sole of my foot. The metal groaned before giving out, barrel in disarray and rotator ajar as scraps crunched underfoot and splayed across the dirt floor.

A burst of heat bathed the grounds, making me huff in relief. Looking over my shoulder, I schooled my expression as a wall of Sky Flames concealed the Kokuyo trio and the newly arrived Vongola Decimo, a smile trying to pull at my lips at the sight.

"Thank you for that, Yamaguchi-san." A Hyper Dying Will Mode Tsuna breathed lowly, looking to me with eyes ablaze.

"They're my guests," I hummed, shrugging my shoulders. "You think I'd let them get hurt? You insult me."

A quiet laugh escaped him, his eyes closing for a split second, before he returned to the matter at hand.

"I'll leave them to you then."

"Sawada-san," I called, making him pause. "Be careful with that Mosca, it's a hardy thing."

The Mafia boy nodded at me in understanding, before I tilted my head and smiled slightly.

"Off you go, Little Fish."

Tsuna kicked off the ground and returned to battle, prompting me to snap around to his Family in the line of fire.

"Chrome-chan, Ken-kun, Chikusa-san, on your feet!" I roared, startling them into action. "You too, Hibari-san!"

The Skylark grunted before fleeing the middle of the field, flanked by the Kokuyo. Watching them until they reached the rest of the Vongola party, I glanced at the figure of Xanxus, a kind of smile on my face. Wine eyes paused before snapping to me, feeling my stare, an eyebrow raising upon contact.

' _That's a very interesting Cloud you've got there.'_ I flared, not concerned about being struck by any shots.

' _He is a bit...unstable at times.'_ The wrathful Sky shrugged, still acting innocent, though his Flames betrayed him.

' _I can see that.'_ Came my crackle, eyes shifting to follow the streaks of fire in the sky. ' _He's very human like...even has two Flames.'_

I gave a smile that was all teeth as I dropped my gaze and looked to him, watching and feeling as fear, confusion and an overpowering anger drenched whatever connection we shared.

' _That's no way to treat an elderly, Xanxus-san.'_ I mouthed, my Flames scorching the message into his mind before I turned and ran to the group.

"Yamaguchi Daiki!" The Varia Sky roared aloud, booming laughter leaving me as I ran, ignoring the confused and panicked expressions that crossed the Vongola team.

"Bro, what did you do?" Ryohei asked as I came to a stop beside him.

"Oh, you know, pissed the guy off." I snickered, making him shake his head at me.

Our attentions shifted immediately, the sounds of nearby explosions bringing us to watch as Tsuna made three quick jumps backwards to avoid being shot at point blank by Mosca's missiles.

Okay, while he's doing that, let's get some damage control done.

Turning away from the scene, I looked to Hibari, the Skylark looking worse for wear. He was looking at the HDWM boy with consideration, making me sigh as I pitied the future beatings that would befall the poor Tsuna.

"Birdy," I called, making him slowly look away. "C'mere, let's get you fixed up."

Hibari looked less than pleased at the proposal, but slinked over anyway, his jacket dropping from his shoulders and I placed my hands on the vacated area. He shifted slightly as a buzzing warmth spiderwebbed along his skin, our connection taking on a faint golden glow as I concentrated on the damage.

Sooth and sew the muscle, stitch the skin, smooth the nerves, repair the capillaries and veins…

Giving a breath, I removed my hands and reached into my pocket, handkerchief coming to pat away the dirt that had gathered on his face.

"Any discomfort? Anything I missed?" I asked, cleaning his palms.

"No." He grunted, letting me move replace his jacket after beating out the dust.

"He defeated that monster! Daiki-kun, look!" Ryohei cheered, yanking at my jacket in his enthusiasm.

I flailed to find my footing, the tugging nearly making me topple. Giving a huff, I batted off his hands and straightened myself out, turning to look to the battle between Tsuna and the Gola Mosca machine. A grimaced, before schooling my expression, watching with a forced apathy as the Vongola Sky raised his flaming hand, preparing to bring it down on the assailant.

"Somebody was inside?!" Gokudera spluttered, watching the bound figure of the Vongola Ninth fall from within the welded open metal shell.

I fought back a wince as I viewed the pathetically small Flame that flickered within the Boss' core, the small ember desperately clinging onto life like someone had put a glass over it. How Timoteo was surviving with his Flame in such a state was beyond me.

Tsuna quickly kneeled beside the beaten form, disbelief painting his expression as Reborn landed beside him, first aid kit in hand, though I knew it would do the Vongola no good with the state he was in. When the Arcobaleno stated this, Tsuna gaped openly before jolting and spinning around. I froze as panicked eyes landed on me.

"Yamaguchi-san! You can heal people right? Please!"

Heal the Vongola Ninth? But that wasn't what happened in the canon...Should I? Was it allowed?

My feet were moving before my mind caught up, the sudden bullet that shot the ground before my toes being what brought me back to reality.

"I will not let you touch him." Xanxus growled, his X Guns in hand.

" _Tsunayoshi-kun..."_

All eyes snapped to Timoteo in that instant, and I shook my head to clear it. Pushing off the ground, I ran the rest of the distance, quickly dropping to the ground beside the damaged man and helping Reborn unlatch his bonds. While the Mafia man spoke to the heir, I moved my hands along his body, my Flames dancing around as they tried to do what they could, the Sky's Flame still waning dangerously.

Physical damage, I could handle to an extent, but death by exhaustion was still very much in the cards. If the state of this man's body and psyche was any indication, I would have fully expected any normal being to have expired by now. The sunshine in my core lit up desperately as it cranked up its efforts, working to make this body livable again.

What was I doing? Saving Timoteo? No, I knew he would live. Then why was I so hell bent on making sure he wouldn't pass?

Oh yeah…

I looked to Takeshi, the way his left arm hung awkwardly burning my heart.

"Cause I'm not sure of anything anymore." I breathed, making Reborn look to me quickly.

"What's the verdict, Yamaguchi-san?" He grunted.

"I'm not all that experienced in healing, despite what Sawada-san may think, but I've done my best. Exhaustion of both his Flame and the rest of his systems seem to be the most likely cause of death from here. He's in a pretty bad state. Hospitalisation is unavoidable." I rattled off, feeling the sluggish pulse of the old man.

"Doesn't sound like you're inexperienced." The Arcobaleno commented, but accepted my statements. "We'll need to move him then?"

"As soon as we can." I nodded, before pausing as the Boss slowly raised his hand.

"That brow of yours, perpetually furrowed as you pray with trembling fists...That is why I chose you as Vongola Tenth." Timoteo groaned, before dropping his pointer onto Tsuna's forehead, a light radiating faintly.

There were a few seconds of still silence, the Vongola Decimo's eyes glazed as he stared at nothingness, before he jolted awake. The Ninth's fingertip erupted into a fickle Flame, a display to the heir, before it began to fade.

The small pique in Flame activity, however, was enough for me to latch onto, my attention directed to the tinder in his core. My own Flames hooked onto that space and began to stoke it carefully, waving energy over the embers to keep them active until another source could replace me. It was a draining exercise, my sunshine almost at its limit, but days of Lambo's own state had tutored me well in how to deal with this.

"How dare you do this to him? I take your cowardly act towards Vongola Ninth as a challenging to his son, Xanxus, and the noble spirit of the Vongola itself." The Varia declared, face set in deathly seriousness, betrayed only by the foul flickering if his Flames.

I gritted my teeth against my rising temper and instead focused on at least stabilising the elderly Mafioso, coaxing his Sky to stay within reasonable radiance. My Sun gave wordless encouragement as I checked his body over for anything I had missed, be it a bruise or a break. Closing my eyes, I breathed out and called the visage of Flames forth, looking past my own to examine the progress.

"We ask that you refrain from idle speculation." A Cervello woman declared, cutting through Reborn's monologue.

"We are recording everything being said here." Her twin continued.

"Then you can record that I said 'fuck you'." I huffed, the others having similar opinions to my own of the pink haired women's statements.

"It doesn't matter what I say," Reborn breathed, his Flame simmering under his skin and putting me on edge. "Since it's all up to my battle hating student."

I looked to Tsuna carefully, noticing just how calmly he was breathing, an unexpected reaction to what was happening around him. Slowly, he got to his feet, eyes still shadowed with tension as his fists clenched at his sides.

"Xanxus-san," He started suddenly, voice heavy as if he were channelling his Flames. "I'll be taking that Ring back. I won't-"

The Vongola boy paused, his teeth gritting before he turned to the wrathful man, determination clear on his face.

"I won't let you succeed Vongola Ninth."

A cruel smirk took the scarred man's lips at that, his eyebrow cocked in amusement.

"I'll make sure the history books mention the foolish twerp who defied Xanxus by himself."

"He's not alone!" Gokudera snapped, bombs ready to go as he glared down the Varia man. "The Boss' will..."

Chrome stepped forth, her trident at full length and strength. Ryohei bared his teeth and raised his fists.

"Is our will!" Takeshi finished, and though he had no weapon, he managed to match the others well.

"And my own." Hibari grunted, brandishing his tonfa.

There was a definite pause, an unspoken cue for another declaration. It caused a heavy weight of irritation on my mind as I realised the pointed attention, my fists clenching as I breathed deeply.

Will I stand by the Vongola? No.

Will I stand by Takeshi, Ryohei, Lambo, Hibari, Chrome, Mukuro, Gokudera and Tsuna?

I didn't bother with the side eye Reborn sent me, the expectant look in his eye making me want to kick in his oversized head. Gritting my teeth, I gave a long, quiet sigh before I slowly got to my feet, stepping around the prone body of the Ninth and positioning myself behind the smaller boy.

"Can't leave these guys alone for a minute, can I?" I huffed, watching him spin around with wide eyes.

Xanxus snorted at our display, wine landing on me with open amusement.

' _This is the trash you've chosen to follow? Rather unimpressive.'_

' _Honestly, Xanxus-san,'_ I crackled, directing a bland look at the smirking Sky. ' _I find this temper tantrum of yours_ _very_ _unimpressive.'_


	27. Chapter 27

**Word Count: 10,350**

* * *

 _I didn't bother with the side eye Reborn sent me, the expectant look in his eye making me want to kick in his oversized head. Gritting my teeth, I gave a long, quiet sigh before I slowly got to my feet, stepping around the prone body of the Ninth and positioning myself behind the smaller boy._

" _Can't leave these guys alone for a minute, can I?" I huffed, watching him spin around with wide eyes._

 _Xanxus snorted at our display, wine landing on me with open amusement._

' _This is the trash you've chosen to follow? Rather unimpressive.'_

' _Honestly Xanxus-san,' I crackled, directing a bland look at the smirking Sky. 'I find this temper tantrum of yours_ _very_ _unimpressive.'_

* * *

I gritted my teeth as I ran my hand down the length of Takeshi's side, being mindful of his shoulder as he laid curled up next to me, leg thrown over my own in a bid to keep me anchored. He had a slight furrow to his brow, showing he was thinking of the battle only hours before. Sighing, I moved to kiss the crinkle on his forehead, the action starting him out of his trance.

"Huh?"

"You'll get wrinkles prematurely if you keep that face." I breathed, brushing the rise of his cheek with my thumb. "Don't worry about it too much, it'll all turn out fine."

"Hmm," The smaller boy hummed, shifting closer and dropping his head in the crook my neck. "You sound so sure."

"I am." Came my retort, the tired smile that came to my spouse's face making me press a kiss on his cheek.

"Sleep, love. We have a long day tomorrow." I urged, clicking off the lamp beside my bed and drawing him in close.

"Mmm..."

Giving a long breath, I relaxed as the room fell quiet again, the sounds of Lambo and Takeshi breathing soothing my nerves. My fingers gently rubbed a continuous circle in the short hairs at the base of the Rain's skull, the action not entirely conscious as I let my mind wander, sleep not coming to me.

' _This is the trash you've chosen to follow? Rather unimpressive.'_

Follow? Have I chosen to follow?

I frowned, the word not feeling right. No, no, I wasn't _following._ I was _watching after._

My attitude felt more like I was watching a child walk about the house, keeping them in my line of vision at all times in case they tripped and hit their head in their newly achieved tottering. Yes, these teens were still very much new and wide eyed to this world, and I was not the least bit okay with letting them wander through it without someone looming nearby.

They weren't something I could disregard as I had intended to, not truly. I could never completely cut them out of my sight without them in the back of my mind, wondering if one of them had stumbled in a room at the far end of the hall.

A huff of amusement left me as the realisation came to mind, my eyes trailing down to look to my fiancé, almost jumping when I saw mocha staring back at me intently.

"Hypocritical Daiki-kun." He muttered, carefully bopping my nose with his own.

"Disobedient Takeshi-kun." I hummed back.

The Vongola Rain observed me for a few beats, his eyes examining me in consideration, head coming to tilt after a moment.

"You're hairs grown longer." Takeshi commented, reaching and grabbing a lock of blue, twisting it around his finger thoughtfully. "You sort of look like a girl."

My heart lurched as my mind reeled, all the while somehow showing no real outward reaction.

"Am I a pretty girl?" I managed, amusement tailored into the question.

"I'd love Daiki-kun as anything!" He chirped, smiling unabashed.

I paused, eyes widening ever so slightly at the praise, and unexpected warmth swelling in my chest as I repeated the words in my head. A smile broke onto my face against my will, a taint no doubt colouring my cheeks as I pressed my nose into Takeshi's clavicle.

"Thank you, love."

"You're welcome." Came the hummed response, a bit of confusion lacing the pleased sound, like he wasn't expecting such a reaction.

"Wait," I said suddenly, pulling my head back up. "Does that mean you'd love me as a dog?"

"Of course! I'd spoil you completely rotten!" He laughed, previous perplexity abolished at the jump of topic.

"The average dog's life span is 12 to 13 years. A human's is 79." I blinked, useless information surfacing. "You'd live roughly 67 years without me."

Takeshi's face twisted at that, his head moving to smother into my cheek.

"Nooo." He whined, the sound channelling straight into my ear as the side of my face was poked by his nose. "No sad thoughts in the bed."

A low chuckle left me as he complained quietly, muttering about how he needed to hug Mephisto because of me now.

Pressing a kiss on him, I wrapped my arm tighter and pulled the leg thrown over my own higher, hooking it over my hip. A pleased hum escaped him from my doings, his smiled coming to imprint on my lips as we settled contently.

"Will you sleep now?" I asked, making illogical designs along the expanse of his thigh.

"I should be asking you that."

"I'll sleep if you do." Came my compromise.

He nodded at that, tightening his leg's hold on me as he burrowed deeper into my front.

"Good night, love."

"Mmm, good night, shujin-kun."

…

I winced as I teetered unsurely on my feet, hand coming to press against the blackboard in front of me as I tried to stabilise myself. My knees shook slightly as they fought to stay strong against my weight, my brow furrowing as I clamped my eyes shut in attempts to clear my blurred gaze.

"Yamaguchi-san, is something wrong?" The teacher asked, a sudden reminder that the whole of the class had been watching me write up an answer on the board.

"Yeah. Yeah, just got a little light headed. Sorry." I responded, waving off someone's question of concern as I quickly scratched up the last of the sentence.

Dropping the chalk, I began to walk back to my desk, a slight shake in my walk that I noticed immediately. As I placed my hand on my table, I tried to think back to see if I had eaten anything bad or come into contact with a sick person, only to widen my eyes as my legs lost strength.

Familiar hands grabbed me before I could hit the ground, the usual volume of the Vongola Sun unhelpful as my ears began to ring with a throbbing headache.

"Uh, could I be excused to the infirmary?" I managed, looking to the startled teacher who nodded quickly.

"Sasagawa-san, take Yamaguchi-san to the nurse's office, quickly."

"Yes, sir." He responded, before throwing my arm over his shoulder and all but dragging me out of the room.

As we walked, I slowly found my feet, but couldn't take much of my weight off Ryohei, confusion slipping through my headache as I wondered where the sudden ailment had come from.

"Ryohei-kun, stop…"

"You aren't getting rid of me that easily, Daiki-kun. Something is wrong with you and-"

"No, I mean: stop, I'm about to throw up!"

"Oh, shit!"

Ryohei quickly guided me over to a bin and stepped back as I promptly regurgitate my insides, eyes widening as a metallic tang came to my tongue.

"Holy- Is that blood!?"

I had no time to answer as any attempt at breathing only brought on another round of hurling. Vaguely, I heard Ryohei talking to a teacher who had come out to see the ruckus, her worried voice making my head throb.

"Yeah, we're going to the infirmary now." He explained, coming to rub my back as I coughed with a raw throat.

I cringed as my teeth met with gritty friction, stomach acids eating at enamel. My brother Sun carefully coaxed me from the bin, the teacher calling for the janitor, and led me on down the hall.

We made it to Shamal's office without any further misadventures, my remaining stomach contents staying put out of pure will power. Not bothering to knock as I usually would, I threw the rolling door aside and stumbled in.

"Ah, this isn- Oh, it's just you." The Nami nurse grumbled, retrieving his porno magazine.

"Sensei, Daiki-kun's EXTREMELY sick!"

"Dude, please." I groaned, dropping face first on a cot.

"Sorry, I don't treat guys." Shamal shrugged, slumped lazily in his wheely chair.

"But you're the school nurse! It's your job TO THE EXTREME!"

My stomach gave a sickly gurgle as I pushed off my shoes as sluggishly squirmed under the thin covers, a long sigh scratching my throat as I sank into the pillow.

"Ryohei-kun, I'll be fine." I coughed, mouth tasting of bile.

"But-"

"Bro," I forced a laugh. "I probably just need to sleep it off. Maybe I ate something shifty."

"Go back to class kid, I'll watch 'im at least." The Mafia doctor dismissed, flipping to another feature page.

The boxer narrowed his eyes at me for a moment, before slowly nodding and retreating from the infirmary with the promise of returning at break. I smiled weakly at his back before relaxing into the mattress.

There were a few ticks of silence, only disturbed by the turn of pages, before Shamal turned to me finally a slight frown on his face.

"How sick are we talking here, Yamaguchi-chan?" He asked, getting up off his ass and looking my complexion over.

"Uh...I threw up blood?" I supplied unsurely, before wincing as my stomach contracted and I felt the need to hurl again.

"Hm," The Nami nurse hummed, reaching to feel my pulse and temperature. "I'm gonna take a bit of blood from you, okay?"

"Sure- Wait, are you allowed to do that?"

"As a school nurse? No. As a black market doctor? Still no, but I will anyway."

I gave a quiet laugh at his blasé response, glass and metal clinking against each other as he sorted through his pieces. Removing my jacket, I threw it over my sheets as an extra layer, feeling myself begin to cool unbearably, and pulled my sleeve up, allowing the doctor to insert his needle into the crook of my inner elbow. With a syringe full of deep red, Shamal observed it in the light with a hum.

"I'll get this sample checked out, but it'll take a bit. Why don't you nap for a while? Take your binder off, I'll close your curtains."

"Okay, sounds good." I nodded, stripping myself of my many layers and working my way out of the restricting garb.

"Here, a painkiller for your stomach. There's a bucket next to your bed, try not to fill it up too fast." He huffed, handing me two tablets and a paper cup.

Making a noise of gratitude, I swallowed the pills and water, wincing as my stomach lurched, leaning slightly towards the bucket just in case.

Shamal took three large steps back.

I rolled my eyes before tossing my empty cup at him, the Mafia doctor catching and crumpling it easily. Shoving the black binder under my pillow, I donned the rest of my shirts and slid further down the bed until I could lay comfortably, a slight groan sounding from my stomach.

"Get some rest kid, you look like shit, in all truth." Shamal hummed, undoing the curtains.

"Gee, thanks for the compliment."

"Anytime, Yama-chan."

As the white shroud surrounded me, I sighed and rolled onto my side, blankets drawn to my chin as I shivered slightly.

I didn't recall eating anything bad recently, and I hadn't come in contact with anyone especially ill. So my sudden ailment was a bit of a shock to me, the severity adding to the surprise.

Oh God, people were going to talk now. My entire class had seen me pretty much collapse, not to mention that one teacher who saw me puke up my guts in the hall bin.

A long sigh escaped me as I closed my eyes and tried to divert my attention, the flicker of many familiar Flames flashing against the inkiness of my eyelids.

No doubts Takeshi and the others will hear of this...I'll get no rest in the break if they have their way.

…

" _Where is he? Is he okay!?"_

I jolted awake as the voice cut through my dream, the curtains surrounding my bed being ripped open only seconds after. My eyes widened in confusion as I laid eyes on the familiar woman, slightly in disarray as if she had run over.

"Kaa-san?" I croaked, cringing at the taste of my mouth and the rustiness of my vocals.

"Daiki-kun, are you okay? I got a call from a teacher that you were rushed to the infirmary!" Kaede gasped, coming over to my bedside and cupping my face with her hands.

"I'm fine kaa-san, just a bit of a stomach bug."

"A-are you sure?" She asked, looking me over and feeling my forehead.

"Yeah," I smiled, carefully pushing myself to sit up. "See? I'm fi-"

My stomach dropped along with the sheets, the sudden reminder that I had removed my binder going off in my mind as my shirt was pulled taut over a female's anatomy. The breath beside me stopped for a moment, before a heavy exhale punctuated the next movement.

Kaede whipped around and attempted the throw the gap in the curtains shut, but the figure of the Mafia doctor stopped her progress, his arm held up to hinder the material.

"Now, now, Kaede-chan~!" He laughed, pushing forwards until her knees hit my cot. "I need to keep an eye on Yamaguchi-chan here, in case he gets worse, so don't close the curtains?"

I frowned as leant forwards, narrowing my eyes at the Nami nurse as he intimidated my mother.

"Oh, c'mon little cutie, I wasn't going to hurt her!" He pouted, before stepping out of the way of an amateur swipe.

"Kaa-san!" I shouted, grabbing her waist as she flailed at the doctor. "Kaa-san stop!"

"Why does he know!? Why does he know!? _Why does he know!?"_

I winced as the question reached a pitch, an elbow digging into my breast brutally and purposefully.

"Because he's a womaniser who can bloody _smell_ a female across the block!" I snapped, cradling my chest as it screamed at me.

"Aw, you make me blush." Shamal cooed, before looking to my heaving mother.

"I've known for a while Kaede-chan. I've been treating Yamaguchi-chan ever since." He explained, before rummaging through his desk.

"Shamal-sensei has recommended that I stop taking testosterone supplements." I muttered, seeing the worn bottle in his hand.

"H-huh!? But," My mother spun to face me. "You've been taking your pills every day! I've seen you!"

I opened my mouth before dropping my gaze, gripping my sheets as I cringed against her expression.

"Contraception," Shamal spoke instead. "' _The pill'_ as its more commonly known as."

Kaede almost convulsed at that, her eyes accusing and abusing as she looked down at me.

"Are you and Takeshi-kun-?"

" _No!"_ I yelled, face ablaze. "Takeshi-kun doesn't know!"

"Then why are you on a _whore pill!?"_

My eyes widened at that, like a cold wash of water had been dropped on me.

"The pills Yamaguchi-chan is taking have a lower dosage of oestrogen and progesterone," Shamal began, drawing away Kaede's attention. "This can actually lighten periods, reduce menstrual cramps and lessen acne breakouts."

"You're giving him _oestrogen!?_ He needs testosterone, you-"

"Kaa-san!" I snapped, making her freeze. "I'm already big compared to other guys naturally. Calm down."

"How can I be calm!? I get a call that you've gotten sick all of a sudden, then I find out that some school nurse is pumping my boy with oestrogen!"

"This school nurse sewed me back up after the Watanabe heir trials. This school nurse kept the fact that I am a female secret despite there being no benefit to him. This _school nurse_ is perhaps the _only_ reason I've survived as long as I have!"

 _Bang!_

I stared with wide eyes at the wall as my cheek stung and burnt, head snapped to the side from the force.

"How _dare_ you talk to your mother like that!?" Kaede hissed, her hand still holding the end of its arc.

"Do _not_ come home tonight. Not with that attitude."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked out, slamming the door behind her in a huff.

"Wow, wow," Shamal whistled, looking at the rattling panel. "Never took Kaede-chan as one to have a temper."

"Yeah," I muttered, touching the hot skin carefully. "She doesn't look like one, does she?"

"You didn't need to do that." Shamal grumbled after a moment, handing me another cup of water.

"You don't deserve to be talked to that way. You've been nothing but help to me." I breathed, accepting the piece and taking a soothing gulp.

"Sorry about my mother, she's not always like that."

"Hmm, you give me too much credit." He huffed lightly, dropping back down into his chair. "I've had worse responses, you forget that I'm Mafia."

I made a low note before wincing, regretting the force of the rumble as I grabbed the pail beside the bed and regurgitate a mixture of water and acids. A grimace painted my face as bile coated my tongue in a bitter sour grime.

"Here," Shamal sighed, shoving yet another cup of liquid at me, though this time it was pigmented. "Rinse and spit."

"I thought you were a doctor, not a dentist." I grunted, bathing my mouth in the peppermint wash.

"I have a wide range of talents."

"I guess charming the ladies isn't one of them."

"Says the one who keeps coming back."

"I come to get my holes sewn shut, thanks."

The Mafia doctor snorted before chucking out the disposable kitchenware, a sigh leaving him as he ran his hand through his hair.

"The results have come back about your blood test."

"Already? Damn, that's fast." I blinked, watching him smirk as his ego inflated just a bit more.

"The black market moves faster without the paperwork the white deals with." He snickered, before pulling out a sheet of paper and reading off it.

"Heavy arsenic poisoning."

" _Arsenic?"_ I repeated, astonishment clear. "When the fuck could I have come in contact with arsenic?"

"Well," He hummed, trailing his finger along the text. "Ingestion is theist likely cause for such high concentrations that you have in your blood. You must have eaten or drunk a very big quantity at some point- though, the fact that you didn't immediately drop dead suggests that you were exposed to it over a span of time."

"Of course, there's always the factor of your Sun Flame. That's probably working overtime to keep you steady. Which poses the question: why react so badly _now?"_

I looked at him for a moment, before sighing as I realised just why I was in this state.

"I used up almost all my Flame yesterday. I'm not very good at healing wounds that I can't see, but I tried my best to fix the Ninth. There was a lot to do, and I may have pushed myself too far."

"Mhm, that would do it." Shamal nodded.

"So, we're going to do some quick and thorough bowel irrigation and a whole crap of blood transfusions."

"But the Sky-"

"I would say if I were a normal doctor." He cut off, before fiddling with his drawers.

I blinked as he pulled out a phone from the top drawer, flipping it open and tapping away before bringing it to his ear.

" _Ciao_ Bianchi-chan~!" He sang, spinning in his chair a little.

"Oh, don't be like that! I didn't just call to hear your bell of a voice! I was wondering if you could do me a little favour as my beloved?"

There were a few minutes of pause, the doctor listening to the Italian woman on the other end.

"...Well, she hung up, we're doing it a different way."

I snorted slightly at that, watching him place his phone away dejectedly. He stood and stretched before yanking his briefcase out from under the desk, unclipping it and fiddling with the line up of mosquito containing pills.

"Your trident mosquitos counteract illnesses. I don't think they'll do any good against-"

"No, these are just normal pills. I _am_ a doctor." He hummed, grabbing capsules with thoughtful hums. "Though, I do have a few Flame tampering pills. They're always fun and useful."

I didn't want to know why they were fun.

"We'll give you a couple laxatives to flush your system...Then we'll, hm, we'll use this to see if we can boost those Sun Flames of yours."

I grimaced at the idea of the laxatives, but accepted the two pills, one white and the other a pale yellow.

"The yellow one is for your Flame. Now, I would tell you to go home before you pop either, but seeing as you've been dog housed, you can use the staff one behind there." Shamal pointed to a door hidden behind a curtain, like he didn't want anyone to see it.

"Just, do me a small mercy and open the window?"

I rolled my eyes to high heaven before pushing past, white pill sitting on my tongue and down my throat by the time I had entered the small room.

" _I hope you have games on your phone! Maybe internet!?"_

"Shut up!"

…

I paused as a bottle of cologne as tossed at me, catching it in both hands as I blinked at the doctor.

"It's almost lunch. I don't think you wanna smell like a bathroom when your boyfriend comes to hug you."

"Ah." I deadpanned, but squirted myself in acceptance.

"What is this?" I asked, sniffing my sleeve. "It smells pretty good."

" _Versace Eros."_ He replied, heavily accenting the name with an Italian tongue.

"Huh, cool- Wait." I inhaled the scent again, frowning slightly. "How much was this?"

"Guess." The Mafioso challenged, resting his cheek on his fist.

My eyebrow raised at that, before competitive nature set in, my nose sharpening as I tried to pick apart the individual fragrances and guess their value.

"Hm...I'd round to...maybe, ¥10,000?"

Shamal gave a long whistle at that, his brows raised.

"Damn kid, you're good. Almost spot on. ¥9,954, but I bought it with euro in Italy."

" _Shit_ , 9,954!?" I wheezed, before chucking the blue bottle back at the underground doctor, not wanting that much money in my literal hands.

The Mist man gave a laugh as he caught and hid away the cologne, waving off my manner with his hand.

"Anyway, have you taken the yellow pill yet?"

"Yeah," I nodded, situating myself in my cot again. "Before I came out of the bathroom."

"Good, good, let your Will work its magic." He hummed, before perking in remembrance.

"Ah yeah, while you were in there, your buddy came and dropped off your stuff. Eat your lunch and get something in your stomach before you sleep, okay?"

I blinked, leaning over the side of my bed. A small smile found its way to my face as I pulled my bag onto my lap, a little note from Ryohei crammed inside.

' _Oi, that dude better be taking care of you or I'll be EXTREMELY unhappy! Get some sleep, okay bro?"_

A low laugh left me at that, before I pulled out my bento box and began filling my emptied guts, a frown working its way as I did.

I shouldn't have done that to Kaede. She was worried about me, anyone could see that, and then I told her off for it. I'd freak out too if I found out someone I didn't know or trusted was giving Lambo pills, especially if it was out of their jurisdiction to do so. And to top it off, I was sick. As far as she was aware, Shamal's tamperings could have been what _made_ me sick.

Sighing quietly, I pressed my hand to my face and grimaced, mentally preparing myself for the music waiting for me tonight. Not that I probably didn't deserve it. Don't get me wrong, I was _fully_ aware that I did _not_ deserve to get slapped, but another approach would have been just as effective.

I looked up from my palm as the bell rung through the school, my eyes widening as I quickly placed my bento aside and scrambled to work on my binder. Just as I was fixing my buttons back, the door was slammed open and bodies poured in, loud and rambunctious.

"Bro, are you still alive!?"

"Of course he is, he's a cockroach!"

"Eh, Gokudera-kun please…"

"Daiki-kun, are you okay!?" Takeshi asked, trampling over to my bed side.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bug." I smiled, gripping the hand that threaded with mine.

"That's _some_ bug," The Storm scoffed, stepping up beside his fellow Guardian. "Turf-top wouldn't shut up about how you puked up blood."

"No, no, I just ate something red before." I lied, the instant narrowing of my spouse's eyes telling me I had been caught.

"Don't lie, shujin-kun." He ordered.

I looked to him for a moment, tilting my head slightly.

"Hypocritical Takeshi-kun."

"Disobedient Daiki-kun."

A smile came after the words, only slight, before I stiffened as Shamal pulled out the sheet.

"Yamaguchi-chan here has got a rather severe case of arsenic poisoning."

" _What!?"_

I winced as four voices harmonised, all of the present Vongola sharing a reaction. Eyes of varying colour stabbed into me as I looked to Shamal with a fire, his lazy shrug making me want to punch him _real_ good.

"Apparently, the amounts in him were fatal- probably the reason he almost passed in the middle of class." He tacked on absently, making the boys react quite badly.

"Anyway, he's been ingesting doses of it over the past couple weeks, at least. Though, Yamaguchi-san doesn't seem to recollect ever coming in contact with such a thing."

"Wait, did you treat him? Why? You don't deal with guys!" Gokudera asked, making the doctor smirk.

"His mother is single and ready to min-"

"Finish that sentence." I hissed, narrowing amber-earth at him.

"Hey, hey, who took the blood sample and got you tested?" He warned, wiggling his finger at me.

I bared my teeth at the Mafia man before sinking into the mattress, the action almost sulk like. My hair was smoothed out by the tanned hands of my partner, a worried expression marring his handsome face and making me sigh.

"Oi, you ingested it over a time, yeah? So someone's been poisoning you." Gokudera started, making the people in the room turn to him, unpleased faces showing in response. "Who handles your food often?"

I blinked, a slight frown taking my lips.

"Uh, my mother mostly." I answered, the Mafia people slumping slightly at that.

Wait…

My back became ramrod straight as a flash went through my mind, my lips becoming caught between my teeth as I worried it, doubt and suspicion clashing in my head.

"Well," Came my hesitant mutter, Takeshi looking to me and moving to sit on my cot, his hand sliding along the blankets over my legs. "Well, there is one other person who deals with my meals and such- but I can't imagine that..."

I brought my hand to my lips in thought, a frown of concentration on them as I narrowed my eyes.

Jun often handled my food while I was in the Watanabe house, and outside as well on occasion. He was appointed my Right Hand by the Oyabun and my grandfather for me, rather than of my own choice...But he was _Jun._ Jun didn't poison his friends. Jun didn't go against those he was loyal to. Jun was a tiny little mouse that was too trusting for his own good, scared of everything but willing to point his darts at anything.

Jun couldn't...but maybe the Yakuza in him could.

I rummaged through my bag and pulled forth my phone, flipping the device open and dialled the familiar number.

" _A-ah! Good afternoon, Daiki-d-ah, Daiki-senpai!"_

"Hello, could you do me a quick favour?" I breathed, raising my chin from my hand to look at the far wall with careful blankness.

" _Of course, what is it?"_

"Come to the infirmary immediately, Jun-kun."

The young Rain took a hissed breath between his teeth, recognising the name instantly and his shoulders bunched as his eyes became sharp. The Vongola Sun flickered his gaze at this, a frown coming to his face as he moved to lean against the wall beside my head, looming nearby as comfort.

"Who's Jun-kun?" Tsuna asked, coming closer now that there was more room.

"He's..." Takeshi looked to me for a moment, crawling up to sit at my side when I opened my left arm to him.

"Hayashi Jun is my Right Hand and confidant as the heir to the Watanabe Yakuza." I stated, wrapping my arm around my lover's waist even as he remained sat up.

…

The Vongola Decimo hacked reflexively, choked sputters coming as his Storm remained frozen, slowly computing what had just been said with a bewildered expression, Ryohei staring at me with wide eyes.

"Y-Yakuza…?" The Sky squeaked.

"H-ha. Ha. Ha. Ha!" Gokudera laughed, forced and stiff. "Funny jokes!"

Takeshi snickered at his friends before rolling up my sleeve, revealing the irezumi beneath. He hummed and pampered the design happily, a faint hue colouring his cheeks as he eyed the ave, a quick kiss coming to the cool metal of my guard. I smiled but paid the most attention to the other three boys, equal levels of disbelief on their faces. My thumb moved to absently stroke along the Rain's pulse point, his croon showing he appreciated the gesture.

"Wait, that wasn't there…" The Storm started, making me explain further.

"It's new. Only a couple days old. Sun Flames makes everything faster, funny that."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU EXTREMELY TELL ME, BRO!?" The Sun bellowed, finally coming out of his shocked daze.

I winced and covered the nearly blown ear, grunting in pain as I rubbed feeling back into it.

"Sorry bro, it just never really came up in conversation, I suppose."

"Okay," He grumbled, snagging my collar gently and tugging at it weakly, more like a physical whine than a threat. "We're gonna have a sleep over soon, and you're gonna catch me up on all the shit."

"I will tell you all the beef I have heard." I nodded solemnly, the two of us falling into a slight snicker fest after a moment of silence.

Tsuna opened his mouth before pausing, an expression of thought coming to his face.

"Yamaguchi-san, you asked for Hayashi-san, yes? That must mean you think he poisoned you."

"No," I answered, making them blink. "I have a suspicion, but I still have doubts."

"You really want him to be innocent, huh?" Takeshi asked, seeing my set frown.

"Mmm," I nodded, before sighing and shaking myself out of the solemn daze I was in. "Anyway, Sawada-san, do you believe yourself ready for the Battle tonight? I doubt that Xanxus-san will go easy on you, he's playing for keeps here."

Tsuna's face fell into a determined set, a nod coming as he thinned his lips in dislike for the spoken man. I gave one of my own and inclined my head slightly.

"I have faith all will end well for you, but do try your best."

"Yamaguchi-san?"

I looked to the call and hummed in response, the small Vongola looking hesitant as he continued, a furrow in his brow.

"Are you okay with being here? I understand if you...You don't want anything to do with us. I'd be in the same boat if this were any different- actually, I am like this still." He laughed nervously at the end, rubbing the fluff at the back of his head before mellowing. "But, just know, that we're...We're not going to force you into anything."

My eyes widened as soft, brown orbs turned sure. An expression I recognised, but never thought would be turned on me, coming to the Vongola heir's face as he up at me- and perhaps it was only because I was lying prone on a bed, but the height difference between us seemed so insignificant.

"Reborn-san really wants you to be part of Vongola, but he can't make you do anything. I won't- _We_ won't let him." He rephrased, gesturing to the boys surrounding us.

"So, if you wanna, you know, forget about all of this. We won't hold it against you. It might be the smarter idea, actually." The end was said with a bit of dry mirth, a crooked smile showing.

…

"Jesus Christ," I snorted, a hand coming to cover my face as my shoulders rattled with barely restrained laughter. "When did you grow up so fast, Little Fish?"

The young Sky jolted out of his phase, eyes returning to their wide state as he gawked at the question.

"Look," I sighed, collecting myself and lowering my hand to look at the smaller teen.

"You have my best friend." Ryohei blinked to attention.

"My son." Takeshi laughed slightly as Gokudera blanched.

"And my husband."

I pulled my little lover down to lay as he absolutely glowed, his toothy grin imprinting itself into my neck.

"So, you've got to deal with me too." Came my admission, an unsteady smile coming to my face as I tried to ease Tsuna.

"Yamaguchi-sa-"

" _But!"_ I continued quickly, bringing my pointer up to pause him. "I am in no way your Sun. And you are in no way my Sky. I'm your babysitter, if anything. Not your Guardian."

The Vongola heir blinked owlishly up at me, before his expression softened and a smile stretched his lips, his shoulders loosening as the tension seeped from him.

"Yeah...That sounds about right." He breathed, his Storm glancing between us before submitting to the wishes of his Boss.

"Group hug!" Ryohei roared suddenly, grinning as bright as his title as he snagged a hold of the cranky Storm and dragged him closer.

Tsuna suffered a similar fate at the hands of Takeshi, his Rain snapping him up and disposing on him practically on my lap as arms encircled me from all sides, wide eyed faces looking to each other in varying levels of concern and fear.

It took a moment, but a quiet chuckle fell from my lips, the strong arms and close proximity squeezing out the rest as I submitted to the treatment. I felt a lightness after declaring my place in this mess, the crushing pressure gone as confusion subsided to relief, prompting me to wrap an arm around my spouse and the other around my brother, not even caring as the Storm and the Sky were pressed to my front with the barriers of my limbs gone.

Takeshi and Ryohei both were pressed flush against my shoulders, their arms crossing behind my neck as they used the other to anchor themselves on the small cot, laughter ringing in my ears. Tsuna and Gokudera were caught on my legs, the frames of the other Guardians boxing them in and fixing them on me, Storm and Sky squished to each other as they were crushed to my chest by athletic arms.

Shamal grumbled off to the side about too many teenaged boys, shaking his head as he reclaimed his R rated magazine.

"Oi, fucker…" The Italian bomber grumbled, making me looked down to where he laid scowling, looking away pointedly. "Make sure you drink a fuck tonne of water, and eat like your life depends on it, even if you don't feel like it. Go to the bathroom regularly, and rest a lot."

I blinked, the others having fallen silent as well to listen to the grumpy bastard son.

His irritated scowl grew as he felt the eyes on him, pale cheeks reddening as he tried to ignore them. It didn't take long at all for him to snap, head spinning around and teeth bared as he growled at us.

"For the poison you fucking dumbass!"

"Aw, Gokudera-kun is so sweet!" Takeshi laughed, leaning over me to squish his cheek against a paler one.

"EXTREMELY HELPFUL MY FRIEND! LET ME HUG YOU IN GRATITUDE!"

"Gak! Get off me blockheads!"

Tsuna began to quietly laugh at the chaos, a slight crease in his brow showing faint concern as he tried to avoid his flailing Storm. A smile broke my lips as I was crushed beneath the weight, my eye catching the Sky's for less than a second before I turned it away.

" _My, my, Daiki-kun. I thought you said you had a fiancé, not a harem."_

I jolted and looked to the call, amber earth widening as I saw the fine, kimono-clad visage of Honda standing in the doorway, Cooper looming behind her protectively. She looked every bit the part of an elegant Yakuza daughter, expensive clothing bought to impress and flaunt her wealth and status, hair done to show her luxury and time. No doubt she had frozen the school as she walked through the halls, a flicker of dread coming as I saw boys and girls alike gawking at my cousin.

"Honda-onee," I greeted, inclining my head as she floated in. "Cooper-san, close the door behind you please."

"Yes, Watanabe-dono." He grunted lowly, sealing off prying eyes.

"Oh~? And who are you, my dear?" Shamal swooned, sauntering up to the Yakuza woman.

"My name is Watanabe Honda," She responded, not fazed in the least by the Italian's advance, making me wonder just how many suitors she must have been fending off. "I am Daiki-kun's cousin."

"The eldest of fifteen." I groaned, making Honda giggle softly.

"You're lucky I came, if Naomi-chan saw you in the embrace of so many young men she'd want to keep the lot of you."

My eyes rolled to high heaven at the reminder of my would-be wife, the other boys having much more volatile reactions.

Tsuna and Gokudera spluttered wildly as they remembered that they were both still very much on top of me, the Sun and Rain both realising this as well, and exchanged a devious thought, before hugging their arms tighter and trapping their squirming companions. I remained still as I stared at the far wall with a blank expression, yielding to the struggle that took place around me. Shaking my head, I tightened my own arms and listened to the four give breathless gasps, before loosening the grip as they ceased their squabble.

"How did you know I was unwell? Or is this just coincidence?" I asked, looking to my cousin as the Vongola party caught their breath.

"Your mother called Cooper-san here, and he came to get me. She said you were very sick, but she didn't think you wanted to see her." She answered, accepting the chair Cooper provided for her.

I flinched visibly at that, four sets of eyes snapping to me as they felt the action. My eyes widened slightly as Tsuna dropped his chin on my chest, a hue of hesitation on his cheeks as he tried to give comfort, Takeshi's hand carding through my hair as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head, the affection not missed by Honda's sharp eyes.

"Ah," I breathed, stapling a paper smile on my face. "Well, thank you for coming, I'm sorry if I worried anyone back home. Has the Oyabun or my grandfather been made aware of this?"

"I...I did not alert the Oyabun or your grandfather of your situation, my Lord." Cooper answered guiltily, his eyes hidden away by the tint of his sunglasses. "I apologise."

"No, no," I breathed, feeling the Storm tense at the light tone of my voice. "No problem at all, Cooper-san."

Leaning against Takeshi, I sighed lowly, taking a moment to enjoy his warmth and attention, before looking to my cousin, her back straightening as she noticed the sharpness of my eyes.

"Honda-onee, I am being poisoned by someone."

The Watanabe woman's eyes widened before narrowing dangerously, Cooper squaring his shoulders and setting his jaw behind her.

"Who and how?" She breathed, somehow keeping her voice steady.

"Arsenic, and a lot of it. We don't know who, but it's someone who handles my meals on a regular basis."

Honda paused for a moment, her black eyes lowering and drifting around the room as if debating something within herself, hands delicately clasped before her.

"Do you think Hayashi Jun is responsible?" I asked.

She paused, knowing she had been caught, but frowned slightly.

"It is the most logical answer...however..."

"You too do not think him capable."

"Yes." She nodded, both of us on the same wave. "Perhaps, he didn't know? Or he was following orders?"

"Mmm." I hummed, seeing a possible truth in her words.

Turning my gaze, I looked to the clock and sighed, estimating Jun would be breaking through the door any second now.

"Okay, get off, you're heavy." I shooed, looking to the boys crowding my bed. "How good are you at being menacing backdrop?"

They blinked in confusion at me as they wormed their ways off the bedding, unnerved by the smile that spread across my face, teeth bared and eyes glinting with malicious glee.

* * *

 **|JUN|**

Daiki was in the infirmary. Daiki was in the infirmary. Daiki was in the infirmary.

Jun's little legs worked to send him scrambling up the many stairs, people getting out of the mouse on a mission as he flew past.

Who, what, when, where and why was his Lord in the infirmary!?

The Storm's lungs burnt dangerously as he dashed through the halls, searching for the nurse's office which contained the older boy. When he saw it, he made a mad sprint and bodily threw himself through the door, not caring about the spectacle he made of himself to the students watching.

"Daiki-dono, what happened, are you okay!?"

Jun panted with his hands on his knees, before looking up finally, his blood freezing when he saw Daiki surrounded by the warrior boys he had seen those nights, eyes pinned on his much smaller form. Sitting beside the cot housing the boys, was the eldest of the Watanabe women, Cooper standing guard behind her ominously as black glass covered his eyes.

"A-ah..."

"Jun-kun," Daiki began suddenly, smiling at him. "Come on in. Close the door."

That wasn't a greeting, it was an order.

The mousy Storm obeyed the older boy quickly, before moving to stand near the middle of the room, noticing the male school nurse observing the scene with uncaring eyes.

"My Lord, are you okay?" He asked again, nervously glancing at the dark faces around the room.

"Hm? Oh, I've been in better states, mouse."

Better states? Did that mean he was unwell?

"May I ask-" The bulky, pale haired boy shifted beside the Watanabe Lord, making Jun freeze momentarily. "Uh...May I ask what is wrong?"

The small one that looked only a little bit bigger than himself moved closer to the absently scowling one, making piercing mint eyes drop to watch him.

"Jun-kun," Daiki started, reaching to play with a length of his cousin's hair, the silken locks slipping between his fingers easily. "I found out something recently. It was very interesting, really, though a bit startling."

"O-oh?"

Shit, was Cooper always that tall?

"Mmm," The Watanabe nodded, still not looking at his Right Hand. "Can you guess what I discovered? Something that would interest me. Something that would startle me."

The whip of a page sounded from behind the mousy boy making him jump and spin. The school nurse was ignoring the happenings just across from him, Jun thinking for a moment, foolishly, that there was a barrier or something else separating them from his lack of reaction.

A low note rumbled through the room, making the small Yakuza face the group of powerful people again, shivering slightly despite amber-earth being turned away, instead focusing on their object of affection.

"Ah, maybe...I don't know, my Lord. I apologise." Jun whimpered, fighting the urge to curl in on himself as he focused on steadying his breath.

"Really?" He hummed, his thumb outlining the vermillion border of his fiancé. "Well, okay..."

" _Hayashi Jun, I found out that you've been poisoning me."_

…

Jun stood frozen, his mind reeling as his blood flowed cold in his veins. Wide, grey eyes looked at his Lord, amber-earth gazing upon him with a cold passiveness that would have made him flinch if not for the state of paralysis induced upon him. His breath stuttered, before he relaxed himself, measuring his inhales and calming the tense muscles.

"I don-"

"Please, Jun-kun, don't lie to me." Daiki cut off, almost sounding upset. "Especially not after attempting to kill me."

The Storm's body convulsed at that, his head snapping up in disbelief.

" _Kill you?!_ My Lord I would never-"

"So, do you admit to poisoning me?" The Watanabe heir asked, raising a scarred eyebrow, the figures around him shifting in unrest.

"Well, yes, but-"

A low growl broke from the large teen standing at Daiki's side, the Lord's fiancé crawling over his body in a manner that was both protective and preparing to strike.

"The doses of arsenic you were administering me were well beyond fatal, Jun-kun. If I were anyone else, I would have been long dead."

The Stormy Yakuza stared at the older boy blankly for a few moments, his mind at a halt.

Dead? But that…

"That couldn't be right." He breathed, eyes wide with confusion as he tried to keep track of his own thoughts and the figures around the room, his nerves frayed with paranoia and panic.

"And why not?" The unpoisoned Lord asked, dark eyes narrowed dangerously.

Jun gave an eep of fear, shoulders bunching painfully as he shrunk back from the water-manipulating swordsman. The blue haired senior placed his hand on the flat back of his fiance, a low croon coming to soothe the other's temper.

"W-well, uh-"

"Why not?" He asked again, the stroking negated by Jun's stuttering and hesitation.

"Because of-" He wasn't allowed to say!

"Hayashi Jun," The said boy jumped, the voice of the only attending woman ringing out. "You have committed a treasonous act against your Lord, why do such a thing? You are loyal to him, are you not? And yet you poison his food and drink, bringing him close to death."

Jun's eyes lowered as the calm words whipped him across the back, his hands coming to grasp before him in a bid for some sort of solace.

"I did not..."

"Daiki-kun collapsed in class," The pale haired teen grunted, drawing attention. "He then vomited blood repeatedly on the way here. He was barely able to stand."

"Look at Watanabe-dono now, Hayashi-san." Cooper rumbled, making grey orbs shift to his bedridden Lord, a sickly shade to his usually tanned skin.

" _You_ did this to him."

But...But this wasn't supposed to happen. Jun was meant to be...He was only trying to help.

"I didn't mean to." He breathed shakily, lowering his head to avoid the shaming stares.

"You didn't mean to? How could you have forseen any other outcome?" The lady Watanabe asked accusingly, her face a porcelain mask of disappointment.

"Daiki-dono wasn't meant to fall ill!" He yelped, recoiling from the poisoned words.

"What? Oh, he was meant to fall right into his coffin was he?" Cooper growled, hand coming to pull back his suit jacket slightly, making a flash of metal catch grey eyes.

Gun.

"No, no!" Jun cried, feeling a sting of righteous betrayal. "Daiki-dono was meant to be better! I was instructed to give him doses in order to create an immunity to poisons!"

"Immunity…?" The small warrior at the foot of the Lord's bed muttered, watching the scene with wide eyes.

"Instructed? Who instructed you?" Daiki asked, calling attention immediately.

"I...Uh-"

Treason. Treason. Treason. Treason.

"Hayashi Jun, do you intend to protect the man who intended to kill your Lord?" The sunglassed Yakuza grunted.

"Treason." He finally spoke, clutching his hands before him.

Eyebrows raised around the room, before amber-earth narrowed, a glance shared with his cousin.

"I am about to commit treason." He repeated, looking up with a long breath.

"I, Hayashi Jun, received orders from the Fourteenth Watanabe Oyabun to promote the consumption of arsenic to one Watanabe-Yamaguchi Daiki, the Fifteenth Oyabun."

The eldest Watanabe woman pulled back in her seat, her face pinched as she gazed as her bundled hands. Daiki reclined in his cot, a mask if complete passiveness hiding his state, not looking away from the far wall even at the water manipulating warrior laid his head on the Lord's shoulder.

Silence ruled the room, the present people taking in the information with varying expressions of dislike. Jun could only fidget, keeping his eyes off of the other occupants as guilt rode high in his mind.

"...I told you Jun-kun wasn't the one responsible. I'd be a great detective."

"No, you _suspected_ he was innocent. And he is still the one who doused your meals in arsenic." The lady Watanabe rebutted, a lightness in her tone.

"Yeah," Daiki started, "But it wasn't his decision. He did it unwittingly. So he's not really the assassin."

"I do not believe that is how it works, my Lord." Cooper muttered.

"Wait…" The mousy Yakuza breathed, looking to his companions in confusion.

"Hm? Oh, we knew you weren't trying to kill me." The Watanabe heir shrugged, smiling at him. "We just needed to ask you stuff, that's all."

...

Jun felt a wall of heat hit the back of his eyes, his vision blurring as a small, high pitched keen escaped him. The mousy boy's fists came to rub furiously at his eyes, quiet laughs coming from his smiling Lord.

"Oh, come here, mouse." He called.

The Yakuza Storm slowly made his way forwards, blindly stepping across the room as he hid his tears in his fists. Large hands grasped him by his upper arm and helped him up onto the cot, arms coming to hug him against the bigger body as it rumbled with comforting cooes.

"That wasn't funny, my Lord." Jun hiccuped, wrapping his tiny arms around the huge frame.

"Haha, we're sorry Jun-kun, we just needed to get the truth out of you. We knew you weren't completely responsible, you're too kind to be." Daiki laughed softly, petting the back of brown hair.

"Me-e-e-an." The boy croaked, hiding his face in the Heir's shoulder.

Another, larger hand came down on Jun's back, making him sniff and look up, Cooper's face reddened awkwardly as he tried to give comfort to his fellow Yakuza.

"I apologise, Hayashi-san, perhaps I went too far by blaming you for the state of Watanabe-dono."

The mousy Storm hiccuped again before reaching for him, pressing himself into the suit-clad abdomen as he sought support from the elder man. Cooper stiffened instantly, his hand beginning a robotic patting motion as he awkwardly complied, looking to his two superiors for help with his eyes.

The lady Watanabe gave a giggle and brushed her delicate fingers through the mousy Yakuza's hair, soft notes leaving her as she calmed him.

Jeez, why were they all so mean to the mouse?

 **|JUN|**

* * *

I laughed as Jun stuck himself to the rigid Yakuza Storm, Cooper not knowing what to do and standing reminiscent of a soldier figurine. My humour was cut short as the ring of the bell flooded the school, heads snapping up as they heard it.

"Okay, get out." I shooed the Namimori students, rolling my eyes at the grumbles of impending mathematics.

"No. I'm staying." Takeshi grunted, burrowing into my side and holding on for dear life.

"Takeshi-kun, you need to go to class. You can't stay here." I sighed, lifting my arm to view him better.

"Daiki-kun," He started, pinning me with mocha eyes. "I have nearly lost you _three_ times in the past 24 hours. So I'm sorry, but I'm going to be even clingier than usual until I am sure that you aren't going to spontaneously combust."

I blinked, before softening my gaze, fingering the shell of his ear.

"I like how you acknowledged that you're already clingy." I huffed, attempting to lighten the topic.

"Mmm, the clingiest." He laughed.

"If you're the clingiest, what am I?"

"The one with the most baggage." Came the swift reply, no pause for thought given.

"Wow, ouch." I snorted, a snicker coming off from the side, my brother making an attempt to hide it.

I made no attempt to hide the finger I flipped him in response.

"But it's fine," Takeshi hummed, pressing a kiss to my cheek. " I love you and your baggage."

"And I love you and your clinginess." I smiled, "But do try to control it, dear, otherwise I _will_ need to stage an intervention."

My spouse laughed and nodded in understanding, his head coming to lower until he came close enough for our breaths to mingle, eyes coming to hood.

"Ah! My Lords!"

Takeshi growled low as I looked to the call, raising an eyebrow at the mousy interloper.

"Uh, I do not think it to be wise for you to kiss Yamamoto-dono while you are still holding poison. You may transfer some to him through...ah, saliva." Jun quaked, growing red at the end.

I sat up quickly at this, eyes snapping to Shamal who lazily nodded in agreement, my bloody lurching to a frozen halt.

"Yamamoto-kun might've been poisoned?" Tsuna yelped, paling as his eyes widened.

My teeth clashed in my jaw as I turned to look at the wide eyed Rain, the hand on my arm doing nothing to soothe the bristle that showed in my shoulders, temper riding high.

"Takeshi-kun, have you been feeling sick lately? Any fatigue, vomiting, excess saliva, _anything_?" I asked, shooting off some of the many options as fast as they came to my mind.

"Uh, well I have been getting some dizzy spells, but-"

"Shamal-sensei, can you do a test on Takeshi-kun?"

"Huh? No, I don't do guys."

Fuuuuuck, Shamal!

I gritted my teeth as I tried to figure a way to use my Sun to filter blood, so deep in thought that I almost flinched when Honda placed her hand on my shoulder, a soft smile gracing her face.

"Shamal-san," She started, her voice styled to play the heart strings. "Could you please fix my cousin-in-law? You would be doing me a great service."

I had never seen the Mafia doctor get to his feet faster.

He wore an Italian's smile as he took blood from the Rain, looking very professional in his workings as he held the deep red liquid to the light, a look of consideration on his face.

"Did you just call me 'cousin-in-law'?" Takeshi asked, looking to the lady Watanabe with a wide smile.

Honda inclined her head delicately, her expression pleasant and soft as she gazed at my giddy fiance. The glance she sent me was teasing and humoured as he rolled over to throw his arm around me, face pressed into my side.

"You two should get to class, the bell rang long ago." I said, looking to the Vongola members.

Ryohei frowned, but grudgingly pushed off the wall. He reached out and gave my shoulder a squeeze, the flesh growing warm as sunshine Flames slipped into me. My eyes widened, but he gave no reaction, showing that he was unaware of his actions, that he was feeding me his Flames subconsciously.

"Get well EXTREMELY soon, bro!" He ordered, grinning as I grabbed his wrist in acceptance.

"Ah, okay, get some rest, Yamamoto-kun, Yamaguchi-san." Tsuna nodded, Gokudera grunting in agreement.

"I will!" My partner waved, situating himself under the blankets and making himself at home.

I laughed and propped myself up on my elbow, hovering over the boy slightly as I talked to the Yakuza group.

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

"So this is the famous Takeshi-kun, hm?"

Takeshi surfaced from his light doze as the voice of the Watanabe woman drifted through, he felt the wonderfully warm body beside him shift, the arm around him drawing him closer, Daiki's hand coming to cup his cheek, his thumb tracing the rise of the bone.

"Mhm," His partner hummed. "Isn't he just wonderful?"

The Rain fought down the desire to preen at the praise that rumbled low in his ear, instead, deciding to remain under the guise of sleep, preferring to just be coddled and pampered by the elder.

"He obviously cares for you, if that display before was any indication. And you, him."

"Yeah, I really do love him." Daiki agreed easily. "Perhaps, a little too much, sometimes."

"You are young, it is to be expected." Honda chuckled delicately, before sobering.

"Daiki-kun," She began, everyone in the room straightening at the woman's tone. "The Oyabun has placed a target on you, and is in the process of an assassination. The fact that you have the favour of the Young Lord as well as the respect of all the Main House must have spurred his efforts."

There was a pause, the Yakuza surrounding the prone Mafia soaking up the information silently.

"Us, Watanabe, we're a volatile bunch." Honda huffed with amusement. "We like to think we are stoic and pragmatic, and we do tend to be, but when our emotions get the best of us, chaos tends to follow. It seems to be in the blood, no?"

As she said this, the Vongola Guardian felt sharp, neat nails ghost across his cheek, a shiver raking his spine despite his best efforts. Daiki was quick to pull the thin blanket higher over his form, smoothing out the disturbed skin with his cold fingers, coaxing the boy to relax again.

The blue haired boy gave a grunt of affirmation, understanding what she was saying, and promoting her continuation. Takeshi gave even breaths, straining his ears to hear their discussion, wanting to be aware of the dangers that awaited his husband when he ventured off where the Rain couldn't follow.

"What do you plan to do about this? You looked rather displeased when you learnt of the young Takeshi-kun's subsequent ailment."

"'Rather displeased', huh? Well, that's one way of putting it." He laughed lightly, still appraising the younger spouse's face, making him want to curse the elder slightly.

God damn it Daiki, you're making this sleeping act _very_ difficult right now!

"Hm...What do I plan to do about this? What, indeed..." Daiki hummed, tucking loose strands behind the swordsman's ear absently.

"You sound like you have a plan, my Lord." The tall man, Cooper, breathed.

"That man, the Oyabun, Watanabe Haruka, he attempted to kill me. I am understandably upset by the act." There was a moment of quiet, the hand on Takeshi's cheek pausing its movement to fall and trace his vermillion border gingerly and making his lips tingle pleasantly.

"But then he uses the hands of my friend and confidant to deal his blows, poisons my meals uncaring if his own kin is caught in the crossfire, and dares to bring my Takeshi-kun into this."

The Rain heard the gnash of his teeth near his ear, the low bass of Daiki's growl vibrating into his own body.

"And when he does that, he insults me. He stamps on my territory with disrespect, expecting rewards for his efforts."

"You will not be taking this lying down, will you, Daiki-dono?" Jun sighs, already resigning to the fact that there will be a backlash against their current reigning Oyabun.

"No. No, I will not." Daiki grunted.

"We will do as you see fit, Daiki-kun." Honda agreed, inclining her head respectfully.

Takeshi felt the body pressed against him take a long breath, feeling the tensing and loosening of the powerful muscles that lined his partner's structure.

"Honda-onee, I ask your opinion and thoughts on this, not as a fellow Yakuza, but as the granddaughter of the Oyabun, the eldest of a generation of 16, as my _cousin._ " The Heir pressed, encouragement lacing his voice.

"You would like my opinion as you cousin?"

"Yes."

His relative remained still for a moment, just gazing at him from her chair, deep in thought. Eventually, a smile touched her face, as gentle and as delicate as usual, however, there was a distinct deadliness to it that Takeshi would have found familiar, had he seen it.

"Well then, what's taking you so long, my cousin? Waiting is rather dull."

"Waiting _is_ rather mind numbing at times," Daiki's voice rang out with an audible smile.

The two of Watanabe blood smiled at each other, teeth bared and eyes shining as the skills engraved in their bones hummed in anticipation of their use. Clinks and rustles shifted through the air, Jun pulling a single dart admiring and examining the blade in the light of the infirmary, Cooper flipping his revolver and checking ammunition.

Takeshi fought tooth and nail to remain slack and silent, his instincts screaming his ears bloody as his skin tingled from the danger surrounding him.

"The days of Watanabe Haruka are numbered, then." Honda hummed, relaxing confidently in her chair.

The flap of a magazine page from Shamal's direction was heard.

"Best get ready for some chaos, my dear Honda-onee. I'm letting my emotions get the best of me." Daiki laughed lowly, ignoring the sound.

"As we Watanabe do."

Takeshi didn't manage to hold his rattling shiver as a kiss was planted on his neck, the chuckle that rumbled in his ears making his blood cold and his stomach warm. This was a new side to his Daiki, and he didn't know if he liked it or not.

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

 **|SIDEKICK COMMENTARY|**

 _[Insert lots of screaming]_

There are lots of things to scream about.

That's it. I don't want to steal your spotlights after all.


	28. Chapter 28

**Word Count: 7,262**

* * *

A long breath escaped me as I shifted in front of the Yamaguchi Bakery, the hesitation building as I glanced around, debating the best approach. Giving my head a shake, I grimaced before pushing the door aside and stepping in, bell ringing through the shop and signalling to the woman behind the counter.

"Welcome, how can I- Oh."

Holding the wince that threatened to come at the sudden drop of tone, I closed the door behind me, keeping my eyes low.

"Hi, kaa-san." I greeted, looking at her frown.

There was a stale silence as I waited for some sort of response, my mother only watching me fidget with a look of watered down anger. My hand came to my wrist in a moment of habit, before pausing, the beads that once hung from my wrist discarded after they had soaked up blood weeks ago.

"I said not to come home tonight, Daiki-kun."

"You said not to come home with the attitude. I came to say sorry, you were just worried." I breathed, casting my gaze just to the right of her head.

"You know," Kaede began suddenly, drawing my attention quickly. "Everyone would be happier if you really were a boy."

I stilled, my eyes falling to the counter.

"Ryohei-kun and Kyoko-chan want a brother, Takeshi-kun wants a boyfriend, Lambo-kun wants a dad, the Watanabe want their Lord, and I want a son."

My hands clenched, but I couldn't find any fault in her claim. I could feel the urge to frown, but I kept my face blank, not showing how the words were affecting me.

"They love the boy Daiki...I highly doubt they'd want to be with you anymore if they found out that you were a girl. They'd probably think you weird, freakish. It'd better if you were a boy."

My mother put down the pad she had been scribing on, looking out the window as she leant against the counter.

"Remember that Daiki-kun, no one will care about you if you're a girl. No one will want you if they find out. No one cares about a girl."

I held my breath to stop any sort of noise escaping, carefully crafting my expression into one of pleasant blankness.

How many times had she told me that? How many times had it taken to drill into my mind? That preposterous sentences that rung clear whenever I dared to tread near the thought of revealing myself.

"Go stay over at Takeshi-kun's house, Daiki-kun, I don't want you here for tonight." She dismissed, busying herself with the cash register.

I bit the inside of my cheek as I nodded, a glance at the door leading to the living space rewarding me with a view of Lambo and Mephisto huddled by the frame. The little hitman looked visibly distressed, swapping his eyes between my mother and I as the mutt by his side showed a stiff aggression.

Turning, I coiled my fingers in a beckoning motion, the hand still hung at my side as I walked back out of the bakery, Mephisto understanding the instruction.

Follow, carefully.

"And remember Daiki-kun..." She called, not bothering to look over her shoulder at me.

"...No one needs to know, because no one cares" I responded hollowly, remembering the sentence bashed into my head.

Stepping out onto the street, I shoved my hands in my pockets and wandered for a bit, gazing through windows absently. I had hours to waste and daylight to burn, but I didn't feel like doing all that much. The poison was still leeching strength from me, even if the worst of it was over, and all I really wanted to do was just lay somewhere and just _stop_ for a while.

"I think," I sighed to no one, looking to the bright sky. "I think...I'll go to the park."

…

A long sigh escaped my lungs as I dropped to the grassy ground, earth warmed by the rays of the sun. My book bag was sprawled beside me as I closed my eyes and soaked up the light, arm spread out on either side. I didn't call for any Flames, and allowed the red of lit eyelids fill my vision, feeling my skin warm pleasantly.

It was blissfully silent here, only faint rustles from the occasional breeze. It gave me a moment of peace, perhaps the first in a long time.

It had felt like so long since I had been able to do something like this, just rest. The events had been happening in quick succession since the catalyst, and my own story was giving me no time to catch my breath in the maelstrom. In truth, however, it had only been little more than a week. The thought was daunting, in a way. All of this madness, all of this carnage, in just a few measly days.

" _Papa!"_

Opening my eyes a crack, I turned my head to connect my gaze with Lambo's, a worried pout on his face.

"Hello, Bo-kun. Do you want to play in the park with Mephisto for a while?" I asked, said terrier sniffing my stomach as if smelling the poison remnants.

"Is Papa okay?"

A pause came between us, my tongue caught in a moment of stun, my son stepping closer and plopping down beside me. Bringing my hand up, I carefully carded my fingers through his afro, the worst of the tangles out of it after hours of brushing.

"Mm, I'm fine, just a bit of a belly ache. I just need to nap for a while, I'll be better when I wake up."

The Lightning blinked big green eyes at me, before he nodded and got to his feet. Reaching out, he pat my stomach, a sagely look to his face.

"Lots of rest for Papa, Daddy and Lambo-san don't like it when Papa isn't feeling good." He chided.

I couldn't help the quiet laugh that crackled in my throat, a smile coming before I gave the Mafia a gentle push, urging him to play within a boundary. The growl that came from my side reached my ears after a moment, a glance showing me the bared teeth of Mephisto, his maw pulled back in a snarl.

"Be calm, Mephistopheles, the worst has ended." I sighed, closing my eyes again and letting my head lay back on the grass.

There was a gentle prodding of a wet nose on my cheek, a small whimper of concern following, before he took off after the cow-print boy.

A smile came to my face as I watched the two play- well, Mephisto chasing after Lambo and herding him away from a nest of ants only to have the child make a grab at a bee. The sight with a warmth that even the sun couldn't provide, allowing me to recline back in the short grass and drift.

* * *

 **|XANXUS|**

It was too bloody _quiet._

Xanxus squeezed the glass of amber liquid in his hand, the fragile material squeaking in warning as he glared off at nothing in particular. A scowl bloomed on the young man's face as another beat of nothing went past, his ears pickling in attempts to pick up _some_ sort of noise.

The wrathful Sky would rather be crammed in a bath with his three other brothers again than admit it, but he had gotten used to the sounds of his trashy Guardians shrieking their throats bloody.

Not fond of it, fuck no, but used to it.

The quiet was grating, ears ringing from the void as his teeth met behind his lips. With a grunt of aggravation, the scarred man pegged the glass at the wall, the resounding shatter and tingle of falling fragments only providing momentary relief.

Fucking Squalo. Fucking Lussuria. Fucking Mammon. Who the hell said they were allowed to leave his side?

With an angry huff, Xanxus rose from the luxurious chair and stalked from the darkened room, needing a distraction.

The streets of Namimori were painfully bland compared to Sicily. There wasn't quite enough colour, not enough aromas and the taste of fine foods didn't stain the air. It made his brow furrow in aggravation, his feet speeding up as to rid him of the sub-parr surroundings. The wrathful Sky paused, looking around in veiled confusion.

Uh...where was he, exactly?

" _Haha, Papa look! I'm riding Miphy!"_

Finally, _entertainment._

Xanxus followed the obnoxious sounds of childish glee until he came upon a stretch of grassland. It was a simple enough environment, large flat land with a border of trees, a children's playground which had survived a few generations built in the corner.

Wine eyes were drawn to flashes of overpowering white, spotting the Lightning brat saddled upon a snowy dog, that looked like it would much rather be anywhere but there. Following the kid's line of sight, he turned, the Sky finally seeing the large figure lying in a patch of sun.

Yamaguchi Daiki, the disobedient trash, the prospective Sun of that twerp Sky. He was okay, Xanxus supposed, he'd do well as a member of the Varia ranks, though how far he'd go was debatable. Visually, he was definitely pleasing, even as young as he was. The Varia Head wouldn't object to any advances on his part, even if it was just for a few hours of fun.

Conflict, however, showed where he fell short. He lacked drive, anyone could tell that from the Sun Battle. He didn't want to fight, or at least, not in that instant. The wrathful man wondered what he'd look like when he got his blood pumping, heart racing for a fight. Would he frown, be serious? Or would he grin with adrenaline and snap white teeth at the throats of his opponents? The idea made him jittery with nerves, wanting either vision to be proven, Flames rearing in interest.

Wine eyes widened slightly as he examined the boy, a rough slash of pride coming through as he felt no claim on the allusive Sun's Flame. Good, if that bloody brat Sky has managed to sink his teeth into him it would be a blow to his ego. Wrathful Flames flickered instinctively, before he managed to grab control again and reign them in, remembering the searing pain that had accompanied Rejection.

Xanxus observed the scene for a moment, finding it snort-worthy just how picturesque it looked, before striding across the distance, intent on blowing off some steam.

"Trash." He said, coming to a stop beside the Sun.

Yamaguchi Daiki sighed deeply, not bothering to open his eyes, the Sky pausing when he saw a pale tint to his face, and the drowsiness in his features.

' _The hell's wrong with you?'_ He flared, nudging the boy with a steel capped boot.

"Hm?" Daiki hummed, before slowly understanding the question. "Oh, just a bit unwell."

"That much is obvious." Xanxus rumbled, narrowing his eyes. "I meant what is it? The cause, idiot."

The Sun gave a noncommittal hum, still just enjoying the rays.

"Nothing important."

"No!" The Lightning cried suddenly, bounding over on his canine steed. "Papa needs to sleep!"

"Bo-kun, I can handle a little conversation."

"But you aren't well!" He rebutted, dismounting and coming to nestle against the Sun's side.

"So you took in the Bovino brat?"

The Varia Sky watched the interaction with bitter interest, a kind of petty emotion peeking its head when the not-Guardian petted the child's poofy hair carefully. He had no interest in seeing any kind of parental bond, not at the moment anyway, it struck a guilty nerve that he'd wish had remained frozen.

" _Eh! Lambo-san!"_

"I-pin-chan!"

A rough smirk came to the scarred face when he saw the slight deflation in the teen's body, exhaustion quickly hidden as a small infant came running, head out of proportion with the rest of its body. A painfully soft smile bloomed across the young boy's as he watched the children hug and tussle, Xanxus' sadistic glee simpering out when he saw it, a tisk of agitation leaving him as he looked away stubbornly.

' _Stop smiling like that, trash. It looks dumb.'_ He flickered, amber-earth shifting to his scarred features through lazy slits.

' _My Takeshi-kun seems to like it, though.'_

"Then he's dumb too."

"If you insult my fiancé, you insult me."

"Good, two birds with one stone."

The Vongola allie gave a huff of amusement, relaxing back into his green bed, head tilting back slightly as he soaked up the descending heat.

"...It's been so long," He sighed, making Xanxus raise a brow. "It's been so long since I could relax."

"Shame." The Sky grunted sarcastically, before sitting on the grass.

Xanxus grumbled lowly as he laid back, his head thumping down on the firm stomach of the Sun, his eyes squinting shut after getting an eyeful of the blazing ball in the sky. He tensed suddenly as a shadow was cast, before a cold hand cupped over his eyes, blocking out the piercing light.

"You shouldn't look directly at the sun. It's bad for your eyesight." Daiki hummed from beyond the shroud, the bass vibrating along the back of his head.

"Don't tell me what to do, trash." He grunted, but made no move to remove the hand.

Xanxus didn't know what to really make of the Yamaguchi boy, nor did he know why he was so willing to accommodate an enemy. The young Sun made his whole Family a kind of uneasy, Belphegor had said it was because he seemed to see _who_ they were, rather than their reputation. It made sense, he supposed, that that would make them raise their hackles, anyone who had that sort of information was someone to watch, but what confused him was _how_.

How did a local baker's son learn the identifies of Mafia assassins? Sure, Reborn may have told them, but the Arcobaleno didn't work that way, he didn't give up information for free- he and Mammon had that in common.

Either way, it baffled Xanxus how this boy had managed to fly under the Mafia's radar, Flames and all. Surely _someone_ had noticed him, especially if he lived in such close quarters of a prospective heir.

Honestly, how shitty had that Young Lion ass let the CEDEF become?

 **|XANXUS|**

* * *

"Papa! Papa!"

"Yamaguchi-san!"

I groaned and sat up, instantly noticing the lack of weight on my stomach. Looking around for the man, a hum of acceptance came when I saw no such sight.

Xanxus must have left after I fell asleep, probably off to terrorise Leviathan.

"Papa!" Lambo called again, Mephisto lumbering over with both children saddled upon his spine.

"What's up, kids?" I asked finally, leaning back on my hands as they dismounted and jumped up onto my lap, the mutt plopping down with an exhausted huff.

"Can Lambo-san sleepover at I-pin-chan's house tonight!?" My son squealed, his friend nodding rapidly beside him.

"Oh? And where do you stay in Namimori, exactly?"

I-pin pieced the sentence together, before smiling wide and answering in heavily accented Japanese.

"I stay with Sawada-san!" She chirped, making me nod.

"Mm, okay then. Behave for them, be polite."

The Sun child smiled wide before latching onto her peer, a pause coming to me as I watched them clamber all over each other.

Ah, I-pin must have missed Lambo, huh? I guess it made sense, Lambo was her only friend her age, and last she heard, he had been seriously injured…

"I'm sorry." I breathed after a moment, the two looking to me in confusion.

I reached out and petted the small girl's head gently, drawing the two to me and hugging them on my lap. Pressing a kiss to the top of Lambo's head, I continued to gently stroke I-pin's braid and smile apologetically down at them.

"I'm sorry, I-pin-chan, Bo-kun, I should have known. I should have brought you over, I-pin-chan, you must have wanted to see Bo-kun for a while."

The little Mafia blinked up at me, before the boy grabbed my side in a hug, his peer following the example on my other side.

"I-pin-chan was worried about you too!" The small girl squeaked, her cheek smushed against my ribs.

"And Lambo-san didn't want to be trouble!"

My smile grew at that, hiking them up before laying back, allowing their tiny bodies to sprawl on top of mine easily. The foreign girl giggled beside Lambo, the two clinging to the material of my shirt. A faint huff caught my ear, making me look and blink as Mephisto rolled continuously up to my side, too lazy to get up and walk.

I laughed lightly at his antic, lifting my arm to let him burrow into my side, a loud gruff coming after.

The highlander dropped his jaw on my shoulder, fluffy body fitting into the crevice of my arm. His ear twitched as Lambo blew against it slightly, the children cackling as they pestered the saint of a dog.

You'd be a great father, Miphy.

…

With the sun having touched the horizon, I excused both Lambo and myself from I-pin's company and began making our way to Namimori Middle. Mephisto trotted along side me, donning the cow-print child upon his back as he huffed in quiet exsertion, stubbornly refusing to accept my offer of help.

"Papa, what're we doing here? Is Dame-Tsuna gonna do a battle?"

"Mhm," I nodded, sitting myself down on a bench in the courtyard of the school. "Yes he is, but we're all going to be participating today."

He clambered up onto the seat beside me, looking up in excitement.

"However, Bo-kun, you are still recovering from your battle, so I want you to be very careful. I don't know how accessible I will be to you, so I'm unsure if I'll be very helpful if you get injured."

"Okay, Papa! Lambo-san will be careful!" The Mafia child chirped, kicking his legs happily.

I smiled slightly at him, a hand coming to comb through his hair and pinch his cheek.

In truth, I was very worried. Lambo wasn't conscious in canon, so Leviathan had no reason to attack him, however, I had no guarantee that that behaviour would carry over for a very much awake child. If memory served, I would be stationed down in the sports field, and Lambo all the way up on the roofs, far out of my range. The thought was daunting, but I knew that I needed to push it aside and examine my own situation- namely: the new poison.

I didn't know what the compounding of lethals in my blood would do to me, but I knew no mercy would come from to Cervello women even if they were aware of my circumstance. If I didn't manage to hold my own against that poison, I would be a liability to Ryohei, and the rest of the Vongola. I needed to be able to either counteract the compound, or overcome it and get to the Ring as soon as possible.

"Papa?"

Blinking, I looked down to my son, noticing him rummaging through my bag.

"Lambo-san is thirsty! Lambo-san wants a drink!"

Slowly, I gave a laugh and scooped him up, Mephisto dashing out from under the bench to stand by my feet.

"Let's go check out the vending machine. Miphy, you thirsty too?" I asked, looking down at the highlander.

He gave a loud bark, little legs moving quickly to catch up with my longer stride.

I was worried, and rightfully so, but all I could do was my best at this point. Poisons or not, I wasn't going to be a useless, writhing mess in this battle.

…

A low whistle escaped me as I watched the school go up in light, Xanxus' grand entrance executed finally. Lambo didn't bother with the sudden appearance, going through his third carton of milk as he watched a random episode of Pokémon on my phone, the device held in my hands as a precaution against his clumsiness.

"Hello." I greeted the group of people, Varia and Cervello turning in surprise.

" _Shishishishishi,_ looks like someone's excited for a fight." Belphegor laughed, grinning like the usual madman.

"Hm? Oh, not really." I shrugged, before looking down at the distracted boy. "Besides, Bo-kun's in the middle of his episode right now."

"What are you," Leviathan snorted, crossing his arms, umbrellas shifting on his back. "His father?"

As I was about to answer, Lambo looked up from the screen, a grin on his face.

"Papa, Psyduck looks like Bill!"

As a silence passed over the Varia, I smiled at the paused image of the sleepy duck Pokémon, realising that, yes, the creature did indeed hold a great resemblance to my platypus doll.

"Huh, look at that. Long lost brothers."

" _Papa_?" Leviathan repeated, his throat caught painfully.

I blinked at him, before smiling.

"I do not recall adopting you, Leviathan-san."

Belphegor flew into a fit of psychotic giggling at the expense of the choking Lightning, Xanxus looking mildly amused with the banter, if not a bit impatient with the lack of opponents. Lambo seemed to find some sort of second-hand glee in the laughter, his own giggle coming despite not quite understanding the subject.

" _Daiki-kun!"_

" _Yamaguchi-san!"_

" _Fucking giant!"_

" _Bro!"_

Turning from the Varia, I tilted my head in greeting to the fast approaching Vongola, their mildly panicked eyes drawn to the people surrounding me. Sending Ryohei a look, he frowned but nodded, relaxing slightly despite his obvious dislike for the situation.

"Well, I'm going over there now," I said suddenly, pointing over to the on edge teen Mafias. "Bye-bye."

Pushing off the bench, I felt Mephisto slip between my feet and dash over to my brother Sun, leaping up onto the broad chest and assaulting his face with a salivating tongue. The boxer gave a manly shriek of surprise as he went down, a snort of salted amusement leaving the Storm as he watched his fellow Guardian be taken down by the hellish hound.

My move to follow was halted as I was grabbed, my belt going taut in the hand of the wrathful Varia Sky. I saw eyes narrow along the line of Namimori, Chrome stepping out of the shadows with Cooper tailing her watchfully. My chaperone tensed when he saw the man holding me, a flash of black metal showing as he slipped his hand under his jacket, waiting for my sign to engage.

"Xanxus-san, let me go, please." I breathed, being sure to keep an eye on my less reserved allies.

"Hmph."

My tongue came to be caught between my teeth to tame it as I was tugged backwards, an all too warm arm wrapping around my waist in obvious advertisement. Narrowing my eyes, I gave a low whistle, Mephisto abandoning the Sun to rush to my side and take the scruff of Lambo's neck in his maw.

The little Lightning dangled there, his hands still clinging to the milk box as he looked between me and the Sky carefully.

"Take him to the Rain." I ordered the mutt, his gruff coming muffled as he bounded off, rearing up to give the child to his pseudo father.

The Yamamoto swordsman frowned slightly at me, but tried to keep a smile on for the child in his arms, little hand pinched between his finger and thumb reassuringly. I inclined my head at him, trying to press down his temper as his eyes glanced to the hand on my hip.

"Xanxus-san, I did not give you permission to touch me. Please let me go, now." I said again, still not looking at him.

Another non-committal grunt was my response, before he turned and addressed the silent Cervello women.

"Get on with it, then."

I bit the inside of my cheek as I kept my face carefully blank, not liking the scalding heat that stained my waist where his hand rested, the other still holding my belt like a reign. Not at all appreciating the way the scarred man spoke almost directly into my ear, I kept looking between my fellow Namimoris, inclining my head as Hibari made his entrance onto the scene.

"Daiki-dono, am I permitted to stay, or would it be better if I waited in the car?"

"Hm," I breathed, looking to the Cervello for any input. "I believe you may remain an observer. Do try to keep your distance, however."

"Of course," He nodded, parting from the group and taking up a place behind the masked women. "Thank you, my Lord."

' _Lord? When did that happen?''_ Xanxus asked suddenly, dropping his chin on my shoulder.

Gritting my teeth, I furrowed my brow minutely and looked to Ryohei for patience.

"Xanxus-san, your grabs at attention are beginning to aggravate me. I've paid you mind enough today, let me return to the other side now." I tsked, taking a step forwards, only to be yanked back into an insufferably warm body.

' _Do not talk to me like I am a child.'_ He scowled, looking down at me with a few centimetres superior.

"If you act like one, I will treat you as such." I responded simply, not put out by the motion.

Wine eyes narrowed dangerously, the warm becoming a burn as I refused to back down until he either understood or at least removed himself. The Sky seemed to be prepared to do neither, however, and merely took on a mischievous light.

I tensed at that, not liking being on the receiving end of that look.

' _You think I'm a child?'_

Squaring my shoulder, I glared up at him over my shoulder, before turning away and clicking my tongue in annoyance.

My eyes widened as my jaw was grabbed and wretched around, mind going into a muted overdrive as lips were sealed over mine roughly. I stood stock still, train of thought all over the place as Xanxus squeezed my jaw, a slick muscle prodding roughly at the seam. When I didn't respond, nor did my stillness allow for any slack, a rumble of aggression came, before he pulled back, smirking at me, looking very self-satisfied.

"Can a kid do that?" The Sky spoke aloud, sparking reactions throughout the two sides.

" _Shishishishishi_ , what happened there?"

"How dare you?" Takeshi growled, crossing the threshold, Lambo in Tsuna's arms.

Seeing the potential for a rather unwelcome turn out, I reached out from my confines and gestured for him to stop, mocha eyes falling narrow at the movement.

"Xanxus-san," I started, turning in the hold, not enjoying how I was pressed to his front _. 'What you just did only proves that you are acting like a child. You act out when ignored, and throw tantrums when that doesn't work. I did not appreciate you kissing me just then. Do not do it again.'_

' _You don't seem to be fighting it.'_ Xanxus flared in response, though the slight flicker of his Flame showed that he heard what I had really said loud and clear.

' _You caught me by surprise, I will admit that. However, that does not mean I consented to your advance. I will say it again: do not do that.'_ I crackled, straining to keep my sunshine civil despite the seething Rain and mocking Sky rubbing up against it from both sides.

I saw his jaw shift as he gritted his teeth slightly, a faint furrow coming to his brow as he lost the glee he once held. If perhaps he had less potent pride, Xanxus might just have admitted to feeling a bit embarrassed about being called out and shot down, but he jumped to simpering anger instead. The grip on my waist loosened and allowed me to step out of reach, the hand on my belt being the last to fall.

Turning my attention away from him, I tilted my head and smiled softly at my simmering fiance, offering my hand to him encouragingly. Takeshi was quick to create the connection, hold bordering on painful as he wrapped my arm around his waist and pressed close to my side.

"Calm down, love." I breathed, walking him over to the Vongola group.

"Speak for yourself." He gritted.

Blinking, I forced my hand to become gentle on his hip and my teeth to stop abusing my cheek, eyes still not losing their hard edge as we came to a stop, surrounded by allies. Ryohei came and stepped up beside me, his elbow brushing mine as he crossed his arms. Hibari floated closer to the group, but still kept the obligatory five metres from a group of three plus. Chrome was careful in her approach, but came within trident-jabbing distance, indigo eyes raking over my form to check for any sort of damage.

Humming in greeting at the new, hovering friends before turning back to the younger boy in my arms, Takeshi having turned and pressed our fronts together, his nose squished into my clavicle. His body was as tense as a taut string, ready to snap at the meekest disturbance, his fingers digging bluntly into my sides as he wrapped his arms around my waist. With the Cervello continuing to talk, having broken from their momentary stupors, I gently tried to move the Rain's attention to their speech, his grunt and subsequent burrowing being the only response.

"You need to listen to the Cervello women, sweetheart. They're giving important information." I breathed, petting the back of his head.

"He _kissed_ you."

A long sigh left me, apology and perhaps a bit of impatience slinking around my mind in thick vapours.

"Takeshi-kun," I started sternly, pulling him out of my collar and meeting sharp eyes. "I understand your displeasure, but now is not the time. We're dealing with a bigger problem right now."

The Vongola swordsman frowned at me, before glancing to the people surrounding us and nodded, still keeping his ticked expression. His hold remained, however, and mocha bore into amber-earth expectantly.

I blinked, before smiling and dipping my posture, a hand came off my waist and grasped the back of my neck, pulling me down further. Lips I much rathered came and pressed against mine wonderfully, a coo sounding in his throat. I ignored the angry, startled lash of wrathful Sky, pulling back slightly and giving a huff of laughter when I saw his eyes open. The sound caused the younger to pout slightly, knowing he had been caught

"Are you bullying Xanxus-san?" I chuckled.

"I'm not bullying him, I'm just making sure he knows that you're mine."

A loud laugh escaped me at that, arm around my waist contracting sharply. Smiling at my lover, I dropped another quick peck, before standing straight and turning him. Embracing Takeshi from behind, I leant heavily against him and nodded in thanks to the Vongola heir as he handed us back Lambo, the child coming to be cradled in his father's arms. With, what could only be described as, our family unit back together, I tuned into the speech of the Cervello women.

"You know why you've all gathered here. The battle for the Sky Ring places the Rings and the lives of all of the Guardians at stake."

I thinned my lips as there was chatter, mentally gauging the state of my body and how it would fair.

"What about Squalo-san?" Takeshi asked, snapping me out of my musing.

"You are aware of the result of the Rain Battle. Squalo-san could not have survived."

The young swordsman gritted his teeth at the short brush off, his shoulders stiffening as he bristled. I frowned and tightened my hold around his waist.

"First, we will confiscate the Rings." They requested, two girls holding up identical cases.

There was a ripple of defiance on our side, but I reached and removed Takeshi's Rain Ring, placing it into the designated slot.

"Don't worry so much," I breathed, making the Guardians look to me in alarm and confusion. "You got them once, I have confidence you'll get them again."

The Mafia looked to each other, before nodding in understanding, and maybe a bit of determination, as they removed their Rings. I glanced around as they placed them in the cushioned case, wondering if I had stepped correctly, saying what I did.

"There are small cameras spanning the area of the school, as well as large projectors at certain stages."

Another woman stepped up and displayed a rather bulky watch.

"We also have prepared wristbands containing a monitor and camera for each Guardian."

With his hands busy, I took three and worked one onto Takeshi's wrist, fiddling with the tightness, before repeating the process on my own. Taking the last one, I pulled it to its maximum before fastening it around Lambo's waist, turning it on and humming as I saw Takeshi and my faces displayed on our feed.

"Wow, a little television!" Ryohei gaped, tinkering with the mechanisms.

"Haha, we'll get close ups of Tsuna-san!"

The Sky looked rather reluctant to let that happen, a small sound of panic leaving him as he jolted.

"Now that everyone is wearing their wristbands, could the Guardians please return to the places where their Battles had taken place."

A hand came and grabbed mine harshly, the Rain stiffening exponentially as he gritted his teeth. I furrowed my brow, I pressed I kiss to the nape of his neck, trying to soothe his frayed nerves at the idea of returning to the place where he had played a hand in Squalo's 'death'. Lambo shared my sympathies and snuggled closer to the boy, muttering a quiet comfort despite his obedient silence so far.

"Easy, love. Remember what I said," I cooed, rubbing his arms. "Everything is going to be fine."

"Mm..." He hummed, though still didn't look all that happy.

I smiled at the younger boy, trying to be reassuring, and coaxed him to give into a soft kiss, before stepping back.

" _Ehem!"_

Blinking I looked to Ryohei as he cleared his throat thematically, before widening my eyes and shaking my head as he looked at me expectantly.

"C'mon bro, this could be the only chance we have!"

"I share an arena with you!" I responded, stepping out of the way as he made a grab for me, Lambo making the leap into my arms. "You do it as a collective representative."

He gave a loud huff and pouted before crossing his arms.

"Fine, you can fall under the ten metre rule as well."

"Ten metre rule?" Tsuna blinked, looking thoroughly confused as his Sun extended the announcement to the Cloud and Mist skirting the edge of the group.

"It means anyone within ten metres is included in the huddle! It's an EXTREME rule!"

I huffed in amusement and watched as they threw their arms around each other in an oh-so platonic way and hollered their support for the small Sky, Hibari rolling his eyes in the background.

As they pulled out, my brother Sun and Rain of a fiance trotted up to me, looks of steely determination on their faces.

"Takeshi-kun, walk with us." Came my call, taking hold of my partner's hand and pulling him along as Ryohei fell in step beside me.

A shiver went shrieking up my spine as I felt a lash of Sky crack along my Flame, eyes widening and I recoiled like the strike was physical. Takeshi was quick to stabilise me by grabbing my arms, my brother Sun whipping around and glaring full force at the smirking Varia.

I clenched my jaw as I pulled my sunshine back, not willing to give him a reaction, and instead turned to the Vongola's Sky, brown eyes looking sharp.

"Sawada-san," I began, feeling Rain seeping into my system. "Do us a favour?"

Takeshi looked to his Sky as well, displeasure obvious on both of our faces.

" _Beat his ass."_

Tsuna nodded sternly, lips set in a firm line.

"Of course."

* * *

 **|S.R|**

Sasagawa Ryohei frowned as he stood beside Daiki, both of them staring down the field to the propped up Varia Sun, his brother finding the situation much more humorous than perhaps the situation allowed.

"Looking good there, Lussuria-onee-san. Very cosy." He snickered, refastening his sleeves at his elbows.

"Don't be so mean to me!" The man cried, wiggling as well as he could in his confines.

…

"You're a terrible person, Daiki-kun." He said finally, his fellow third year whipping around with an expression of betrayal.

"I am hurt, and offended."

" _As you should be!"_ Lussuria shouted from the other side of the arena space.

The two shared a quiet snicker, the pitch the man had reached triggering their childish synchrony.

"Anyway," Ryohei started, looking up to the metal tower that loomed quite ominously overhead. "What's that?"

' _We've set them up in each battle zone, with the corresponding Ring on top.'_ Crackled the woman's voice through the wristband.

" _We're meant to fight over those Rings again?"_ Gokudera grumped.

" _So that means we can fight too?"_

" _Yes, that is, if you can."_

Ryohei blinked when Daiki stiffened suddenly, amber-earth widening. The boy was about to ask his brother what was wrong, but a prick, followed by a searing heat made him choke on the question. He bit back a yell as he watched Daiki go down, the older gasping and clutching his fists, squeezing his eyes shut as his body twitched with pain.

"B-"

" _The Guardians have all been injected with the poison contained in the wristband"_

His throat was painfully parched as he collapsed, a gleaming layer of sweat instantly bubbling to the surface as his body baked from the inside. His muscles melted and were too weak to flex, his head pounded as his brain rattled against the bone of his cranium.

Faintly, Ryohei could hear the crackling sounds of the others groaning through the speakers in his wristband, but he only managed to watch the visage of his brother go blurry, sirens going off in his head and overlapping each other.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!

"Sawada-san!" He choked, "Daiki-kun's poison! He's still not over the arsenic!"

" _Hu- Oh God!"_

" _Well then, Sasagawa-san, you'd best try and get that Sun Ring soon."_

 **|S.R|**

* * *

 ** **|HONDA|****

Watanabe Honda, eldest of the generation, sighed as she held a small photo in her hands, the thing crinkled from being folded to compact. Black eyes traced the face of the man captured, her cheeks heating under the cosmetic as she admired the way he had his arms wrapped around her. It hadn't been long since they were together, alone in their own company, but the strain of the Watanabe was undeniable.

Honda bit her tongue before folding the picture back up and slipped it deep into a drawer, random assortments of jewellery and other gift hiding away the face of her lover. She neatened the final folds of her kimono, heavy pins in her hair and light powder on her face. She frowned prettily at her mirror, before schooling it into one of pleasant neutrality.

" _Lady Watanabe? It's Hayashi Jun, may I come in?"_

The woman looked over her shoulder, before calling out softly for his entre. The door slid open and the small boy stepped in, hesitation clear in his motion. She found it humorous to see a man trepid to enter the space of a woman, but made no move to address it beyond the sight tilt of her lip.

"Hayashi-san, how was your day?" She breathed.

"It was fine, my Lady. And yours?"

"Fine as well. Did you bring it? It will be time soon."

The Hayashi child nodded, producing a small pouch from within his yukata and handing it over with two hands, bowing his head slightly.

Honda gazed at the vile resting innocently in her palm, the granules spilling within the tinted glass. It gleamed under the light of her room, the powdered arsenic weighing heavy. They were using the same material the Oyabun had taken on both out of necessity and payback, Jun needed to spend the samples somehow in order to push aside suspicion, and poisons would be hard for them to get access to otherwise without the old Lord learning of it. Her cousin Daiki and herself found it a kind of funny, however, that the man would fall to poisons he himself had bought- he paid for his own death.

"My Lady, are you sure about this? The Oyabun is your grandfather...Daiki-dono would not blame you if you were to back out now."

She hummed before slipping it into her sleeve, face set into one of steely determination, her mind made up.

"Please do not doubt me, Hayashi-san. I am as strong willed as any man in this Yakuza."

Hayashi Jun blinked before smiling and inclining his head, opening the door for the young woman to glide past.

"Forgive me, my Lady. I am sure that you are more than capable."

Honda let her lips tilt as she stepped past the living room, the girls quieting as they watched her float past, the little ones pausing their play as they witnessed their elders straighten, a mute hum filling the air as if they sensed her impending actions.

"Going to the main house?" Sora asked, painting her nails yet another colour.

"Yes, it is time I serve the tea for Oyabun." She answered pleasantly.

Her younger cousin hummed before blowing in the polish, deep red catching the light, glossy and viscous.

"Well, have fun. That old bag is probably gonna lecture you again."

"And what of Daiki-nii-sama?" Bunko called, trimming the triplet's nails out on the balcony.

"He is not coming tonight, there is much going on in his personal life right now, and that seems to be taking precedent at the moment."

"I suppose." The third youngest sighed, a soft click ending the conversation.

"I'll be off then."

"Come back soon, Honda-onee-sama." The six youngest chorused.

 **...**

Watanabe Honda watched the chemical death slowly dissolve and disappear into the steaming green of the Oyabun's scheduled 'bed-time' tea, the only time she was allowed in the main house. She swirled it patiently as her grandfather irritably settled under his sheets, hands balling the futon.

"The bloody fools, they spent almost the entire meeting asking about the new heir! We were meant to be discussing an alliance, but they were gossiping like _school girls!"_ He ranted, grainy old voice rubbing against her ears.

"I'm sure they're just curious. Daiki-kun is all shiny and new to them, it will pass as the interest fades." She assured, coming to kneel beside him and providing a steaming cup.

He huffed before taking it from her, he cradled it in his palms, letting it warm his cold, worn hands.

"Honestly, what's so intriguing about that dirty blooded boy? He's illegitimate."

"But he is the only heir." Honda breathed, keeping her eyes off the cup, despite the terrifying urge to watch the Oyabun when he brought it up.

She stopped breathing when he paused, unclear eyes pinning on her as he gritted his teeth.

"And that is only because none of you are boys! All I ask for is a boy, and yet here I am, fifteen girls deep! Nineteen, if we want to include your useless mothers!"

Honda kept her flinch carefully trained, very used to her mother and aunts being brought up against them, even after they had passed. Still, no one would appreciate such a rotted mouth so close to their faces.

"Sorry, ojii-sama."

The old Lord tisked, before taking a large gulp of the heated tea. Honda had to bite down on her tongue to hide her smile.

 **|HONDA|**

* * *

 **Hello everyone!**

 **So, as you all saw the word count was pretty small this time, but I have an...excuse? I actually rushed to get this out because I had _no_ idea the next time I'll be able to update or work on The Baker's Daughter. My Preliminary Exams are here and they're not the least bit nice- like, at all. So I'll be squirrelled in a corner for the next few weeks or so, and I hadn't updated since last month and I like this once/twice per month thing I've got going.**

 **THAT BEING SAID! I _don't know_ when I'll be able to work on this again in the near future, meaning, I could literally update again tomorrow and this A/N could all just be a flub. So, pray for me and my procrastinating ass.**

 **Sorry I've left you kind of in the middle of a climax here~!  
** **LeNoRi**


	29. Chapter 29

**Incoming apology for 3 month disappearance:**

 **P: This is around 98% my fault because my family dragged me off to a rural part of China were the internet was slower than Xanxus being frozen and trying to blink. (Okay, I exaggerate about the speed but you get my point.)**

 **L: Nah mate, I had prelims….Okay that's mean to the poor boy.**

 **P: 1. He is filthy rich 2. No. He's not a poor boy. We discussed/I monologued this BEFORE YOU DRAGGED ME ONBOARD X27!**

 **L: Kekekekekekeke.**

 **P: .**

 **P: I'm toeing the gangplank.**

 **[FANART APPRECIATION AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER PEEPS! PLUS HAIKU BY YOURS TRULY!]**

* * *

 ** **Word Count: 7,502****

* * *

Oh fuck...Fuck this really hurts…

" _Sawada-san! Daiki-kun's poison! He's still not over the arsenic!"_

" _Hu- Oh God!"_

Please...Don't be so loud. C'mon Ryohei, do me a favour and tone it down.

My head was pounding and a muffled ringing was blocking my ears, squeezing my brain and scratching the inside of my skull. My body was ten times too hot, and my skin was three sizes too big, muscles soft and liquid in my limbs.

I didn't want to move. I didn't want to speak. I didn't want to think.

I just wanted to lay there and hope the terrible bubbling in my stomach and pulsing waves of mugginess would subside. I could feel the layers of sweat and perspiration becoming tacky on my scalp and skin, clothes creating a greenhouse and trapping the excess warmth within. My breath hitched painfully as a spike hit my intestine, a scratchy, wet cough rattling my throat and tasting my tongue of bile despite there being no regurgitation.

Oh fuck, this hurts.

" _Well then, Sasagawa-san, you'd best try and get that Sun Ring soon."_

...Ring?

Oh yeah, those Rings...We're meant to get them, yeah? They're meant to do something...What do they do? Something with the wristbands…

Wristbands...Lambo has a wristband on him! Takeshi! Ryohei! They all have wristbands! Fuck!

Fuck! Fuck!

' _Fuck!'_

I barely registered the flinch that flickered along a connection, muddled mind unsure if it was from a Sky, Sun- or hell, a Cloud.

Forcing my eyes open, I cringed at the dryness of my optics, doubled, blurry vision showing me the visage of my grounded brother and a well worn Lussuria, the Varia Sun's already broken body at its limit. I gritted my teeth as Ryohei gave a dry, haggard cough, faint grunts and hard breaths of pain sounding through that damned Cervello band.

Gotta get up. I have to get up. Fucking hell, why won't this body _move!?_

Baring my teeth, I gave harsh, hissed breaths as I forced my limp yet stiff arms to move, Flames roaring high and baking my blood into a thick, viscous sludge as I pushed my legs under me. A shout ripped through as acidic bile crawled up my throat, singeing my esophagus and making me heave a splatter of stomach contents, barely enough to justify the pain it brought on. Giving a muffled groan, I pressed my forehead to the cool concrete, the relief less than a second as it instantly took on my heat.

Gotta move. Have to help Ryohei at least.

Closing my eyes, I felt a strike of panic come as I saw the pained writhings of multicoloured Flames along the horizon, their fuels tapering and failing as they flared with random spasms of agony. I hissed in confusion as two large Skies came at high speed, their collective heat radiating onto my flesh and raising my temperature disgustingly.

"Boss!" Lussuria cried, solidifying my understanding that Xanxus had just moved to the air above our field.

"Onii-san! Yamaguchi-san!" Tsuna called, Hyper Dying Will running along our Suns in a show of controlled worry.

My brother's and my own recoiled from the fire, unable to take the rise, Sky reflecting concern. Ryohei's Flame flickered for a moment, before it moved in a manner that could only be described as a hesitant 'thumbs up', a snort coming off my own.

The amusement was short lived, however, as I felt the steel capped sliver of Xanxus' fire nudge my side. The wrathful Sky looked down at me as I paused my movement, still heaving as I pressed my brow to the concrete.

"You chose to follow the brat, and look at you now." He started, Flames dropping to sink their nails into mine brutally. ' _Writhing and in pain. Too weak to move, too weak to talk.'_

I gave a low growl in the back of my throat, baring my teeth at the earth as my vision became hazy. Xanxus only smirked down at me.

' _You're too weak to fight off any advances now. Your Flame is already under too much stress. I bet I could force Harmonisation on you, and you wouldn't be able to Reject me this time.'_

"Hey Lussuria," He called, looking to his bound Guardian. "How would you like a partner?!"

"H-huh?" The flamboyant man stuttered, his brow pinched from both pain and a newly risen panic.

My eyes widened slightly as I felt an invading prod at my Sun, greedy arms coming to restrict my non-physical form and try to drag it across to where the beacon of rage bloomed strong. I gritted my teeth and tried to pull myself out of Xanxus' grip, only to have him tighten it ten-fold.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

My Flames thrashed and shrieked against the tyrannical embrace, tongues of livid gold biting into every nook they could reach, leaving ribbons of pain in the offending Mafia's being.

' _Get off! Let go off me or I swear to God-'_

"What can you do?" He grinned, coming close enough for hot wind to brush up against me. ' _With the state you're in, you'll be lucky to survive the night! Arsenic, wasn't that what your friend called it?'_

' _And his friend is EXTREMELY pissed!'_

I gasped as a wash of sunshine was dumped onto me, heavy impact knocking both Xanxus and I dazed for less than a split second. My muscles twitched finally as a hand brushed mine, pained groans coming from my brother Sun and proving how difficult it had been to provide assistance.

"Get away from them!"

Tsuna's Sky streaked across the scene and Xanxus released a boisterous laughter, the cackle menacing in its own right. There was an almost jovial slap laid on my Flame before the two Skies were chased across the horizon.

How the hell- when the hell had Ryohei managed such a tuned hold on his Flame? The fact that he was forced to use a heavy drop as compared to more focused and concentrated attacks hints to amateur abilities at best, but the fact that he did it at all…

My muscle twitched and I forced a deep breath into my lungs, feeling calloused fingers wrap into mine slowly. I squeezed, preparing myself and encouraging my brother, before painstakingly blaring my systems with a searing overdose of Sun. My muscle twitched and I forced a deep breath into my lungs, feeling calloused fingers wrap into mine slowly. I squeezed, preparing myself and encouraging my brother, before painstakingly blaring my systems with a searing overdose of Sun. My breath became haggard as I fought the writhe that built in my spine, forcing my Willful fire to plough on despite the shrieking of my nerves. I heaved and closed my eyes, spittles of lashing infernos hissing at the Cervello and the Varia alike.

My dried lip came under the assault of my teeth, a choked hitch escaping as I felt a jolt through my body. My Flames scrambled and streaked through my veins, blood moving and making way for the angered sunshine and allowing them to latch onto the marrow of my bones, cracking a non-existent whip and sparking the creation of white-blood cells, a flood of the antibody discs released at an alarming rate.

The hand around mine stuttered its strength and my Flames derailed, splitting off to answer the call of its brother and bathe his crumbling fire with attentions and buzzing encouragement. I took a deep breath and made an attempt, my free hand sliding until it could lever myself, muscles spasming with effort as I slowly was pushed to my knees, the movement slow and painstaking.

In the back of my mind, I registered Hibari's Cloud releasing a crackle of defiance, his Flames bursting in irritated rage. I didn't let the progress distract me, however, and merely let it boost me on, a victory on the Vongola's end. Squeezing the hand in mine one last time, and sending a ripple of Sun into his, I released Ryohei and gave a herculean push, stumbling to my feet with dame-like legs. My steps were clumsy and I had to retract to stabilize myself, arms pinwheeling sluggishly as I heaved.

The feeling of night-cooled metal was a relief that I allowed myself, hands grasping hold of one of the beams that held the tower. Goosebumps rippled up my arms the temperature change, and my teeth gritted. I gripped the support beam harder, calling for my Flames with merciless intent before gathering my strength, betting my waning health on the next movement. Making my grip absolutely brutal, I threw my weight back and listened to the hell-song of screeching metal and buckling joints. The cool material under my hands gave and bent as the great structure collapsed in on itself, loud cracks and whip snaps sounding in the stadium as the chains broke and dust bloomed in a smoke screen.

I gasped in gritty air as I landed on my back, lungs contracting and esophagus scratching to expel the airborne concrete that had hit and clung to the walls of my throat. My mouth filled with bile and I was quick to flip myself over, emptying the fluid onto the floor, heavy coughs accompanying the acidic bite. The cold brush on the tips of my fingers made me jump and expel another round of stomach contents, tongue numbed by the onslaught and teeth gritty when they met in a clench. Opening my eyes against the internal agony, I glanced to the offending thing, amber-earth widening when I saw the little Ring laying under my fingers.

Ryohei.

I wasted no time in forcing the piece into my lock and releasing the cure. Giving myself no chance to revel in the instant relief, I got to my feet and sprinted on brittle legs to my partner. Dropping to my knees, I yanked his arm out from under him and pressed the ring into the opening, listening to the hiss of the remedy be dispensed. Ryohei gave a long breath, his furrow softening as his eyes opened.

We looked to each other, before giving matching, tired smiles. I helped him to his feet, keeping my hands extended as he slowly recaptured his balance, a hearty laugh escaping as he rejoiced in his mobility.

"EXTREME DAIKI-KUN!" He laughed, wrapping me in a crushing hug. "You're my EXTREMELY favourite brother!"

"I'm your only brother." I heaved, swallowing the rise of bile.

"Not true, I have Sawada-san now as well! He's my EXTREMELY little kohai!"

"Now bro, I know that he's small but that's a bit much."

We exchanged a snicker, before pulling apart, our eyes drawn to the panting Lussuria. I glanced to Ryohei, the two of us sharing a frown before nodding in understanding. Moving over to the prone Sun, I fished out his wrist and connected the pieces, an audible sound of relief escaping him as the hiss of the antidote was injected.

"Haha, thank you Daiki-kun, Ryohei-kun. I knew you loved me!" The fabulous man breathed, wiggling a bit in his confines.

"Mhm," I hummed. "But now you go to sleep."

Ryohei gave an almost apologetic smile before cracking his knuckles on the back of the man's head, brows jumping behind tinted glasses before the Varia Sun dropped in his bed. My brother and I looked to each other before we lowered the hospital cot flat, allowing our fellow Flame to lay more comfortably.

"Daiki-kun, you don't-" He started, seeing my stance wobble as I forced myself straight.

"I'm fine, bro." I sighed.

He pouted at my cut off, but relinquished.

"Bo-kun's alone with that Varia Lightning guy. Not to mention he's only just bounced back from the Battle. I want to get to him as fast as possible. You go help the others. I'm going to the roof."

"What about the Ring?"

"I'll take it with me, I'll be running into Gokudera-san where I'm going. You try and get yourself stable before chasing after anyone."

Ryohei gave a grunt of affirmation before we split, I let my feet carry me to the edge of the field before a loud bang made me freeze. I spun and gave a curse when I saw the Vongola Sun sprawled on the ground, a shout leaving me as I tried to call.

"Ryohei-kun! Dude! Are you okay!?"

"Yeah!" He responded, sitting up suddenly. "I tripped over a beam!"

To punctuate his point, he lifted a hunk of metal with a large dent in it, laughing nervously as I narrowed my eyes into a flat glare.

"You asshole! I thought you got hit by the poison again! I told you not to run around!"

"You _do_ love me!"

"You're my _brother_ , git!"

I tsked my tongue at him as he got to his feet before taking off again, wristband brought up so I could talk into it without blasting my vocals.

"Sawada-san, Ryohei-kun and I are fine now, I've got the Ring. I'm on my way to the roof for Bo-kun."

 _"Good job. What about Lussuria-san?"_ Tsuna crackled through, the harsh sound of wind streak accompanying it in the background.

"We gave him the antidote and knocked him out. He's sleeping back in the arena." I answered, finding the fire-escape stairs and doing death sprints to each platform.

 _"I knew I could rely on you, Yamaguchi-san. How are you handling?"_

"I'm fine, be better when the others are out of the woods though. I noticed the towers down for the Lightning and Storm fields."

 _"Of course. I have confidence that the others will be able to get themselves to their feet soon enough. Hibari-san is free as well."_ He breathed just as I came to the roof's door.

"The birdy did always hate being caged up." I huffed.

The door swung open under the assault of my foot and I dashed onto the roof, amber-earth immediately finding the scene of the Lightning. My breath caught as explosions rocked the building, harsh, Italian curses ringing out in true Gokudera fashion as he lured and baited the Varia man.

"Those umbrellas won't do you any good without any clouds." He huffed, staring down the Mafia.

I let my eyes wander as they spoke, desperately trying to locate my son amongst the rubble. My teeth gnashed bluntly when I saw his small figure off to the side, prone and teary, possibly unconscious if the lack of movement spoke of anything.

A flinch coiled my body as Gokudera's words won out, Leviathan dispersing his arsenal with a holler of dark amusement.

"This attack works in any weather!"

I held my breath as the Storm released flying bombs, their streaks across the sky leaving trails of smoke as their found their targets with unnatural ease. The umbrellas came raining down in tatters of burnt materials and half melted metals, leaving Leviathan without any means of defence or assault. My arms came up to shield my face as an explosion rocked the building, teeth gritting with worry as my eyes closed. Alarms rang in my head as the exposure continued, gravel and dust pelting my arms relentlessly as I feared the stability of the foundations.

"Hey."

Opening amber-earth, I looked as Gokudera stepped out from the cloud, Lambo tucked into his chest comfortingly. I quickly stepped forward and took the offered child, checking him over before cradling him tightly.

"Shit, Gokudera-san, that gave me a fucking heart attack." I puffed, before clapping him on the shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Thanks man, I owe you another one. Again."

"Don't bother," He grunted, whipping his shirt off as if I had left any more dirt than his explosions had already powdered him with. "Think of this as a kind of...you know...a _thanks._ "

"Thanks?" I blinked, only for his scowl to dominate his face.

"Like fuck- A thanks for sticking with us you asshole! Not that we bloody need you."

Oh…

My hand came out and pinched his squishy cheek between my fingers, an amused grin coming to hide my startle.

"Aww, Gokudera-kun' being such a cute little tsundere."

"I am actually gonna kick your fucking ass in!"

I snickered at his rage before sobering up and taking myself away, looking over to the stand off between the Skies on the far roof. Gokudera saw this and immediately turned sharp, a severe frown marking his face.

"Here, these are the Lightning and Sun Rings." I said, producing the two and handing them over. "Out of all of us, you're the most likely to run into Sawada-san first."

"Where the hell are you going then?" He asked, shoving them into his pocket.

"Bo-kun and I are both in a less than stellar state, we won't be much help in combat right now." I admitted lowly, feeling the sluggish nature of my heart. "I'll find a better vantage point in the school and attempt to help from above."

"How can you see everyone from the roof? The wristband is selective in who it chooses to show."

I smiled before tightening my hold on Lambo and turning on my heel, ignoring the angry snap at my back.

* * *

 **|HONDA|**

Honda hummed a pleased note as she folded her kimono away, quiet little helpers scuttling out of the house for the night as they blew out candles and lanterns. Her nightgown brushed her calves as she twirled absently, feeling light on her feet as a low melody breathed through her lips. The Yakuza woman made a practised movement of opening an invisible fan, dancing around her room in graceful, sliding steps as she sung a quiet, giddy harmony. Her loose, white gown billowed as she tred about the wooden floors, a smile of relief gracing her vermillion pair

Some part of her knew that she should be ashamed and disgusted by the calm glee she felt, seeing her grandfather and Oyabun swallow poisons and death, but she really didn't care. He would be dead, and her chance would arise.

She gave a dainty chuckle as she spun to a stop, pulling her drawer open and fishing free the picture in the back, her beloved's handsome face just barely dodging a worn fold. Ash eyes gazed down at it adoringly as her heart swelled.

Watanabe Haruka would have never let it go ahead, the grand plans they had made together. They had spoken of golden and orange leaves, a crisp breeze and wedding bands. But it was all put on an almost permanent hold the moment her grandfather had caught wind of it. He never found the identity of her lover, they had been too careful.

With that advantage with them, they had managed to continue, squirrelling themselves away, beyond the prying, poisonous, predatory eyes of those impatient Watanabe.

She sighed and pressed the picture to her heart, drifting about the room in gliding steps.

Honda had bided her time, been patient, behaved for those who watched. She had waited long enough, and now her opportunity had arisen. Her cousin Daiki, oh she was fond of him. He would do well as the Oyabun, he'd lead them right.

With Daiki in power, her generation would be given freedom. Honda had sided with him, she would help him rise to the occasion, but if he showed to not measure up-

Honda stopped suddenly, her nightgown fluttering still as she stared dead set at the far wall. The picture gave a sound as it was crushed to her bosom, soot eyes turning clouded.

Seconds ticked past, and there was no movement in the room, no sound. Then slowly, Honda smiled, the action as choreographed as figure skating.

"I do hope Daiki-kun is okay, the poor boy." She spoke, voice stilted as if reading off a script.

The Yakuza woman's face softened after a few beats of mannequinism, before she took the photo from her chest and pressed a kiss to the printed smile.

"I love you, my dearest."

…

Sora looked down at her candle with a solemn expression, dark eyes cast in a hued glow as she listened to her elder cousin slip into her sheets.

"A Watanabe's emotions…" She sighed, "What a terrifying thing."

She glanced to the dark room, seeing the elder tucked away blissfully, still clutching the image in her hand like it was her lifeline.

Sora walked back to her room, extinguished the light with neon nails, and closed her door.

 **|HONDA|**

* * *

Grunts of exertion left me as I quickly dashed up the steep, metal stairs of the clock tower's interior, having remembered my vantage point from the Lightning Battle. Clambering onto the high plain, a powerful breeze tugging at my collar, I quickly sat myself down away from the sheer drop ledges and curled Lambo into my lap, the boy more asleep rather than knocked out at this point. I took off my jacket and draped it over him, hiding my son away from the cold night air.

I was going to help, but I needed to do so carefully. There is a time and a place for everything, and theirs is down there. I would provide aid without stepping on the toes of the canonical. The fact that it hurt to breathe alone also proved that I was in no state to participate in the conflict, and as much as I hated to admit it, would probably be more of a liability than any sort of help.

I felt like I was bordering on unconsciousness every other minute, despite how I tried to hide it. Bile knocking at my esophagus whenever I moved a certain way, and nausea raking my head and stomach when I shifted too quickly. If I were to enter that battle zone in this piss poor state...

Taking a deep, calming breath that scratched at my raw throat, I closed my eyes and drew up the visage of Flames. They spluttered into vision and danced around in combat, my heart being wrung painfully when I saw Rain still immobile and suffering.

Gritting my teeth, I swept my vision over the arenas, shifting and withdrawing my perspective until I could view all of the Mafia Flames. A flash of movement caught my attention, making me look over to see Cloud clashing with Storm, closer inspection allowing me to recognise the presence they carried.

I frowned as Hibari's fire recoiled, flashes of pain, mixed with sparks of surprise going off around his tinder. It took me a moment to place the scene and I breathed low when it clicked: Hibari and Belphegor were battling down outside the classrooms. Giving a sigh, I called up as much memory as I could, biting my lip when I remembered the disadvantage the Vongola Guardian was at in terms of knowledge on his opponent. A frown came to my face, before I pulled up my wrist and spoke into it clearly.

"Hibari-san!" I called, feeling him notice the shout. "The one you are fighting is called Belphegor, he uses knives, as you've seen, but he also uses wires. Be aware of your surroundings, he'll entangle you otherwise."

 _"Shishishishi! That's not fair, baker's boy!"_

"We're not exactly here to play fair, Belphegor-san." I huffed, "Hibari-san, will you okay on your own from here?"

 _"Your voice is annoying."_ He snapped, before piquing in violent intent.

"I'll take that as a yes." I puffed, a bit of humour in my voice.

Turning over my gaze, I paid a mind to the Sky Battle, jolting in confusion at the fluctuating state of Tsuna's Flame, before remembering exactly what he was doing, Zero Point Breakthrough Revised. Shaking my head, I shifted the perspective to over the gym, baring my teeth when I noticed the waiver of Chrome's Mist.

She was in a considerably worse state than some of her peers, the connection she held with Mukuro paper thin and fraying as time passed. Her flare was flickering in desperation, attempting to call for help from either her Boss or her other half.

Worrying my lip, I stretched out my Flame and rubbed it up against hers, not dissimilar to an urging one on the back. The Yakuza guest flinched, before calming, recognising the approach.

 _'C'mon baby bird, you gotta try to move. That building won't be safe for long.'_

 _"Oi, Chattering Herbivore, where are the others in the school."_ Hibari asked suddenly through the com, jolting me from the scene.

"The closest to you is Yamamoto Takeshi, he is still under the influence of the poison, but doesn't have an opponent in the arena. You'd be able to get to the Ring easily." I answered after a quick survey of the Cloud's surroundings.

 _"Hm."_

Nodding at the affirmative, I cast my attention off ahead and hovered over the coiling Rain, heart squeezing when he unfurled to draw me in despite the pain it caused him. I hummed low at my dear, releasing crackles of comfort, washing fire over his skin despite how he hated it, mending frayed nerves as well as I could from the distance.

 _'Help is coming, just hang on, love.'_ I sparked, and whether he understood or not, he wrapped a flare around the signal. _'That's it dearest, just focus enough to stay awake. I know it hurts, just hang on. Keep doing that.'_

His grip would waver occasionally, but he kept it strong. We both jumped as an explosion shook the school, my attention snapping as I opened my eyes and saw the smoke and debris rising from the sports field, the Sky Battle entering its second phase.

Everything came to a grinding halt around the school, Flames of all affiliation ceasing their progress to centre in on the overwhelming quiet. Lambo shifted in my lap, making me pull the jacket tighter, cooing at him to comfort.

"Is he..." He crooked, looking at me through bleary eyes.

"No, no, dear. Sawada-san will be fine." I smiled, "Have faith, stubbornness and thick skin is one of his attributes."

Gently caressing my child's little hand, I closed my eyes and cast a flare of sunshine over to the classroom where Takeshi lay stiff and wide-eyed. I dropped my presence on him, encircling his Flames with my fire and pressing wisped kisses of encouragement and reinforcing courage.

 _'Believe in your Sky, my dear. He won't lose here, you know that.'_ I crooned, burrowing into his side when he weakly opened himself.

 _'Yeah...'_

My eyes widened in their closed state before I grabbed hold of that faint response, trying to pry a better connection open. It was narrow, and nowhere near as clear as the raw, demanding one I inexplicably shared with the Varia Sky, but it was enough to flush a wave of heart wrenching love through, laced with an apology for being so useless in my own weakness. I stiffened for a second, before loosening as I felt a phantom nuzzle in the crook of my neck, fingers tightening in mine.

 _'Hibari-san will be there for you soon, he's not in all that great a shape, however._ ' I crackled, squeezing my hand around the non-existent one.

 _'Okay,'_ He sighed, before perking. _'Yeah, I can hear him now.'_

 _'Oh, thank God,'_ I flared, running my Flame over his as I felt out the rejuvenation that rushed through as antidote was administered. _'Takeshi-kun, do you feel better? You'll be dizzy for a bit.'_

 _'Yeah! I feel better already!'_ He laughed, though I could sense the fragility of his signs.

 _'Wonderful,'_ I breathed, before stepping back and opening my eyes. "That's wonderful. Bo-kun, Daddy's out of the poison now."

"Yay, Daddy..." The little Lightning smiled, still sleepy and out of it.

I softened my expression before nuzzling a kiss onto his forehead, quiet, crackling coos sounding from the small Mafia. Smiling at his settled state, I called back the visage of Flames, before turning around and blinked when I saw Sun charging full speed in the direction of the gym.

"Ryohei-kun, are you going where I think you are?" I asked into the mic, getting a roar of enthusiastic affirmation.

"Okay, be careful though, there's already another Varia folk added to that mix."

* * *

 ** **|COOPER|****

How? How? This was all so weird, so impossible. This couldn't be reality, this wasn't something that happened.

Cooper gaped openly as he watched the world around him crumble in seemingly sentient fire, teens and adults scrambling against poison and opponents, the weather somehow fitting into all of this.

"What the hell...is Watanabe-dono involved in?" He breathed, drawing the attention of the little, blue eyed baby.

"Watanabe-dono? _Kora!_ " He asked, tottering over and prodding the suited man's foot with his rifle.

"Yamaguchi Daiki, as he's known here." The Eurasian amended shakily, glancing down.

"Huh," The army-clad infant huffed, before jumping up onto his shoulder to get a good look at him. "And who're you?"

"Fujimoto Cooper, one of Watanabe-dono's underlings."

"The name's Colonello, _kora!_ "

"Ah...Good to meet you, Colonello-san." The baffled Yakuza blurted, staring wide-eyed at the face not centimetres from his own.

"What exactly do you not understand here?" He asked, resting his rifle on his little shoulder.

"Uh, I think... _everything?"_ Cooper stressed, wincing as something blew up on the far side of the school, the screen not deeming it important enough to show.

"Hm, well, this is all a civil war of sorts within the Vongola Mafia. Your Lord is a participant by affiliation- though his standing seems to be a bit murky, from the vibes I'm getting here. _Kora!_ " Colonello explained, kicking his tiny feet idly.

"Civil war?"

"They're battling for the right to take the position of Boss."

How many internal bloodbaths was the Lord Watanabe going to participate in? One in the Watanabe Yakuza, and another here in this Vongola mess. Cooper didn't want to, nor would he ever admit it, but he was beginning to worry. He knew the prowess, and the Heir seemed reasonable and strong minded, but all of this conflict was…

He wondered what the Clan would look like when the Fifteenth was through with it.

 **|COOPER|**

* * *

My back went ramrod straight as a wave of unbridled, unadulterated _fury_ absolutely _saturated_ my senses. The pungent odour staining the air that grew hot and heavy in my lungs as I tried to steady the dizzying nausea which rocked my body.

"The fuck is..." I breathed before widening my eyes, Flames roaring up in an instinctual defense as Wrathful Sky coiled in thick vapours.

' _Xanxus-san, what the hell is going on here?!'_ I sparked at him, trying to figure out the huge mass of Sky that consumed the area, Tsuna's barely visible amongst the carnage.

My teeth came to grit when no answer came, only a deep, constant rumble of a smouldering hearth, fresh tinder there to burn and burn. It was obvious that the Varia man couldn't hear me over the sound of his own volatile fury, the crackle snap too loud in his ears for any sort of sense to ring true.

' _Daiki-kun, where is everyone?'_ My mind snapped over to the faint, static buffered question, quickly finding Takeshi's Flame amidst the chaos of Skies.

' _Keep going as you are, you'll be running into Gokudera-san within the next few moments. Be careful, though, he's ready to kill on sight.'_

' _Got it.'_

I glanced back to the overpowering battle of Bosses, before shaking my head and turning my focus on the fast moving bonfire of my brother, a huff of fondness coming as he barged in, before freezing in place. A harsh, raw-throated breath left me when I saw the state of the other present Flames, Chrome's Mist still very much under the influence of the poison and reaching its limit, while Mammon and Belphegor's were handling much better.

I felt Ryohei's sunshine splutter and spit acid as his temper sparked, telling me all I needed to know about the situation and prompting me to reach out for the connection I had established with my Rain of a fiancé. A frown came to my face when he didn't respond to the prodding, and I pinched my bottom lip between my teeth as I focused on garnering his attention, the mutual channel too narrow for a message to go through.

' _...Takeshi-kun? Takeshi-kun! Ryohei-kun and Chrome-chan need help in the gymnasium! Two Varia in the gymnasium! Takeshi-kun!'_

There was nothing for a moment, and I had half the mind just to call into the wristband and risk the transmission being heard by the rest of the participants, before pausing when a gentle, almost nervous poke came to my Flame. It wasn't enough to let me grab on, but the full on shove that came next allowed me to wrap around it fully and pry it open, shouting through as amazement, pride and humour bubbled in second hand waves.

' _It_ _is_ _you! Haha, this is so cool! Like some telepathic stuff in manga!'_ Takeshi laughed, his Flames dancing around mine with childish excitement and interest.

' _Not exactly, but also not the time.'_ I flared, bringing his sense back to the job at hand. ' _Ryohei-kun and Chrome-chan are in the gym with the Varia Mist and Storm. Chrome-chan is still being poisoned, she's dancing on her limit. Move quickly!"_

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Hurts. Hurts. Oh, hell it hurts.

Takeshi couldn't move, his limbs too soft and weak to muster any kind of strength to even push himself to his knees. His ears rung with the rushing blood and his mouth was parched dry. It had only been a few minutes, but he honestly didn't know how long he could take.

God damn it, he needed to get up. Lambo and the others were just like this, they were in just as much hell as he was. Daiki wasn't going to be able to handle this, he wasn't healthy as he was. If he experienced this on top of the arsenic- He had to _move._ Had to get up. Had to help.

 _'Help is coming,'_ The swordsman paused, and opened his eyes against the strain, vision blurry. ' _Just hang on, love.'_

What the hell? Takeshi blinked the dryness of his eyes away, the action slow and sluggish, before gasping when he saw a flash of colour amongst the ruins of the Rain arena. The black material of Daiki's slacks and the stark white of his shirt stood out in the dank room, the copper tan of his skin shining with perspiration as he kneeled just shy of the Rain's reach.

' _That's it dearest, just focus enough to stay awake.'_ He cooed, reaching out to touch the floored boy.

Takeshi blinked again, and Daiki was gone.

' _I know it hurts, just hang on.'_

Another blink, the amber-earth smiled softly down on him, encouraging in nature as something in him stirred.

' _Keep doing that.'_

Keep doing what? Keep moving that thing? How?

Takeshi took a strained, shallow breath, his hand twitching as phantom fingers brushed the drenched nape of his neck. His eyes became pinched shut as he searched and searched, looking for that little thing that had made the voice clearer for a split second, before jolting as a cool pang hit the base of his sternum for less than a second. He flinched as he suddenly felt hands on him, familiar and comforting, but too hot and consuming.

' _You'll be fine. Hibari-san is coming. Just a few more moments. Please.'_ Daiki... _crackled._

The voice was odd to his ears, not even sure if it was ears receiving the information. It was definitely his Daiki speaking, but it was altered ever so slightly, like there was a background noise that melded with it.

There was an explosion. He felt it rattle his bones as the school shook to its very foundations, the presence disappearing as if suddenly switched off. His breath caught as he listened, waiting for the next move, eyes trained on the rising dust caught on the small screen if his damned wristband.

 _'Believe in your Sky, my dear. He won't lose here, you know that.'_ And he was back, whispering lowly into his ear from the Rain's blind spot, hand on the small of his back, thumbing the dip of his spine.

He wanted to respond, wanted to show Daiki that he was being heard- even if it _was_ Daiki who was talking to him and not the result of a desperate, fevered mind.

 _'Yeah...'_ It was weak, like a puff of smoke, but the gale force vice grip that snatched the fading signals proved it to be enough.

There was a weight suddenly on his body, though strangely not quite heavy. His breath hitched before leaving him in a loud rush, his face inexplicably heating beyond the poison as his heart swelled, the projection of his husband laying beside him, arm slung over his waist. It was unexpected and abrupt, the dunking of emotional warmth that made his lips twitch into a smile despite the grimace that wanted to tear his face.

 _'Hibari-san will be there for you soon, he's not in all that great a shape, however.'_ Came the low, soft whisper in his ear, his nose suddenly in taking a breath of Daiki, the smell faint, almost imagined.

 _'Okay.'_ He forced through, trying to copy the flickers he felt run along his core.

Just as he finished the thought, the faintest of footsteps reached his ringing ears, an audible grunt escaping the DC head and alerting the baseballer to his presence. _'Yeah, I can hear him now.'_

 _'Oh, thank God.'_ He felt the gasp and harsh exhale across his neck, the brief, warm kiss that was pressed to his temple leaving an unseen brand.

His breath stopped for a moment, feeling the first physical touch for a while, before a wash of relief took him, his veins cooling from their molten state and feeling coming back to his limbs.

 _'Takeshi-kun, do you feel better? You'll be dizzy for a bit.'_ Daiki asked, hovering over his shoulder as the Rain pushed himself to his feet, touches glancing over the boy's shoulders and hands.

 _'Yeah! I feel better already!'_ He laughed, speaking to Hibari through his mouth as he used the tongues of Flame to speak to another.

 _'Wonderful...'_

"Player sub!" The Rain cheered aloud, covering the hollowed cold that came as he felt Daiki sort of...step back from his side.

Hibari huffed at him dismissively but handed over the Cloud Ring without any struggle, claiming he had no need for the trinket anymore.

"So, how'd you find me?" Takeshi asked absently, pocketing both his and the Skylark's Rings.

"The Chattering Herbivore told me. He's good at locating people. Uncannily so...I should look into that." The DC head said the last piece more to himself as he turned and began walking away, swaying on his feet for a moment, before shaking it off and continuing on.

"Be careful, okay?" Takeshi called after him, getting waved off without any more of a reply.

He took a deep breath, inhaling moist air, before nodding to himself and taking to the halls, glancing around as he tried to find some sense of location, before Hibari's words came knocking at his mind. That thing was a lot like his Daiki, so maybe it knew too?

' _Where is everyone?'_ He tried, finding the faint residue of their connection, fanning the dying embers and attempting to rekindle it.

' _Keep going as you are, you'll be running into Gokudera-san within the next few moments.'_ Came the dutiful response, quick and to the point. ' _Be careful, though, he's ready to kill on sight.'_

' _Got it.'_ He nodded, honestly surprised he had gotten any sort of answer.

Just as the message had said, he found Gokudera at the next exit, being careful to keep his hands away from the handle of his blade and present them, showing he was harmless. It took a few seconds, but the Storm managed to reign his paranoia and recognise his Family member, a look of relief taking his pale face.

"You're safe!" He gasped, an unbelieving laugh escaping him. "How?"

"Daiki-kun led Hibari-san to me."

"Wait, the fucking giant did? How? He couldn't of been able to see you." Gokudera scrunched up his face in confusion.

"Huh? Do you know where Daiki-kun is?" Takeshi asked.

"Yeah, he's over on the clock tower. He's got the cow with him too." The half-Italian answered, pointing to the tallest vantage point on the grounds.

The Rain stared at the building, trying to make out a figure, but unable to in the darkness.

"But still, that weird ass Hibari-san's helping everyone. It's unsettling. I don't like it." The Storm huffed, breaking his concentration.

"Haha, he said it'd be troubling if someone died on school grounds. Told me to get out if I was going to."

"That makes more sense. Typical." He scowled, rolling his eyes.

' _...shi-ku...Takeshi...!'_

His head snapped up to the tower, eyes wide and focused, trying to clear his senses and latch onto the embers. Gokudera gave him a weird look, eyebrow raised as he blabbed a harsh word at him, only to fall silent as a hand came up to hush him.

' _Ryo...need…-asium! Two...gymnasium!'_

C'mon, c'mon, just a bit more. Speak louder, speak more. Daiki, Daiki, I can always find him when I think of...

' _Takeshi-kun!'_ Came the shout, loud and clear.

' _It_ _is_ _you!'_ Takeshi laughed, both inside and out, startling the Storm. ' _Haha, this is so cool! Like some telepathic stuff in manga!'_

He felt Daiki ripple with a fondness that made his heart shiver, finding the sudden need to wrap his arms around a broader frame.

' _Not exactly, but also not the time.'_ The Sun flared, the Rain giving a nod despite himself. ' _Ryohei-kun and Chrome-chan are in the gym with the Varia Mist and Storm. Chrome-chan is still being poisoned, she's dancing on her limit. Move quickly!"_

"Okay." He muttered, sending the signal back to the boy on the clock tower.

"Gokudera-kun," The swordsman turned suddenly, the other snapping to attention. "Daiki-kun says that Ryohei-kun and the Mist girl need help in the gym. There's already another Varia there, Belphegor-san, from the sounds of it."

He didn't give the other time to question as he took off, willing to answer anything as well as he could so long as they were moving.

"How the fuck do you know this?!" The Storm asked, hot on his heels.

"Daiki-kun told me!"

"Yeah, great, but _how?!_ "

"I don't know!" He admitted, finally seeing the gym. "He just does! I think it's got something to do with our Flames!"

"Our _Flames!?_ "

"Ryohei-kun!" Takeshi called, seeing the Sun standing at the door, his teeth on display in an angry bare as he stood stiff.

"Why aren't you going in Turftop? Dokuro-san needs help!" Gokudera snapped, peering into the lit building.

"I want to but Daiki-kun said to wait outside until you're done."

The two other Guardians looked to each other, wondering what the hell Daiki was thinking. Didn't they need all the help they could get?

"Daiki-kun thinks that if one person waits outside it'd be better, cause then we have a backup plan." He huffed, before stilling and looking off into space.

A grin suddenly split his cheeks as a fire ignited in his eyes, stance widening as he clenched his fists and bellowed to the sky.

"I'm the EXTREME K.O!"

"The hell…?"

"I think Daiki-kun's talking to him too...Though I don't think he realises." Takeshi supplied, watching the Sun rile himself up.

' _My dearest love, great that you've caught yourselves up but_ _please_ _get moving?'_ Daiki pressed, harsh whispers coming from just behind and making his nape pebble with shivers.

' _Yep, sorry!'_ He yelped, before nodding to his fellow Guardians. "Okay, let's go, we're relying on you if things go south."

" _EXTREME!"_

They burst on the scene, teeth gritting when they saw the prone, heaving form of Dokuro Chrome, bound and elevated in the hands of the Varia. The Vongola Mist had obviously seen better days, but looked like she was about to see her last should this carry out for much longer. Her already pale skin was at least several shades lighter and accentuated the redness that bloomed forth in certain spots, patches of sweat showing through her uniform.

' _This is all you from here, Takeshi-kun.'_ Daiki breathed, touching a non-physical hand between the swordsman's shoulderblades despite the weapon he carried covering the spot. ' _You know what to do and if not...you'll figure it out.'_

The Rain glanced around taking in the trident pointed just beneath the Mist's one good eye, her face pinched in pain as the other illusionist hung back. There was sharp, hostile back and forth between the two sides, before he took a breath and a leap, opening his mouth and straightening his back.

"We'll give you the Rings." He declared, a blurry, half-baked plan kind of in mind.

I hope you know what you're talking about Daiki, cause I sure as hell don't.

* * *

 **L: FANART! FANART! WE HAVE MORE FANART!**

 **Rainnn at Tumblr made fanart for The Baker's Daughter and oh m** _ **y God!**_ **Go check it out, it's amazing, Rain's amazing, it's all amazing!**

 **P: All the amazingness. To Rainnn.**

A Haiku to Rainnn:

I swear the screen had  
Sparkled when I clicked  
Holy fucking shit

-PlunnyBreeder

 **P: From now on, I'll try to give each fanart-giver a little poem. Tag us on Tumblr or contact us via PM! Totally not bribing you guys or anything!**

 **P: And Lenori what do you mean "Oh no, you're doing poetry again", hm?**

 **L: ...**

 **L: :)**

 **P: . I'm watching you…**

 **L: :')**

 **P: ;3**


	30. Chapter 30

**L: Firstly: Oh my God 30 chapters. I don't know why, but I always saw 30 chapters as some sort of milestone for fanfics and such, so to get this far into one myself is so amazing, you all have no idea of how astonished and proud I am because of this!**

 _ **30 chapter and over 1000 follows!**_ **Do you have any** _ **inclination**_ **of how huge this is for me!?**

 **Secondly: Varia Arc is over finally! A break from the** _ **battle scenes!**_

 **Thirdly: OH MY GOD THIRTY CHAPTERS I NEVER THOUGHT I'D SEE THE DAY!**

 **...So I may have made this a** _ **bit**_ **longer than usual in my enthusiasm for 30 FUCKI- ehem...enjoy.**

* * *

 **Word Count: 16,946**

* * *

' _This is all you from here, Takeshi-kun.' Daiki breathed, touching a non-physical hand between the swordsman's shoulderblades despite the weapon he carried covering the spot. 'You know what to do and if not...you'll figure it out.'_

 _The Rain glanced around taking in the trident pointed just beneath the Mist's one good eye, her face pinched in pain as the other illusionist hung back. There was sharp, hostile back and forth between the two sides, before he took a breath and a leap, opening his mouth and straightening his back._

" _We'll give you the Rings." He declared, a blurry, half-baked plan kind of in mind._

 _I hope you know what you're talking about Daiki, cause I sure as hell don't._

* * *

 **|JUN|**

"Daiki-dono, why do you make me do these things?" Jun whined, sitting up in a tree as a cold breeze rattled its leaves.

He huffed after a beat of silence, huddling further into his thick blanket, dark in colour and stuffed chubby, wrapped around him like a burrito. His hands cradled a steaming thermos of hot chocolate, the wonderful smell permeating up and making him hum in happiness despite his perch in the fork of a tree. The small Yakuza squirmed back further, his blanket coming up to hood him and allow only his face and little hands to peak out of a small hole, cheeks and nose red from the wind.

The Lord had asked him to watch Kaede for the night, explaining that some unsavoury characters were likely to launch an assault on the lady, one that he himself would not be present to redirect. It was Jun's job to make sure the Lord's matron never even knew an attack happened, there was to be no sound of a struggle, nor any bodies left behind if a casualty were to take place.

"Oh, if only it wasn't do darn cold tonight, I wouldn't mind so much." The mouse quivered, sipping on his hot chocolate, marshmallows melted in the warm beverage.

As the lights to the living room were turned off, and only the yellow illumination of Kaede's bedroom window remained, Jun hunkered down, listening to every sound of the night, ready to follow orders.

Intercept. Do not alert. Leave no evidence.

 **|JUN|**

* * *

I fought to keep my breath steady as I watched the Flames play their turnes, petals of fire blooming in each corner of the inky blackness. My teeth grit as I tried to pull up memories, things falling short and leaving gaps as blotted images flashed through my mind.

" _Daiki-kun, can I go in now?"_ Ryohei asked quietly through the monitor, voice proving his impatience.

"No, hold your ground. Their not ready yet." I responded quickly, pressing a Flame to his, keeping the restless energy reigned.

Casting my gaze over the school, I quickly caught myself up with the locations of the other Mafia folk, Hibari stalking through the school and Tsuna still battling with Xanxus. I tilted my head, though, as I watched the Skies pause their movement, focusing on the state of the Vongola's Flame. His fire was docile, amazingly so, a cool sensation wafting off it despite the Will that burnt at its core.

How... _odd._

' _Daiki-kun!'_

I cringed at the whiplash as I was yanked over to the gymnasium, teeth gritting when I saw Takeshi and Gokudera bound by illusions.

' _It didn't work! I screwed up!'_

' _No, no,'_ I quickly reassured, finding Ryohei waiting where I had left him and send a spark of adrenaline as warning. ' _You did perfectly, just what we needed. Ryohei-kun and I will take it from here. 'Cover your eyes, nose and mouths!'_

I opened my eyes and took a long breath, my Flames roaring high out of the cover they had taken and latched onto my brother Sun's, riling him up and making him bristle with unused energy.

"Bro, ready when you are." I breathed, narrowing my eyes at the visage of the gym in the distance.

" _Okay...Three."_

My skin pebbled with goosebumps as I felt him stir, eyes wide and alert as I expanded my radar as far as it could, feeling the multiple Mists that stood around the gates of Nami-chuu.

Two...

' _Chrome-chan, hold your breath.'_ I flared, feeling her jump before responding.

My eyes narrowed as my brow set, hands clenching shut as I pushed, flooding the Vongola Sun with my own support.

"Ryohei-kun, go!"

" _Maximum Cannon!"_

The blast rocked the school, debris rising into the air and making me cover Lambo's entirety with my jacket, shirt pulled over my nose and mouth as I squinted through the dust. There were shouts of shock and pain, the Mist that had flooded the arena disturbed and blown away by that Sun packed punch, freeing the disgruntled Guardians.

" _Sorry about that...I was a bit too fast there."_

"Nah man, right on time. Have to take into account your brash nature when using you." I laughed, a bit awed as I saw the carnage of the building, shredded to its foundations by a single attack. "What the fuck bro? You wrecked the place."

I shook my head, getting myself back in order as I heard the faint grumble, crunch and scrape of Gokudera and Takeshi working their way out of the rubble. The Storm was muttering curses in that bilingual manner of his.

' _Oh, fuck that hurts...'_

' _Takeshi-kun! Language!'_ I scorched, pinching his Flame repremandidly.

He winced before curling up around the signal apologetically, sniggers laced into the action.

"You all good?" I asked into the com, talking to the three.

" _Yup, everyone's here and accounted for, shujin-kun!"_

" _Just fuckin' barley! You two blockheads could have killed us!"_ Gokudera snapped, voice faded to show he was shouting at Ryohei as well.

"No, you wouldn't have. I was sure of it...well, mostly."

" _Haha, we survived, so it's fine!"_ Takeshi laughed, before sobering up as I radiated my jolt to them.

"You lot! Careful of the Varia!" I shouted, seeing their Flames burst forth from whatever submersion they were in before.

As their elemental fires geared up for another confrontation, I released a sigh from between gritted teeth, shaking my head as I did.

"Don't bother," I muttered into the wristband. "You won't get anywhere with those. What you're seeing are just illusions… Right, Chrome-chan?"

" _R-Right. They've already left."_ The girl breathed, wavering slightly.

A wave prepared to go off, intent slathered onto it to create a message for the Guardians, but my back when ramrod straight and my eyes slammed shut as I searched for it. Like someone had blown it out, Xanxus was gone. Poofed like a plume of smoke, I couldn't find him nor feel him. The rage that had bubbled over in a volcanic mass had just vanished.

' _Xanxus-san? Oi, cranky, where you at?!'_ My gaze snapped around the school, but I couldn't locate the Varia Boss.

"Sawada-san, where the fuck has Xanxus-san gone?" I asked, rapid fire words coming out.

" _...I've frozen him. Zero Point Breakthrough: First Edition."_ Came the eventual response.

A hum come out of me, low and based as I nodded, hearing his solemn tone. I twitched, attention being yanked by movement.

"God, fuck, you're getting it from everywhere." I swore before calling up Flames and locking onto Takeshi.

' _You're gonna wanna move! Now! Get to the track field where the Sky Battle is! The Varia are collecting already!'_

" _Got it! Guys, we gotta go!"_ The Rain announced, garnering the other's attention.

I turned my focus back on the fallen Skies, taking a hissed breath as the Varia proved strong and Flames of furious Sky bloomed back into existence, worn and tired, but still livid. Throwing a flash of prompting fire at Hibari, the boy tucked away in a corner of the school, I stood, my vision growing fuzzy for a moment.

' _Hibari-san, if you can, get to the track oval. How are you right now? You don't feel all that good.'_

' _Shut up. This isn't anything. I'll be there in my own time.'_ He huffed, through his Flame twinged in pain.

I shook my head then instantly regretted the rocking that came after. Squeezing my eyes, I quickly gathered Lambo to my chest before descending from the roof, finding my way to the field myself, but hanging back still, watching from a careful distance. My brow pinched as the Vongola Guardians ran onto the scene in time to see Mammon and Belphegor prepare to bestow a fallen Xanxus with the Rings, Sky and all.

"Papa?" Lambo asked, peeking up from under my jacket, still quite woozy. "Does that mean we lost?"

I looked to him, before smiling and kissing his forehead, a little squeak coming from him.

"No, darling. We haven't lost yet. Just you watch."

Turning back to the field with narrowed eyes, I waited for the inevitable step, light consuming the arena as Xanxus came to his feet, Ring on hand. I twitched as I closed my eyes, holding down the rise of bile in my throat from the dizzying display.

"Papa!" Lambo yelped as I teetered, little hands coming to yank at my collar.

"S-sorry, Bo-kun...I think I'm going to have to put you down for a sec." I grimaced, lowering him to the floor, before finding myself unable to get back up.

Wavering in strength, I shifted myself instead until I could lean back against the wall, little Lightning tucked safely into my side as I measured my breath, calming the pulsing headache and rocking nausea. Closing my eyes, I let my head loll back and open my airways, relaxing as I turned my attention on the splatters of fire, hands tightening on Lambo's onesie as I felt the Sky Ring almost grimace and recoil, having finally tasted Xanxus' Flame.

"Honey, come here." I breathed, pulling the child into my lap and curling around him protectively as the pin was pulled from the grenade of a Sky Ring.

My breath hitched as sharp needling ripples vibrated through the air, stabbing at my Flame in righteous fury, offended by the very idea that a non-blood would dare to wear it. My sunshine quivered away in sympathy and pain as the most brutal Rejection cracked a whip along Xanxus, beating and abusing his Flame for overstepping its status. When the Varia Sky dropped, I wasn't surprised, doubting that _anyone_ could handle such a harsh Rejection.

As the shock waves faded, I unraveled from around Lambo, checking him quickly for damage, before smiling at him as he buried his face into my stomach, whining at the loss of warmth and comfort. Gently petting his frizzy hair, I looked back around the corner with open orbs, taking in the scene with grit teeth.

"Poor bastard." I whispered, seeing him push himself off the ground, flopping back on his behind with a grunt.

"You probably think I deserve that." Xanxus groaned, Belphegor coming to kneel by his side.

I sighed as he went on, self-degrading and angry, making me hug Lambo a bit closer, the child listening with upset and confusion.

"Papa, can we go to Daddy?" He asked quietly, hearing the harsh words crack against his ears.

I thought to my weak legs and stirring insides, but tried anyway, grimacing when I couldn't with Lambo clinging to my shoulders. Shaking my head, I dropped back down and heaved a bit, Sun spluttering in my system, drained from such heavy use, the day finally taking its tole.

"Sorry, Bo-kun, I can't move right now...Wait a bit longer with me?"

"Mhm." The little Lightning nodded, hugging himself to me and drawing my jacket closer as a security blanket. "Does Papa feel that bad?"

"Just a bit," I sighed, smiling through the twitch. "I'll be better in no time though."

" _I understand how bitter and frustrated you must have felt, being betrayed."_

My head snapped up at the voice echoed through the school, speakers projecting the words of none other than Squalo of the Varia. I frowned, even as I felt Takeshi's Flame ruffle in surprise and relief, knowing what was going to happen next.

" _On that day, when you were frozen by Vongola Ninth, I was still slightly conscious and I heard everything."_

I pressed my lips tightly as the Varia Rain talked on, his voice solemn and strained, eyes focused on the wall across from me. Memories and snippets of information filtered through my mind, the little Mafia Lightning cooing up at me when I wheezed a cough. Lowering myself, I nuzzled him a little to provoke some higher mood, not at all liking the downward slant of his eyes and lips.

"-The Ninth respected you like more than anyone else. He thought of you as his real son... "

Xanxus' Flames flickered low for a moment, cowed by the display, and for a moment, I felt sorry for the poor kid.

"Sing my praises! I deserve to be the Boss!"

And then I lost it all.

"God damn it, Xanxus-san." I sighed, pressing a hand to my face."You had the sympathy factor going for you and you just blew it, the audience hates you now and wants to vote you off the island."

The Cervello representatives ran over to the field, taking a stand just outside of the Varia Sky's watery patch of misery and spoke clearly enough for me to hear it over where I was.

"Xanxus-sama, we must hold a council to determine whether or not you are fit to bare the Ring."

The Mafia man bristled, before baring his teeth, eyes flashing as Flames roared up.

"Shut up! If I'm not then I'll just eliminate anyone who stands in my way!"

A thick atmosphere of bloodlust was draped over the field, the Varia Guardians rolling their shoulders and grinning as suited to their character, geared up and ready to deal damage to everyone and anyone. Belphegor and Mammon both turned on the pink haired arbiters, the two gasping and stiffening in shock as knives were displayed.

I let out a long breath before helping Lambo off my lap, sucking on the back of my teeth as I forced my limbs to move, shaky legs knocking for a moment, before finding their balance. Standing still, I waited until the light spin stopped, before relaxing my shoulders.

"C'mere Bo-kun." I called, opening my hands to him.

"No," He huffed, turning his head away stubbornly, tottering across the battlefield with my jacket hugged tight around his shoulders. "Lambo-san can walk himself."

Blinking after him, I watched my boy make his way to his father without incident, tugging on the Rain's pant leg and making their party yelp in surprise.

"Stupid cow! Where have you been?! Where's the fuckin' giant?" Gokudera howled as Takeshi picked up the small child.

"Papa's coming now, he's not feeling good." He answered, grabbing onto the chain around my fiancé's neck as comfort. "Daddy, Papa's having trouble walking."

"Huh?" Takeshi breathed, eyes going wide and snapping to where Lambo had come from.

I winced at the stare that was stuck on me, an overflow of emotion coming from the waves of Rain that bubbled under his skin. Smiling at the group as I walked over, I accepted the soft nudge from my fellow Sun, feeling his fatigue and the relief that underlined it.

"Hey, bro, you look like shit." I laughed, clapping his hand.

"Same to you. Look ready to puke up your guts." He huffed, squeezing me quickly, sending an unwitting splash of sunshine fire up my arm.

"Always am." I shrugged, making him chuckle a bit, before turning my attention on the narrow eyed father. "Hey, honey. Could you hear me talking to you?"

"Yeah." The Rain nodded, allowing me to come closer to him and help support Lambo. "You always sounded well, but I could...I could _feel_ that you were hurting."

I held back a flinch as his hand pressed to my stomach, feeling the weak quivers and spasm of muscle, showing how much I was straining to stay straight. He frowned and rubbed his palm along the length soothingly, all the while glaring full force at the Varia party.

"What are you going to do? There's six of us and only to of you!" Gokudera shouted at Mammon, bombs at the ready.

"Two on six?" The Arcobaleno huffed, "Think again. You'll be facing dozens more than what you see here."

They tensed and flinched, eyes both wide and narrowed as they took in this information. Looking to them, I sighed and reclaimed Lambo from Takeshi knowing he'd have to move soon. When he turned to me to reprimand my action, I shook my head and urged him to focus.

"In that case, the Varia team is disqualified." The only living Cervello woman declared, distancing herself from Belphegor. "And the infrared barrier around the spectators will be lowered."

"Fools," Mammon scoffed, floating around. "We tampered with it long before. We plan to kill you while you're caged."

"Damn it," Gokudera snarled, the Vongola gearing up to battle. "We're going to have to do this ourselves."

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath as unfamiliar Flames entered my radar, my grip on Lambo tightening and my elbow bumping Ryohei's as I locked onto them. There were three, but their strength was considerable- however, the state of their fires proved them wounded and barely able to hang on. This allowed me to relax, my eyes opening and connecting with Chrome's, we nodded to each other, both knowing.

The three Varia dropped into the arena just behind us, prompting the party to turn and bare their teeth at the new folk. Despite their strong appearance, they began dropping, their Flames dieing to dim embers, representative of sleep of unconsciousness.

"We have a report," The tallest and only standing one declared, strained and shaking. "All of the Varia squads have been eliminated. He's too strong! A demon of a man is heading this way."

" _Bouja Reppa!"_

What the fu- Is that the Lancia dude?!

I blinked in surprise, looking to the man I had had the fortune of missing during the run in with Mukuro. The whirl wind created by his wrecking ball slowly died down, allowing for the reveal to take place.

 _ **Bang!**_

Oh shit, that sounds heavy.

"Don't get me wrong Vongola, I didn't come to help you," Lancia smirked, looking quite pleased with the spectacle he had made of himself. "I came to say thank you."

Belphegor grinned, listening to the exposition released by those still confined within the spectators box. He prepared his daggers, chord shining in the night light as eh bared his teeth.

"Okay, let's finish this now." He huffed, before throwing the blades directly at the fallen Tsuna.

Takeshi blurred for a moment in my peripheral, before focusing again as i looked to the scene, the Varia Storm's blades deflected by the Vongola's own.

"Not happening!" He announced, still stanced from the repel.

"Alright then." Mammon breathed, surging forwards, only for a geyser of fire to erupt from the earth in front, then directly below, thoroughly dispersing his physical form for a moment.

"You're not getting away." Chrome stated, coming forwards, trident at the ready.

"Hey," Hibari called, chain linked hooks freed from his tonfa. "It's over now."

"No you don't." Ryohei growled when Belphegor took a step.

I held Lambo tight as I stepped forwards, coming to be eclipsed slightly by my brother Sun as I glared warningly at the two Varia folk.

"Boss!" Gokudera shouted, coming to kneel by Tsuna's side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." The Sky responded, a smile in his voice.

The Storm nodded, before coming to join our ranks, dynamite threaded between his knuckles and ready to be lit.

Belphegor and Mammon scanned their assembled opponents, before the blond prince sighed and dropped his blades, hands held up in surrender, his grin still persistent.

"Well, we're screwed." He shrugged.

"Boss," Mammon called, directing his attention to the fallen fury. "I think we're done."

"Scum...You _worthless scum!_ I'll send you _all_ to _hell!"_ Xanxus roared, his shout of rage reaching the roof tops of Namimori.

I kept my face impassive as I watched the display, a last ditch effort to seem threatening, before turning away as the Cervello came to gather around the Sky. My teeth gritted for the boy even as I let Lambo nuzzle my cheek, trying to comfort me, even though he didn't know the reason for my stiffness.

"I'm fine, Bo-kun. I swear." I laughed, pinching his nose lightly and making him giggle.

"With this, the Ring tournament is at an end, and we will announce the winner." The woman announced her voice carrying through the speakers around the school. "By virtue of Xanxus-sama's disqualification, the victor of the Sky Battle is Sawada Tsunayoshi."

The ripple of satisfaction and relief that flooded the group was almost tangible, their Flames puffing up with ego.

"Thus, the inheritors of the Vongola Rings will be Sawada Tsunayoshi and his seven-"

I took a sharp, hissed inhale between my teeth, eyes wide, snapping around to face the woman. The tension in my spine gathered as she was stopped, another one of her many doppelgangers coming over to whisper into her ear, the two exchanged words, before they nodded.

"I apologise, Sawada Tsunayoshi and his _six_ Guardians, are the inheritors of the Vongola Rings."

The longest sigh of relief I had yet to give to date whooshed out of my body in one almighty exhale, amber-earth sliding shut as I tried to tame my rapid heart beat.

"Ah, Tsuna-san!"

Turning to face the Sky, surrounded by his rightful Guardians, I couldn't help the laugh that escaped, airy and light.

"He's fine, guys." I hummed, coming up to bring a piece of the downed boy's fringe out of his face. "He's just sleeping. Poor boy's all tuckered out."

…

I groaned and shrugged off my jacket, muscles aching all over my body as I dropped face first on Takeshi's bed.

"Ew, Daiki-kun, not when you're all sweaty!" He whined, nudging me with his foot as he grabbed his night clothes. "Have a shower first!"

"But I don't have a change of clothes." I muttered into the sheets, before rolling myself over and looking at him.

Takeshi huffed before perking, a shine in his eye that made me raise a split eyebrow. The excitable Rain turned and began digging through his closet, a grin lighting up his face as he turned and showed me a rather large shirt in his grasp.

"That means you have to wear my clothes! Finally!"

"Finally?" I laughed, opening my arm as he came and dropped down next to me.

"Yeah! I've worn your clothes before, but you've never worn mine." He explained.

"That's because you're like, two sizes smaller than me." Came my response as I dragged him up and standing close, showing the widths of our waist.

The Rain laughed and pressed himself closer, his hips fitting into the frames of my pelvis surprisingly well. He cooed a noise and looked down at where we were held flush, my ears heating as my little fiancé crooned low in a kind of satisfaction.

"Xanxus-san can't do this. He can't get pressed to you like I am." He rumbled, dragging his nails up my sides lightly.

"You're still not over that?"

"He _kissed_ you, shujin-kun. If it weren't against the rules he wouldn't still have a mouth." He gritted, coming purposefully close. "Only I'm allowed to touch you like that. You're _mine._ "

And there's his yandere again.

I gave an airy laugh as he turned his gaze up to me, eyes hooded in possessive content. My head tilted slightly as I smiled and nodded, watching the glee radiate in his orbs.

"That's right, Takeshi-kun. I'll only let you touch me like this."

The Rain smiled wide at that, cheeks warming wonderfully. I hummed and nudged his nose with mine, a small chuckle falling from him as he reciprocated the nuzzle.

"Thank you for sharing yourself with me, Daiki-kun."

"Always welcome. Now go have a shower. I'll come in after you." I huffed, kissing his forehead quickly before pushing him towards the door gently.

"You sure you don't wanna join me instead? Saves time and water."

"Incorrect," I stumbled, trying to hide the furious blush even as I talked back, a coy smile coming to my face as I found myself. "If we went together, we'd spend three times as long in there."

I watched in satisfaction as his face went up in a charming red, stunned for a moment at the brazen response.

"Haha, I suppose. But would that really be so much of a loss?" Takeshi croaked, before clearing his throat. "I'll go ahead then- and don't lay on the bed!"

"Yes, yes." I waved him off, splaying on the floor instead.

When the door clicked shut and the sounds of the shower reached me from down the hall, I let out a long, haggard breath, releasing the cough that I had been bearing down on while in Takeshi's presence. The harsh exhale rattled my ribs and scratched my throat, making me sit up and pull my bag from where I had dumped it beside the bed. Searching through it, I hummed rough when I found the little cough lollies, shoving a honey and lemon one on my tongue before tossing the wrapper in the bin. Suckling on the soother, I leant back on my hands and looked about the room.

Takeshi's room had changed with him over the years, but you could still see remnants of old phases on the walls. No matter how hard he tried, the Rain couldn't quite manage to scratch that Snow White sticker off his shelf, nor would any amount of product clean off that Johnas Brothers quote that he thought was deep and sounded cool until I translated it for him. There were still the outlines of his baseball stickers on the wood of his door, and his ceiling still held stubborn remnants of the glow in the dark stamps that I had watched him jump on his bed to put in place.

From my vantage point of the floor, I could see the clumsy writing stained in the underside of the Rain's desk, whiteboard marker inking little lines of kanji that made me smile, _Daiki x Takeshi._

Tilting my head back up, I looked to the patch of wall above Takeshi's bed, taking in the display of pictures that filled the space in a patchwork timeline. Scenes from as far back as the boy's tenth birthday party consumed the space, my eyes being caught by the show of Takeshi splayed on my stomach and I bent backwards at an angle, a laugh escaping as I remembered the event.

The lolly in my mouth clacked against my teeth as arms suddenly rounded my stomach, slipping under my own arms and pulling me back into a warm chest. Little droplets of water pattered onto my shoulder as my fiance leant over to press a kiss on my temple, provoking me to laugh and run a hand over his damp cheek.

"You're dripping all over me, go dry yourself." I huffed, shoving him playfully when he shook his hair.

"But I wanna cuddle!"

"After I shower." I hummed, worming out of his embrace with a bit of effort. "Go get ready for bed. I'll see you in a bit."

Takeshi huffed but flopped onto the mattress as I grabbed up the oversized clothes that he had set aside for me, rolling my eyes when he made an obnoxious kissy noise and whined as I walked out. The lock of the bathroom door echoed loudly in the tiled room, my sigh of relief accompanying it as I pulled my binder off and inhaled a long, fulfilling breath. Hanging the piece on the doorknob, I stripped the rest of me and started the water, lingering outside as I waited for the downpour to warm.

My hand strayed from the stream to touch my shoulder, flashes of the scar that marred Takeshi's knocking on my mind and sparking guilt in the bases of my stomach. Shaking my head to rid the heavy cloud of emotion, I stepped into the shower and gave a quiet groan of satisfaction, muscles relaxing under the hot, rhythmic pelting.

I lathered my arms and shoulders, layers of sweat, dirt and grime coming off in washes and rolling down the drain in murky waves. My hands stopped just as they came to the soft tissue of my chest, water running off it.

" _I highly doubt they'd want to be with you anymore if they found out that you were a girl."_

I bit my lip until a metal tange hit my tongue, fingers digging bluntly into the chords of pectoral muscle beneath breast meat as I fought not to curl in on myself.

" _Everyone would be happier if you were a boy."_

My brow came to press against the cool tile wall as I tried to redirect my mind, Takeshi was waiting for me back in his room, Lambo's at Tsuna's house with I-pin, Ryohei is probably out cold on his bed.

" _They love the boy Daiki."_

But it kept coming back. Once it was there, once the seed was planted, it took a herculean effort and careful weaning to uproot it.

Yamamoto Takeshi, he claimed to love me, and I had no doubt he did, but whether or not that emotion would stand to be transferred to a...less expected body, I didn't know. I didn't know if he loved me, or if he loved who he believed me to be. Whether or not he'd accept it when it was shown…

I couldn't blame him if he turned and left. He didn't sign up for this, didn't ask for such a backwards partner. It wasn't the incorrect decision either, to flee from the twisted and sideways. I could never blame him, nor harbour any negative emotion towards him. Even if he were to cut the ties we had forged, I knew that it would have been my fault.

Amber-earth stared impassively as the off white tiles of the shower, suds dripping off of damp blue strands. Reaching for the bottles lined along the shelf, I continued to bathe myself, a bitter taste on my tongue as my eyes stung.

I could never bring myself to hate Takeshi should he leave, but I could fear the day with all of my being.

Shaking my head, I closed my eyes and sighed, washing out the product from my hair.

I loved Takeshi, there was no questioning that simple fact. So for now, I'd go back to his room, crawl into his bed, lay with him in his warmth...and continue to lie to him, no matter how much it hurt. I'd dig my hole deeper, and sink further into the punishment. Trick him into loving me for just a little longer.

Because, who would want me as a girl? Right, mum?

* * *

 ** **|Y.T|****

Takeshi played idly with the cloth of his sheets as he scrolled through his phone, fed, washed and relaxed, finally after the Ring Battle's completion. He hummed to himself, thumb pulling the page down as the sound of the shower shutting off reached him through the hall. There were a few more moments of muted shuffling before he heard Daiki step into the room, hair freshly towelled and smelling of Takeshi's shampoo.

The Rain hid the smile of satisfaction behind his phone as Daiki pulled back their sheets and settled under them, the look quickly fading when a small, hesitant tug came. Takeshi turned from his device and looked to the Sun, concern instantly swarming in his chest when he saw the downcast expression marring the Yamaguchi's face.

The rogue Sun was curled on his side almost defensively as he huddled under the sheets, large body attempting to hide away as brilliant amber dulled in emotion. His lips were pulled into a soft frown as his brow pinched weakly, his chin tucked into his chest to seem smaller. Daiki held Takeshi's sleeve end between his fingers, pinching it tightly in a wordless, hesitant ask for comfort.

"Daiki-kun?" Takeshi asked quietly, placing his phone down. "What's wrong?"

Daiki blinked up at him, uncharacteristically subdued.

"Nothing's wrong...Just still a bit woozy from the poisons, I guess. I'll be fine soon."

"Shujin-kun." He muttered, a worried frown coming to his own face at the weak rejection.

He knew that Daiki's demeanour wasn't a product of the foreign bodies that had been forced into his system, he had seen what that looked like. This was something much different. Daiki was _sad._

The Sun looked at him for a few moments before releasing a long breath. He reached up from beneath the sheets with his free hand and cupped the side of the Rain's face, running his thumb along the rise of his cheek.

"Takeshi-kun, smile for me please?"

The small voice he had asked in made it impossible for Takeshi to say no, mind buzzing with worry even as he tilted his lips in a charming manner. His heart lurched as Daiki's eyes softened, their light returning as they focused on him.

"There," He breathed, his own smile coming, small and sweet. "Feeling better already."

Oh God, Daiki…

Takeshi moved forwards and wrapped his arms around the larger boy, hand coming to press the elder's face into his shoulder and comb through his hair. He held onto him as he felt a weak, minute shudder rattle Daiki's body, breath stuttered and shaky when exhaled into his collar.

"I _love_ you Daiki-kun. _So_ much." He swore, pressing kisses on the other's temple.

Takeshi's eyes widened when he felt Daiki stiffen, breath cease and jaw set. Why had...Why had that make him...

"No." He breathed, tightening his grip on the other boy. "No, no, no."

Daiki gave a faint grunt as he was pushed onto his back, the Rain coming to hover above on all fours as he forced kisses onto him, the Sun giving no resistance but not reciprocating. Takeshi nuzzled and nipped along his neck and shoulder, leaving behind a trail of warmth and pink spots.

"No, no, I love you. I love you with all my heart."

Who made him doubt that? Who had the gall to dare and question the legitimacy of his emotion? His hands clenched and his eyes narrowed at the thought of someone whispering poison into his Daiki's ear, the need to hunt coming to the surface- only to be abruptly plugged when hands came up.

Takeshi inhaled deeply as he felt his husband map the outline of his shoulder blades, feather light fingers creating lazy pattern on his skin. Daiki released a low note that charmed the Rain into unwinding, slowly lowering himself down onto the other's front, breaths mingling.

"I love you Daiki-kun." He repeated, looking down at his partner.

"I love you too, Takeshi-kun." Daiki breathed. "With all my heart."

They shared a slow, soft kiss that lasted only a while, their tastes shared on their tongues as they rested their brows together.

He gave a sigh before rolling them on their side, Daiki muttering something low before burrowing into the Rain's front, hiding himself away in the crook of his husband's neck.

Takeshi reached out and turned the lights off, bathing them in darkness before wrapping his arms around Daiki again, securing the other to his smaller frame, pressing his concerned frown to the top of the blue head.

"I'm sorry I made you worry, but I'm fine...I have you, after all." Daiki made an attempt at a laugh, but it got choked on halfway, the inked arm wrapped around his waist suddenly constricting.

"Yeah, you have me. You'll always have me."

The rogue Sun shivered, prompting Takeshi to pull their blankets higher up his shoulder, pressing their bodies closer in an effort to comfort the inexplicably woeful boy. There was a kiss pressed to his jugular, a silent thanks, before a hand clutched over his heart, bundling the Rain's shirt. Takeshi sighed and placed his hand over the meek fist, running his thumb over sharp knuckles.

"Can I have another kiss?" He asked, looking down at his fiancé.

Daiki stirred for a moment before pulling himself from the haven, unmistakable creases in the corners of his eyes, a mixture of exhaustion and fondness.

"Of course." The Sun hummed, drawing his head down by the jaw and sealing their lips together.

He felt Daiki smile against him as it continued, purposeful brushes of damp muscles making the Rain shudder and coo. Arms wrapped around his waist and squeezed him, his hips being pressed into Daiki's stomach from the embrace.

Daiki tucked a piece of Takeshi's unruly hair behind his ear as they pulled apart, admiring him in the low light. The street lamps gave a glow to the room, giving just enough luminance to allow Takeshi to make out the red that dusted copper tan cheeks, his own hue no doubt matching.

The Sun smiled sheepishly after a few more moments of intense focus, gently thumbing at the other's earlobe, before he squirmed over and nuzzled his face back into the crook of the Rain's neck, arms open and welcome to him. Takeshi hummed, pleased by the contact, and began tapering his fingers over a slab of warm skin, Daiki's shirt having risen slightly in their shuffling.

"I'll always be here for you, shujin-kun, you can always come to me."

He spoke low, quiet, barely a whisper. Takeshi doubted he was meant to hear it, nobody was meant to hear it, but nonetheless, the words still reached his attentive ears.

" _Please don't be lying to me…"_

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

Despite the warmth that enshrouded and the comfort of my other being wrapped around me, I didn't sleep well that night. I woke up every other hour, pulled from static dreams by a jolt of fright and panic.

I could never quite remember what caused this, the context of my dreams unknown, but it led me to squirm closer to Takeshi. A faint grumble leaving him before he curled into me. I was held in the waking realm for hours, my eyes cast out the window as I watched the sky turn peach with new light. The loud whistle notes of song birds rung out in the crisp air as I absently carded my fingers through the Vongola Rain's hair, soft locks pleasant to the touch.

We had shifted through the night, and though I started safely tucked away under my fiancé's chin, we ended with Takeshi sprawled over my chest, respiring into the crook of my neck, light points of faded pink holding from the more stubborn of his previous affection. The fact that he was so in tune with my reactions made my heart swell, but at the same time racked my brain with paranoia and anxiety.

Nonetheless, as he stirred, blinking up at me with bleary eyes I smiled and pressed a welcoming kiss on his forehead.

"Go back to sleep. We don't have to go anywhere today." I breathed, trying and succeeding to lull the boy back to the brink.

The party that happened canonically had been shifted down a day, allowing us a full 24 hour of recuperation, and if my aching muscles had anything to say, we very much deserved the time off.

"What about you?" He groaned sleepily, making a little chirping noise as my fingers found the bliss point just to the right of his skull.

"Mm, I'll join you soon. We have time."

He woke again three hours later to find me on my phone, the sun high with the morning and the streets of Namimori alive with action. The Rain smothered his face into my shoulder before extracting himself and splaying on his back.

I watched in uninhibited fascination as he groaned before arching his back off the bed, arms over his head in an effort to stretch out the creaks of sleep. Takeshi dropped down and rubbed his eyes with closed fists, a yawn cracking his jaw and displaying his teeth before he rolled back over to nestle under my arm. He grabbed my hand and used it to bring the pillowing limb over his waist to hug him, placing his own hand palm down on my heart, feeling the beat absently as he rested his head on my collar.

"Who're you talking to?" The Rain asked, voice rough and heavy from sleep.

"Ryohei-kun," I responded, still gazing down at the content looking boy, his smile lazy. "He wants me to hurry up and plan the sleepover."

"Hm, do you have a date?"

"Why do you want to know?" I questioned, raising a halved brow at him.

"I just wanna hear you talk." He answered easily, nuzzling my chest and giving a long, relaxing exhale. "Especially in the morning, you always sound so…"

I squeezed him a bit as his voice faded, eyes diverting and hooding as a vermillion hue took the rise of his cheeks. Looking back to the device, I began reciting the hastily put together plan for him, using him as a verbal cork board to bounce around my ideas and finding flaws. When that subject had been exhausted, I moved on to something else, running my knuckles along his arm as I called up memories, the wall of photos above us my inspiration and provocation.

"Remember our first proper fight?" I asked, looking to the photo of eleven and twelve year old us, curled around each other in a patch of sun in his backyard.

"Mm…" He hummed, eyes closed and relaxed.

"I hadn't been able to spend much time with you because of school and the bakery. I think we were both just tired since it was pretty much the end of term, but _damn_ did we get into that screaming match." My voice took on a laugh as I recalled more, Takeshi's lip twitching as the sound.

"You really wanted me to go and play with you, but I had too much work. You got so angry and yelled about how I didn't want to be with you anymore - I'm pretty sure you were just quoting some drama though, huh?"

I took a deep breath, smiling pleasantly as I replayed the scene.

"I was trying to be mad at you so badly, you were being unreasonable, but you kept puffing your cheeks up and all I wanted to do was squish your face and coo at you." I laughed, seeing a light blush take his cheeks. "You were such an adorable child."

"Anyway, we ended up taking it out back cause we were disturbing the customers, and as soon as your father closed the door you full on tackled me. Warcry and all."

Takeshi shifted under my arm, humming as he got comfortable again and urged me to go on.

"But yeah, we ended up finally tiring ourselves out after rough housing in the dirt for nearly half an hour. You refused to let go once we woke up though," I looked to him, seeing the way he had grappled all over me. "Guess not much has changed, huh?"

He smiled softly at the tone, taking a long inhale that made my arm rise.

"Hey, Daiki-kun, when did you fall in love with me?"

I blinked at the question, before tucking my free hand behind my head and giving a hum of thought, thinking back to all the steps and developments over the past years.

"Hm...I'm not entirely sure about that, actually. I don't think I could place a specific time...You know, when we first started, six years ago, I was under the impression that we were just playing house. But I remember that I found it fun- even if it was more than a bit startling when I heard you keep calling me 'shujin-kun'."

Mocha eyes opened a bit, looking up at me to show that he was listening.

"Then, I dunno...I just started getting too attached to it. Whenever you called me that I'd get really dumb all of a sudden, if I had a sentence or scene in my head it would get scrambled about and I'd just stand there for a bit."

"Haha, I remember that." He laughed airily, "For the longest time I thought you were trying to ignore me."

"I think I _realised_ what you had done to me in my second year of middle school. Remember your first PE lesson?"

I couldn't help the smile that came as he tucked in his chin a bit, a hue taking his face before he nodded, digging his fingers a bit.

"I wouldn't have done that if I didn't love you. But even then, God damn it, you smacked me upside the head by confessing first again! Ryohei-kun wouldn't stop teasing me 'cause of my reaction!"

The Rain had the gall to giggle at that, his snickering turning into loud peals of laughter as I grabbed him by his sides and ran my fingers into ticklish crooks. Takeshi made an effort to throw me off, making me dodge kicking legs and twisting limbs before resorting to sitting him on my lap and wrapping him up completely in my arms until he submitted, blowing and nibbling at the sensitive flesh of his neck.

He shrieked and scrambled to get away, thumping my back lightly with weak fists as he tried to smother his hysteria into my shoulder. I relented after a moment more of torture, smiling up at him as he heaved with giggles. He smiled openly down at me, arms draped over my shoulders to keep me close as his legs squeezed my hips.

"In the end, you've got me now, dear."

"And I'm so happy I have." Takeshi confessed, dropping his head to press his forehead against mine.

We stayed like that for a while, enclosed in our own little world, my hand rubbing along his side and counting his breaths absently.

"I really do love you, Takeshi-kun. You love me too, yeah?"

His chosen response was to kiss me hard.

* * *

I gritted my teeth into a smile as my grandfather dragged me across the room to a duo of men, their suits crisp and freshly pressed as they balanced alcohol in their five-ringed hands. They didn't look familiar, which was both surprising and disappointing after the sheer number of meet and greets that I had been forced to sit through.

"Good afternoon, I'm Watanabe-Yamaguchi Daiki, at your service." I introduced with the formal address I was required to adopt during Yakuza conversations such as this.

"Ha, he's a polite one." One of the men laughed, taking a long drag of what only could have been alcohol.

"Daiki-kun here knows when to be civil." Grandfather agreed, nodding his head.

Oh God, someone get me out of here.

" _Watanabe-dono!"_

Both the Oyabun turned at the same time and I didn't miss the sideways glance he sent me when we did. The head of the family had been declining in health, you could see it in the shake of his hands and the way his men hovered closer, the most trusted aware his frailness being amplified over the past few days.

Another way you could tell, was the amount of attention being pushed onto me. Today alone I had been forced to sit through a meeting, had irezumi touch ups and now was at a meet and greet convention for the Yakuza. People were starting to try and gain favour and favours from the person who would, in only a shortening time, become the Watanabe Oyabun.

And Watanabe Haruka was _pissed._

"Watanabe-dono!"

"Furuichi-dono!" I laughed, accepting the hand of the teen that sauntered up to me, confidence overflowing in thick waves from not only his swagger, but his outfit, money practically sewn into the lining.

Furuichi Matsuyoshi, the heir to the Furuichi Yakuza. He was quite a slight boy, built to grow long, rather than thick, his dark hair slicked back and shades tinted blue rather than black. His choice of suiting was the hard to clean kind, light in colours and _fucking expensive._

"How have you been, friend?" I asked, allowing him to discretely angle me away from the chatting men.

"Oh, I've been fine. School's boring as ever." He answered easily, placing an arm over my shoulders and guide me to an empty corner.

"Thank you for existing." I heaved finally, taking two flutes of champagne for us.

"No problem, you looked like you were going to grind your teeth flat."

We shared a bit of a snicker as we drank, the bitter bite of alcohol a familiar tange on our young tongues.

Matsuyoshi was a nice enough boy, though his ego did get in the way of some of his favourable attributes. He was what some would call manipulative, and what others would call an opportunist, he found those he knew would come in useful in the future, and made himself a little web of contacts. If he deemed them unnecessary, or no longer valid, he cut them off, simple as that. Exactly what you'd expect of an up and coming Yakuza Boss. Underneath all of that however, his ego was quite fragile, his fancy clothes and cold calculation an armour plating for his fear of falling short.

A side glance allowed me the sight of his father, a strong man with a stern face, greying at the temples. He was surrounded by some of the most influential attendees at the party, already having cycled through the Watanabe hosts. The Furuichi Oyabun was a man who controlled a fair bit of certain hidden trades, and though that wasn't in itself impressive, he had come to manipulate most of his stock through his own power, having dragged the Clan out of the red zone with his own hands.

I turned back to the Heir, seeing him look down the narrow glass with a solemn expression. He had a lot to live up to.

" _Oi!"_

We looked up as an arm hooked over Matsuyoshi's neck, almost making him spill the pale drink on his fine clothes.

"Furuichi-dono, Watanabe-dono, you fuckers have been dodging me this whole party!"

A shock of bleached blond hair, slicked back enough to give a Malfoy a run for their money entered my vision as Yukimura Saitou, second heir to the Yukimura Yakuza, grinned at me with sharp teeth, ears riddled with piercings. Saitou looked like your stereotypical manga bad boy, that kind who skipped class to smoke on the roof, or would appear in things like Debusen or Gokusen.

The Yukimura's were only a small group, but they were making their mark in the scraps of territory they had managed to wrangle from the others. They were quite the jack-of-all-trades group and had hands in just about every barrel, they made up for lack of influence and size with ability and success rate. The Clan was only five generations deep, having developed from a small street gang, but that whole time, they had been getting attention from the bigger players, and no one could deny their prowess.

"Damn, what's with these old guys? They've been trying to get in my pants this whole fucking ass-kiss party! And that's for me, I'd hate to be you two." He scowled, jostling Matsuyoshi a bit.

"Yeah, they are laying it on a bit thick today." The slung boy hummed, glancing around.

"Where's your girlfriend, I thought you were going to bring her with you?" I asked, seeing him pluck a whisky cup from a passing tray.

"Huh? Oh, we broke up." He shrugged, downing a good gulp.

"Already? It's only been two weeks." Matsuyoshi huffed, pausing his sip.

"She was getting too clingy and demanding things from me all the time." Saitou grunted, making me raise a halved eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"She kept on...You know..." He looked away for a moment, scanning the crowd before turning to us again. "She tried to stop me from hanging out with my friends. Then she kept on pressuring me to have sex with her even though I told her I wanted to wait a bit longer."

"Oh, chaste dear." Matsuyoshi cooed, patting his cheek even as he flushed while baring his teeth. "Well, if you think it had to end, then so be it. How'd she take it?"

"Went off her face and screamed at me, now the whole school thinks I'm an ass- though," He laughed a bit. "Not much different than usual."

"Aw, we don't think you're an ass." I corrected, nudging his shoulder. "I'll bring you some cake next time we see each other. The soft, pink one, the one you like."

"Damn, I should date you instead. You free tomorrow?" He joked, getting a laugh out of the whole group.

"Not gonna happen, Yukimura-dono, his would get pissed if he got a side chick." Matsuyoshi huffed, tilting his glass at me.

"Oh yeah, how's that going? You were going through a rough patch last we talked." Saitou blinked, a slight twitch of his lip showing the barest of concerns.

"We're fine now," I smiled, letting a slide of champagne on my tongue. "We talked it out and we're happy again. Stayed over last night."

"Ooh, give me the deets." The Furuichi heir grinned, suddenly very invested.

"Nah mate, you ain't getting my pillow talk."

"Ah c'mon, at least give us some sort of visual for later!" Saitou whined, shooting the last of his whisky.

"Okay, now that's definitely a no." I huffed, finishing my flute. "Jees, we sound like housewives. Gossiping about relationships."

Our trio shared a laugh before we shuffled over as a group to the dessert table, Saitou flipping us off with a ringed finger as we snickered at the mountain of sweets he had stocked, Matsuyoshi stealing a piece and getting a kick in the shin as reward. I smiled at them fondly.

I had met these two under less than pleasant circumstances, but had come to know them quite well. Matsuyoshi had come to know me by attempting to woo my cousin Gin, having stepped into the Dorms without permission and attempted to pull rank on me, apparently unaware of my own status.

" _And may I ask just who_ _you_ _are?"_

" _Watanabe-Yamaguchi Daiki, heir to the Watanabe Yakuza, pleasure to meet you_ _Furuichi-dono_. "

He had apologised, multiple times, since, but always seemed to have an acute attention for the girl even after, commenting on how she had cut her hair, even when it was only the slightest trim.

I had met Saitou in a meeting with his Clan, he was late and didn't seem the least apologetic for it as he strutted in, a split lip and bandaged cheek.

" _You should see the other guy."_ Was what he said when he saw me staring, but his only response was a frown.

He was flippant the entire time, calling for drinks despite the matter being quite formal. His father seemed on his last wit with him, so I had quickly proposed a recess, allowing the room to be excused. Finding him was a coincidence, but I had run across him, squirrelled away in a corner, doing breathing exercises of sort and psyching himself up.

" _C'mon dude he ain't that scary! Sure he looks like he could slam your head through a wall and look pretty while doing it but- Ah fuck, that Watanabe dude's scary as_ _shit!_ "

I gave him a bowl of ice cream and we had been friends since.

"Oi, get that smile off your face, you look like you're gonna jump us." Saitou scowled, though I could see him fidgeting slightly.

"I don't know, Yukimura-dono, he might just."

I rolled my eyes at them and popped a grape in my mouth, enjoying the sweet juice on my tongue as Matsuyoshi began the next subject of conversation.

"Watanabe-dono, how is Gin-san?"

"Oh, she's fine. She quite liked that fan you sent her, I saw her using it just days ago." I smiled, seeing the way he tried to hide his preen.

"Wonderful!" He cleared his throat, reigning in his accidental enthusiasm, Saitou and I exchanging a look. "Would it be acceptable if I were to meet with her again soon? I will not take her past your borders, I promise."

"I'll ask her, but I doubt she'll turn you down. Gin-chan enjoys your company, she talks of you often."

The Yukimura and I looked away as he grinned into his cup, allowing him a moment of so called 'weakness', before turning back when he cleared his throat. We all quieted as a group of men moved close to us, sending us sideways looks, and spurring us to share glances.

Saitou was the first to move, his Yukimura effectiveness coming to shine through as the air shifted. Our stances all changed in a moment, a unanimous movement in our trio. We all adopted positions of lazy superiority, Saitou slouching and tilting his head as per his delinquent appearance, hand in his pocket as he furrowed bleached brows at us, scowling to finish the look. Matsuyoshi straightened his back, cradling his half empty champagne cup in one hand as he allowed a sardonic smile to come forth. I narrowed my eyes to a relaxed hood, shoulders broad and strong as I sharpened my smile, all of us predatory.

"And how about that concubine you got yourself, something starting with a K, yeah? She any good?" The bleached blond Yakuza asked, licking the sharps of his canines.

"Kimiko-chan," I supplied, sending a glance in the direction of the boy. "And I haven't gotten around to that yet."

"Well, when you do, be sure to give me a review. Maybe a reservation?" He laughed, the sound acted and tailored to be rough and grating.

"You'll need to use her soon, Watanabe-dono, otherwise she'll be spoilt goods." Matsuyoshi warned, sipping more alcohol as if to cleanse his tongue of what he just said.

"True, very true." I lied, nodding my head solemnly. "I plan on visiting her tonight. Though I'm not sure if I'll bother indulging."

They glanced between each other, trying to decipher if I was still playing the part or speaking the truth. The slight incline of my head showed that I had integrated fact into our scripts.

"Well," The Furuichi heir started, kicking us off again. "Do as you will."

"I intend to."

The group of men moved away, seemingly satisfied with the pointless information they had gathered, allowing us to relax, though our stances remained fixed.

"But really, how is your Kimiko-san handling the new environment? She was displaced quite abruptly from the sounds of it." He asked, watching the group out of the corner of his eye.

"She seems okay, and if there's any problems she isn't making them apparent." I answered, thinking back to the sparse interactions.

"Hm...you should ask, man. It's gotta be weird at least to be suddenly jerked into a place like this. Stress is a thing, you know." Saitou recommend softly, getting a nod from the other.

"Yeah, I will. I've been planning to for a while, but a bunch of things came up at once." I sighed.

We were quiet for a moment, the rift coming from a drop in topic.

"So," Matsuyoshi began, quick to save the atmosphere. "Guess who got punched in their beautiful face."

 **...**

" _Daiki-nii-sama!"_

I smiled at the crowd of girls as I stepped into the dorm, paper bag immediately falling victim to their prying eyes.

"Hello everyone, I brought you sweets."

"Sweets?" Toru perked, popping her head out from behind a wall.

"This boy," Sora started, taking the bag from me and rummaging through it. "Knows how to treat a lady."

"My husband!" Naomi cheered, latching onto me with a vengeance.

My eyes widened as I teetered, taken off guard by the girl. My cousin pressed her cheek against mine and cooed, muttering about how she had missed this, and making me rather uncomfortable.

"A-ah, sorry Daiki-nii-sama, I didn't manage to get a hold of her this time." Gin apologised, coming to pry her off me with the help of Kaguya.

"Thanks." I breathed awkwardly, watching the blond dyed Yakuza woman sit on her younger cousin to keep her pinned. "Gin-chan, Furuichi-dono wants to know if you'll meet with him again."

"Oh," She blinked, her face suddenly going red as her cousins cooed at her. "I would love to."

"I'll tell him that you'll be waiting for him tomorrow then, same place and time?"

"Yes please." She hummed, cupping her own hued cheeks.

"Oh, two of those aren't for you, cousin." I laughed, plucking a selected double from the stash.

"Oh, who are they for? Chrome-chan?" Bunko asked, taking her macaroons with a curious smile.

"And Kimiko-chan."

Honda looked up at this, a sweet pinched between her fingers. She gave no real expression, but merely watched me for a moment.

"The concubine has not come from her room since you brought her here, the only exception is when she is called for by those in the main house."

"She's out now, actually." Sora chirped, "One of the older guys asked for her. I almost feel sorry."

"Sora-chan." I frowned.

"What? That's what she's meant for." She shrugged, popping a piece in her mouth.

What she's meant for.

I looked to the main house, slightly obscured by the wall of out of bloom sakura, a downward tilt coming to my lips. It confused me as to why she was still being called there, as I was under the understanding that Kimiko was reserved for myself, as selfish and perverse as that sounds.

I had felt a kind of guilt after the Varia fiasco had ended, remembering that I had very much been ignoring the existence of the woman. It was no fault of her own that she had been dictated to me, and seclusion was unfair.

"Do you know when she'll be back?"

"She's been out since noon so, depending on how much steam that coot's got in him, within the hour." My neon nailed cousin breathed off handedly.

"Ah, thank you." I hummed, before moving down to Chrome's room.

Knocking on the door, I waited until it slid open, purple eyes looking up at me hesitantly, before they relaxed. Her hair was down for the evening and she was decked out in her sleeping gear, slightly big on her and obviously donated by one of the other girls. I smiled at her encouragingly, before producing one of the macaroon boxes, the small girl jumping at the movement.

"I got some sweets for you, if you want them."

The little Mist girl blinked, a pale hue taking her cheeks before she gingerly took the box, bowing in thanks. Urging her to straighten, I placed my hand atop her locks of purple and gently pet her, the illusionist's eyes closing at the feeling as her cheeks puffed a bit.

"How are you feeling after the conflict? Is that Mukuro-san doing any better?"

"Um...He's…" She trailed off, looking down the hall carefully.

I smiled and stepped back, offering her my hand.

"Do you want to step into my room while we talk?"

Chrome blinked before nodding minutely, reaching and taking ahold of me with a petite hand, proof of a recent interaction with Sora still gleaming on her nails. She flushed as I admired the tiny art, a kind of indigo gradient fading down her nails to clear off at her fingertips.

"It's very pretty, baby bird. Suits you very well." I smiled, a tiny bow of her lips coming in response.

"Thank you."

I inclined my head before guiding her to my dorm, closing the door behind us and helping her situate herself on a cushion at the low table in the corner of the room. The doors to the courtyard were open to allow the late summer night air in, an incense burning over by Honda's door scenting the wind a jasmine shade.

"So, you got a pretty good squeezing from Mammon-san back in the gymnasium, how are you doing?" I asked, handing her a saucer of sake and pouring myself one.

The Mist blinked in surprise, looking wide eyed at the murky liquid as I took my drink. It took a moment, before my back straightened and I quickly plucked the alcohol out of the thirteen year old's hands.

"Shit, sorry, habit." I apologised, putting it to the side and bustling off the the little fridge hidden away in a well disguised compartment.

Coming back, I placed a can of a fruity fizzy drink down for her, opening it as to not ruin the labour of the brand new nails.

"Ah, thank you, I'm fine now. And Mukuro-sama has started looking towards me again." She answered, taking a refined sip of the soft drink.

My eyes caught the movement, a flash of fondness coming when I recognised certain elements of the action, Honda and Bunko flavouring the whole thing. My smile was not missed, and Chrome flushed a little, but did not whimper away like she first did, getting used to my behaviours.

"That's good, I'm sorry I didn't direct the others sooner." I hummed, taking another shot of alcohol.

"It's no problem, you were having your own difficulties." She breathed, rubbing her thumb along the watery rim of the can.

"Still, we are meant to help one another."

The Mist inclined her head in understanding, and we took another drag of our respective beverages.

"Chrome-chan, tell me, do you like it here?" I asked after a moment, my eyes cast to the way fireflies danced with their reflections over the koi pond.

"Huh-Oh…"

Indigo eyes softened as she followed the line of sight, seeing the living space beyond the pond. Ame, Nami and Aika were having a rather confusing stand off with the triplets, Nami and Aika working together to hold down their rougher cousin as she tried to assault the unimpressed sisters. Bunko merely watched on with a bowl of sweet fruits in her hand, knowing this scene by heart and knew there was no real danger in it. The others giggled and bustled within the room, Gin's harp and Naomi's flute ringing beautifully into the space.

"Yes. I do. Very much."

I smiled when she said that, hearing the truth in her voice.

"Okay." I sighed, a breeze coming across to play with the wind chimes. "Then you should know, things are going to happen here. There is going to be a shift in power."

I took another drink, humming as I poured another fill.

"Nothing that should affect you too drastically, you will remain untouched if I can help avoid it. However, it would be the most convenient for us all if you were aware of your surroundings."

Chrome looked at me for a few moments, watching the way I rested my jaw on my hand and looked out to my cousins.

"Okay, thank you."

"No problem, little bird." I smiled, closing my eyes as I listened to Sora give snorted laughter when Naomi blundered her notes.

" _Well look at you."_

"Good evening, Mukuro-san." I greeted, by only some miracle managing to avoid crushing the ceramic saucer in my hand.

The Mist man smirked at me from across the table, his chin perched in gloved hands as he observed me with heterochromatic eyes, narrowed with mirth.

"Lord Watanabe of the Watanabe Yakuza, who would have thought this was who that little Yamaguchi Daiki boy was all along." He chuckled, taking up the cup I had removed from Chrome's hand before.

"Tattoos, alcohol, women. You're turning out to be quite the underground man, _my friend_."

I bit my tongue at the way he stressed the word, rolling it around his tongue with perhaps too much vigour.

"Hardly, I am still just the background boy." I hummed in response, taking a sip of my sake.

"'Background boy'? Daiki-kun, you make me laugh."

I kept my composure as the door slid shut seemingly of its own accord, select candles blowing out around the room, yet the temperature rose despite it. The alcoholic saucer never left my lips as Mukuro slipped out from under the table and prowled across the threshold, coming to sit up against my side in the dimmed room.

I focused my eyes on the pouring of another shot, blinking when he picked it up. Heterochromatic eyes smiled sharply at me as he pressed the ceramic to my lips, tilting it even when I didn't respond immediately. Fighting to keep my face blank, I parted my lips and allowed him to serve the drink to me, keenly aware of everything he was doing.

"How have you been Daiki-kun?" The Mist asked, running his thumb along my slightly wet lower lip until I moved out of his range to take the cup from him.

"I've been fine, thank you. And you?" I breathed, packing away the pieces.

"Vindice is rather boring, nothing ever happens down in those solitary tanks, I will admit." He sighed, leaning heavily on my side. "I've come in hopes you'll entertain me."

"And what kind of entertainment would you expect from someone like me?" I asked absently, wiping Chrome's unused cup dry.

"Hmm…" Mukuro hummed in mock thought, before leaning very close.

" _Have sex with me."_

The delicate piece snapped in my fingers, wide eyes not really seeing the beading of red as I sat frozen. The Vongola Mist let out a laugh as he looked at me, but his hands strayed close and dipped under my shirt to skim along my stomach.

"Remove your hand, Mukuro-san."

"Oh come now, Daiki-kun, it'll just be a little harmless fun." He cooed, placing another hand on my shoulder. "God knows you need to blow off some steam too. It'll be good for both of us."

"I have my fiancé, I don't need to find any kind of release through you." I gritted, placing down the fragments and checking myself for any wounds, a slight cut inflicting the pad of my thumb, beads of blood clinging to the surface.

"And yet here you are, with all this pent up frustration. You must be near your limit." The illusionist hummed, thumbing just above my navel.

"I have more restraint than you give me credit for."

"Hm, maybe, but come, that can't be healthy." He breathed, other hand beginning to massage along my shoulder and neck.

I narrowed my eyes and turned to him finally, a frown set on my face. Mukuro smiled before taking his hand off my stomach, instead taking my bleeding hand and bringing up for appraisal, humming as a dark drop fell along my palm.

I blinked after a moment, noticing just how close the younger boy was to me, able to feel his outline through the layers. He...He had the potential to appear like Takeshi to some extent, I suppose, he was just as stubborn and shared the disregard for personal space. Mukuro, like Takeshi, found flustering me an amusement, his grin revealing itself when a shade on my cheeks did and my composure stumbled.

I started tilting, only ever so, but he noticed and lined himself with me. His lips were still pulled into that smile, and the shine in his eye was becoming too familiar.

Takeshi...wouldn't mind. Takeshi would understand, because he was Mukuro.

The hand on my neck moved to the short hairs at the base of my skull, the action similar but not quite there. It was okay though, it was different every time, so it was okay that he didn't hold it as tight or tangle his fingers in the way he had learnt induced shivers over the years.

"C'mon Daiki-kun, that's it." He cooed, voice taking on a warm timbre that was so usual of him.

Amber-earth fell onto his lips, wondering at the lack of the excited pull his would take whenever he successfully caught me, however, didn't dabble on it for long. My hand moved out to balance myself, lying just scarce of his own on the matted floor. He didn't take the opportunity to hold or touch it, which was odd, but if he was playing, understandable.

I let out a huffed laugh at his behaviour, before relenting to the pull and the push, leaning forwards as he wanted me to. There was only a little space left to go, and our breath was mingling between us, languid expressions on our faces.

He won't mind what I'm doing to him, he understands that it's him.

" _ **You don't want to be doing that."**_

My eyes widened as my body came to a screeching halt. I bared my teeth as I noticed the indigo hue tainting my vision, the stain disappearing immediately after as if scared off by the recognition.

"Get off of me, Mukuro-san." I growled, retracting as far as I could while maintaining some semblance of restraint.

"Aw, what gave it away?" The illusionist asked, wrapping his arm around my waist and dropping his head on my shoulder.

"Nothing you did was quite Takeshi-kun. Now get off of me, before I punch you."

"But I laid the Mist on thick too." He whined.

"I know," I grunted, pushing his face away when he made to kiss my cheek. "You're so bloody annoying."

"But you love me." He cooed, pecking the hand instead.

"I love Takeshi-kun."

"I know," He groaned, draping himself heavily against me despite my vocalised dislike. "You kept on coming back to him, noticing all the little details. It'd be romantic if it didn't make it so difficult!"

"Well, you've managed to accomplish one thing," I hummed, reaching for the alcohol to smother my nerves. "I wanna go and kiss Takeshi-kun silly now."

"Glad to help." He muttered, taking the little bottle from me and tipping back some for himself.

"You're illusions have gotten better though." I commented, accepting the sake and filling half my mouth with the stuff.

"Chrome-chan and I have become more balanced now, our connection has grown with the longer exposure." Mukuro explained, taking the lid of the bottle and tapping it with his finger, the thing turning into a spider.

I hummed at it, still seeing a faint outline of its original form underneath the skittering body.

"What you did there wasn't a visual illusion, you impaired my judgement instead." I said, the arachnid scrambling onto my hand.

A frown came to my face as it bit my palm, hand becoming a fist and crushing the offending creature. When I reopened it, a manipulated little bottle cap remained, with no sign of a bite.

"Mm," Mukuro hummed, plucking up the lid and playing with it. "You seem to be very aware of Mists, so I thought it best to experiment with less obvious routes of illusion."

"Hm, good to know you're progressing." I nodded, handing the last of the alcoholic drink to the younger Mafia.

He huffed before shooting it down like he knew what he was doing, a strained, heavy cough being his reward. I snorted and took it off him, rubbing his back and giving him Chrome's half finished fizzy drink.

"Careful Mukuro-san." I laughed, patting his back solidly.

The Mist boy cleared his throat awkwardly, a faint flush coming either due to the sake or the embarrassment, but looked away pointedly before it could be deciphered.

"That shift in power you were talking about, what exactly is going to happen here?" He asked, changing the topic.

I paused before humming, looking over at the wall which held a tapestry of the fourth Oyabun, her bloody usurping sewn into the background. A smile slowly stretched across my lips as I brought the bottle up, a little bit left in it.

"Oh, just a bit of family business."

" _Kufufufu_ , I'm starting to think that my scary stories weren't as exaggerated as they seemed." Mukuro chuckled, leaning his cheek on his palm, his eyes narrowed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

There was low laughter that filled the room, bouncing off in directions that was less than natural and for a moment, made me unsure of just where the Mist boy sat. I sighed as it faded off, a body falling against me before Chrome sat up sharply, a quiet apology escaping her.

"No problem baby bird." I smiled, handing her her drink again.

"Ah...thank yo-!"

Her words were cut off as she winced suddenly, her face pinching minutely before her hand came to her stomach. I was quick to place a hand on her shoulder, clear concern on my face.

"What's wrong? Are Mukuro-san's illusions wavering?"

"Huh-Oh, no." She denied, shaking her head. "I think I just have an upset stomach."

"You...You can have that?" I blinked, wondering just how thorough that boy's illusions were.

"Yes," Chrome nodded, "I've had a stomach ache once before, it was while we were still living in Kokuyo Land."

A hum escaped me as I narrowed my eyes in worry at her grimace, getting to my feet. I reached out and helped her up, looking her over quickly as a frown tugged at my lips. I walked with her back down the hall to her door, watching the way she stepped.

"If it gets worse or anything else, come and see me. Even if I have company or I'm sleeping, just kick the door in anyway, yeah?" Came my instruction, my hand pressing to her forehead to feel the temperature.

"Uh-huh." She muttered, lowering her head but keeping her eyes on me.

"Good on ya." I smiled, before giving her a gentle nudge. "Get to bed then, remember to come if anything happens."

She gave another nod before bidding a good night and slipped back into her room, a small smile being cut from my vision by the sliding door.

I pinched the inside of my cheek with my teeth as I went over possibilities for her condition, the chance of arsenic surfacing in my mind more than a few times, but not sure if I should raise the alarm yet. The heavy fall of feet made me pause, looking up from the floor boards to see a dishevelled Kimiko frozen in the hall.

"A-ah," The pleasure woman quickly tugged at her kimono, tightening her collar delicately as she looked to the side. "Good night, my Lord. I am sorry that I wasn't here to receive you."

"It's fine." I breathed, looking her over, the frown originally developed for Chrome deepening when I saw the state of her.

"I'll be turning in for the night, I hope you were met well by your cousins."

"Actually," I started, making her stop her retreat into her chamber. "I came here to talk to you."

I saw her stiffen, shoulders bunching, yet the action itself as well hidden. She took a concealed, steadying breath, before turning to me and bowing gracefully, pushing her door further to make way.

"Please, come in then."

Inclining my head politely, I stepped past her and situated myself at the low table in the corner of her room, looking around carefully as I recognised what she had changed from its original, base form. There was a lot more colour, that was for sure. More materials and drapings, bold golds, reds and blues curling around the walls in rich waves. Incense of rosewater staining the air in a smoky layer and giving the atmosphere a haze as I watched Kimiko glide around the room, collecting her fine tea set.

Amber-earth became sharp as I scrutinised her sway, finding the hesitations in her step, however minute, years of being under critical eyes training her to the perfect specimen. It made me breath loudly, however, when she winced into her kneel.

"Kimiko-chan," I said firmly, coming to my feet and walking over to the centre of her dorm. "Come here."

The oiran blinked before moving to stand, walking over in smooth motions lowering her eyes respectfully when she came to a stop before me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, seeing the way she calmed herself

"Pardon, my Lord? Nothing is the matter-"

Her voice froze as my eyes narrowed.

"...I apologise," She breathed, fixing herself. "As your concubine, I am aware that visitations to other men should be completely cut and that I am to be reserved for your private use...however, word of our inaction has spread to the main house and they believed that-"

"That wasn't what I asked, Kimiko-chan." I cut off, holding back a frown when she fought a recoil.

"Beyond my disloyalty, there is no other issue." The Yakuza woman declared, smiling delicately at my feet.

My expression fell into one of apathetic blankness, a careful curl on my lips showing hints of distaste. I held back a sigh and stared her down, my apparent concubine hiding her confusion and trepidation well.

"Take your clothes off."

"My L-"

"Clothes, Kimiko-chan." I repeated, watching her close her mouth with a barely audible click.

The oiran sighed before smoothing out her expression and undoing her obi, the material falling to the floor before the lavish kimono followed, pooling at her feet. She tilted her head to the side to expose her neck and brushed her hair behind her shoulder, charcoal strands cascading down her frame as she hooded her eyes.

I let my eyes trail, seeing pale skin and a delicate frame, perfect for her profession. However, the blueing bruises and red aggression on her complexion made my jaw tighten. I breathed heavily through my nose and made her turn, her hand coming to pull her waist length locks out of the way to show more abuse to her flesh. Reaching out, I pressed my hand to the centre of her shoulder blades, feeling the knot in her back tighten as she hinted a stiffening.

"Have you cleaned yourself since?" I asked, finding other clenched muscles.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Good," I breathed, removing my hand. "Go lay on your front."

There was a small nod before she stepped over the mass of clothing and laid herself out on her futon, her cheek pressed to her pillow as she stared off at the lantern beside her bed with a dull gaze.

I turned my attention to the rest of the room and walked over to the small vanity, opening drawers until I found a dark bottle of a kind of scented oil, a soft aroma of jasmine permeating when I brought it to my nose. Finding it satisfactory, I walked back over to the prone woman, working my sleeves up to my elbows as I kneeled beside her.

Kimiko was still in her own little world, gaze still glazed over as her breath steadied out, but she seemed keenly aware of my location in the room. Keeping this in mind, I placed my knee up against her elbow, letting her know I was beside her, seeing her biceps twitch in response. I picked up the oil bottle again, checking the back for any sort of instruction in concerns to skin contact, finding none and prompting me to gather a portion in the well of my palm. The pleasure woman's eyes came into an alarmed focus as my hands pressed into the small of her back, the oil allowing the heels of my palms to glide as I found a knot to focus my efforts on, gently working it out of her.

If Sora's estimation had been correct, it was full likely that Kimiko had been locked in multiple, rather uncomfortable, position for nearly two hours. The formation of cramps and exertion of certain groups was not improbable, and if these hard spots were any indication, a certified happening.

"Don't worry, I do this sort of thing for my mother and brother when they over do it themselves as well." I sighed, moving my hands up the line of her back and pressing my thumbs into the base of her neck.

She made a hesitant noise of understanding, a bit more urging on my part resulting in her to finally relax into her bedding. I hummed a low note to myself as I added more oil to my hands, pausing for a moment of thought as I stared at the yellowing liquid. Giving a glance to the marks littering her fair skin, I took a calming breath before stirring my Flame, the warm embers jumping with interest as it scrambled through my veins as pooled in my palms. The next action was careful, little spider threads of sunshine began to seep into the oil, my skin warming with it as it began to take on an ever so deeper colour, the scent intensifying with the heat aggregating the substance.

I heard Kimiko take a deep breath of the rosewater and jasmine air, an almost fond smile coming to my face when I saw her relax further into the futon. Bringing my hands over her back, I carefully checked the oil's temperature again before drizzling it along the delicate line of her back, the long indent working to channel the flow of the warmed oil. Running my fingers along her spine, my eyes sharpened as I saw the effect that took hold, the lesser of her bruises fading into barely there hues.

I hummed and began to spread the warm layer, huffing when the woman gave an unintentional exhale of content. The heels of my palms and flat blunts of my fingers worked out the tight cramps along her back, shoulders and neck, the oiran slowly getting used to being touched by me. Giving her shoulders one last go over, I moved to press my hands along her upper arms, the skin becoming glossy with fragrance as it moved all the way to her hands. I gave a breath before shuffling to kneel in front of her, allowing me to get to the fine pieces of her fingers and carefully massage each digit. My thumb pushed into the soft palm of the Yakuza lady, free of callous and with nails impeccably clean.

When each side was done, I laid them back down and moved to her side again, reintroducing oils to her back before moving lower, spreading a practical layer of Sun infused oil to the back of her thighs and calves. She shifted a little, her hands twitching as she stepped out of her haze for a second, but when I placed my hands on her again she relaxed back, a low croon coming as I pressed my heels into the centre of her thighs.

After a while, I came to dig my thumbs into the Achilles tendons, before drawing up her calves, feeling the tension lessen with every rise. This was repeated until I was happy with the putty-like nature of the muscle, a long exhale escaping the drifting oiran. I gave the soles of her feet the same treatment I gave her hands, working my thumbs along the bridge and dealing the with the set of ten separately.

I smiled when I saw her languid expression, no longer dulled but peaceful. It made me almost not want to request her to move, but the thorough act called for it, and I leant close in order to keep her in the state she had found herself.

"Could you turn over for me, please?" I asked quietly, barely audible over the faint breaths that left her.

Her eyes trailed over to my face, sleepy as she nodded and slowly pushed herself onto her knees, before rolling and laying on her back, a sigh coming as she fixed her positioning with a bit of my help. Kimiko smiled lazily up at me as I prepared more oil, her eyes closing slightly against the candle light as she watched me drizzle it along her stomach.

"Who called for you this time?" I asked, my voice calling her out of her daze again.

"One of the aniki's, Kota-san. He had a group of guests with him." Came her eventual response.

I hummed and kept the name in my memory, creating an indented path beneath her clavicle as I did.

"You may not respond to the summons of men any longer." I ordered gently, moving up to the hollows.

"Yes, my Lord." She breathed, vocals airy as I ran my thumbs up the sides of her throat.

"In terms of quelling your own carnal desires, you may summon or respond to whom you wish, but only of your own volition."

"Thank you, my Lord."

I made a low noise, the sound seeming to have an effect on the pleasure woman as she closed her eyes and relaxed despite having my hands around the most delicate parts of her throat. My eyes were drawn to the faint marks that stained her flesh, watching how they were soothed away by my Sun, pale ivory coming back to its previous glory. My hands travelled downwards, keeping my touch respectful while thorough. The Yakuza woman winced as I pushed my thumbs into the soft V of her pelvis, making me pause and glance at her face. I frowned slightly, before replenishing oils on my hands and infused them with a douse of Sun, returning to the task and feeling the resistance in the worn muscles seep out nicely.

"There," I breathed after a while, removing my glistening hands. "Is that better?"

Kimiko nodded a little, looking ready to fall asleep after the gentle handling. The abuse on her skin was visibly fading, and would be well gone by morning. It would raise a few eyebrows, hers especially, but I had no real reason to admit any influence on that, nor would she be able to push it.

"Go to sleep, wash off the oil in the morning. I'll have Jun-kun send your bedding to be cleaned while you bathe." I sighed, unfurling her blanket and covering up her form. "Good night, Kimiko-chan."

"Good night, my Lord."

I smiled a bit before killing the candles around her room, carefully closing the door as silently as I could. My eyes narrowed as I walked back to my room, the halls deadly quiet.

"Kota-san, huh?"

…

" _Daiki-kun."_

I jolted as the harsh whisper hit my ears, sitting up sharply to see Chrome crouched beside my futon, shockingly pale and teary eyed. My mind caught up in seconds and I pushed off my blankets, hitting the gasoline for my lamp and lighting up the poor girl.

"Chrome-chan, what's wrong? Has it gotten worse?" I asked.

Purple eyes became hesitant and looked off, her lip coming to be worried slightly between teeth as she curled in on herself a bit more.

"There's...there's _blood._ "

I blinked. Then blinked again as she slowly stood and showed a blooming of vermillion in the centre of her off white nightgown. My mind ticked away as I gazed up at her, seeing the way the material clung to her thighs with the sticky red.

"Chrome-chan...how old are you again?" I asked, looking to her pale face.

"Thirteen." She answered quietly, watching me get to my feet.

"This makes sense then." I sighed, gently taking hold of her shoulders and giving a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, baby bird, this isn't anything dangerous."

"It's not?"

"No, no, every female goes through this." I smiled, hearing her breath slow to a calmer state.

"Come," I urged, grabbing on of my unused bathrobes and covering her up. "Let's get you a bath."

Chrome followed me as I stepped into her room, giving a sound of worried embarrassment as I picked up the bloodstained sheets and led her out. We quickly walked over to the small building connected to the dorms by a small pebble path, steam rising from open windows as it always did. This was reserved for those who were living in the dorms privately, though I rarely found myself using it at all. There was a large bath in the centre, complete with steps and padding, however, I led Chrome to a smaller one segregated from the rest of the room, hidden behind panels of treated wood.

"But what about the blood?" She asked, carefully peeling her clothes off.

"Don't worry, we'll drain it after you're done. This is a singles bath, so it's easier to refill." I smiled, getting a bucket of hot water, detergent and a rough sponge.

The Mist girl made a noise of understanding before stepping into the water, an unintentional sigh of relief escaping her vocals. She watched with a little hue of embarrassment as I wet the patch of vermillion and began scrubbing, whirls of tapering pink going down the drain on the tiled floor.

"I'm sorry." She muttered, sinking further into the water.

"It's really fine, Chrome-chan. This sort of thing happens." I shrugged.

"What...What is this, exactly?"

My scrubbing came to a pause and I looked to her, brow furrowed in confusion, before I exhaled in realisation.

"Chrome-chan, has anyone taught you about menstruation?"

"...No?"

I sighed and dowsed the blanket in water, the worse to the stain out with only a small outline, something that would disappear with a machine wash no doubt.

I remembered Chrome's situation, parents who didn't care for her all her life and an early separation, then to be released into the midsts of juveniles. The probability that she, at any point, would be exposed to information about the female body outside of her own curiosity and perhaps Ken's dirty mouth was standing near the impossible end. She didn't know what was happening to her, which explained how scared she had looked when she had come to get me, the sudden appearance of blood coupled with interior pain would raise the alarms for anyone who didn't know or understand.

Moving over to her bath, I sat on a small stool and leant on the edge, dangling my hand into the warm water and tracing random rippled designs into the surface.

"So, you understand that males and females have different parts, yes?" I began, looking to her as she nodded. "Well, we're different internally as well. Our reproductive organs are different, as females have something called a uterus."

I went on to teach her as much as I could without overloading the small Mist, answering any questions she asked and clearing as many doubts as I could. She was slowly relaxing as I spoke, understanding and relief colouring her expression as time went on.

"So," She breathed, rubbing hands disappearing into the murky water to finally begin cleaning herself after she was too scared to look. "This is normal, then."

"Yes, and it'll be a recurring thing for a long while. This'll happen every month, but not always on time, so it's best to keep emergency supplies on you."

"But, where can I get some now?"

"You live in a household of girls," I laughed quietly, "I'm sure they'd be happy to help you out."

" _We would."_

I straightened and turned, Chrome curling slightly as the figure of Kimiko came through the haze, a pleasantly relax expression on her face.

"You're up early, my Lord." She breathed, holding a towel close to her breast.

I blinked before looking to the windows, noticing the peachy sky. Kimiko smiled and moved to another single bath, sitting on the brim as she waited for it to fill.

"Thank you for last night, Watanabe-dono. I have found myself in a much better condition since."

"You're welcome." I nodded, opening my hand for Chrome when she reached for comfort, still a bit trepid with strangers.

"Though, I do have a question. My bruises, they've vanished." She said, removing her clothes and standing in front of me, no longer any hesitant to do so. "How?"

I prepared to turn away her question, but Chrome sat up as if alarmed by the sudden show of skin, and dunked herself under, releasing my hand. My eyes widened and I moved forwards, before freezing as heterochromatic eyes breached the surface, an amused smirk coming after it.

"Hello, Daiki-kun."

"I thought I had reached my quota of you already." I sighed, before looking to Kimiko, noticing the wide eyes and the twitch of preparation to flee.

"No, no, no." I said quickly, getting to my feet and bringing the alarmed woman closer to me. "He's not going to hurt you."

"How could I hurt someone so pretty?" Mukuro chuckled, crossing his arms on the bath edge.

"B-but, he's- where is Dokuro-san?" The oiran gasped.

"Well-"

"My cute little Chrome-chan is still here, I've just borrowed her body for a little while to talk to our nobel Daiki-kun here."

"Borrow her body!?"

"Kimiko-chan!" I snapped, voice booming through the tiled room.

The woman jumped but looked to me, quickly smoothing her expression and remembering herself.

" _Kufufufu,_ you were asking about your wounds yes? Daiki-kun must have done away with them using his Sun. Did he touch you for a long time recently?"

Pitch eyes widened as mine narrowed at the Mist, the sudden desire to force his head under the water rising.

"Sun?"

"Yes, just like how Chrome-chan and I use Mists to exchange presences." He hummed before leaning back in his bath, playing with the water languidly. "Ah, this is so much nicer than that isolation tank. The water in there is so lukewarm."

"You...You have some interesting friends, Watanabe-dono." Kimiko breathed uncertainly,

"He's the worst." I sighed just as Mukuro said, "I'm the best."

"No," I denied, looking to the inmate. "You are in a submerged isolation cell in an underworld prison for criminals, _by_ criminals."

"Daiki-kun," He smirked, brushing my wrist with his fingers. "You flatter me."

"And I'll _flatten_ you if you keep scaring Kimiko-chan."

"Ooh, I wonder how your little fiancé would take to hearing that? Tell me, does he know about your concubine?"

"He will soon, I plan to tell him the next time I see him." I huffed, still obscuring the Yakuza woman's body from his view. "Kimiko-chan, your bath is ready I think."

The oiran blinked before nodding and moved over to the steaming pool, accepting my hand as support before she lowered herself into the murky waters. I smiled reassuringly at her once she was settled before leaning against the rim, looking to the happily soaking Mist.

"All of this aside, how are you holding up down there, Mukuro-san?" I asked, crossing my damp arms.

"Hm, I think the Vindice are beginning to suspect my little wanders, but that's about it." He shrugged, smiling with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, and your physical body?"

"It's becoming quite pale, actually. I'll be needing to _soak up some sun_ when I'm freed."

I didn't bother hiding the roll of my eyes when he said that, head lolling with it.

"Charming, anyway, bath as you will but remember to let Chrome-chan relax as well. She's begun her cycle. Your illusions are quite effective."

"I tried to make them as functional as possible."

"And you have succeeded, well done. Consider me impressed." I hummed, smiling at bit as I inclined my head.

Amongst our talking, I could hear the light splash of water being moved around, calling my eventual attention to the woman behind me, her gaze down at the murky surface. Her hair was floating around her in a tendril halo, submersed up to the rise of her chest and flushed knees peeking out of the liquid.

"I wonder, what Flame do you believe your concubine possesses? Another Rain?" Mukuro asked, crossing his arms on the edge of his bath and looking between the woman and I.

I hummed in thought, Kimiko glancing up at me in a mixture of trepidation and interest. Tilting my head and smiling slightly, I closed my eyes and called up the visage of Flames, seeing the two indigo Flames and my own sunshine, before pausing when I saw the small candle light of the oiran's.

"Oh, that's interesting." I breathed, opening them to the tangible world. "Kimiko-chan's a Mist too."

…

"Now try and think about what you want to appear." Chrome instructed again, having looped through this all at least three times.

The newly discovered Mist sighed before refilling her lungs and sitting straight, a pillow placed between them and now the subject of many attempted illusions. Her brow wrinkled as she focused, vermillion glossed lips pressed firm, before she deflated, shaking her head.

"Kimiko-chan isn't a natural user, baby bird. Give her more time." I breathed, sending another ripple of sunshine into my hands to warm them, the palms pressed to the Mist's stomach to act as a heating pad.

Chrome nodded but looked determined to get the Yakuza woman up to standard, turning back and restarting her steps again, abridging them for another, more emotion based version now.

"Imagine this pillow as something else, let's say a rabbit for this. How would seeing that rabbit make you feel? Happy? Trepid? Take that emotion and the image of the rabbit and push it into the pillow like you're trying to sink your hands into it."

I smiled as I watched the two Mist women focus, talking between each other in clear voices and expressing frustration and patience, so different to their usual exteriors of meek, docile little things.

"Daiki-kun, your hands are cold again. Heat them." Chrome huffed, puffing her cheeks at me.

I blinked in surprise, before laughing and pumping the skin with Flames, a happy hum coming from the small girl.

"Sir, yes sir, baby bird."

* * *

 **P: GlaresThatKill (nice url btw) and CallmeCrazylol are right, my haiku was, in fact, not a proper haiku. (Normally being 5-7-5, mine was 5-5-5.) Good thing I'm going to remedy it now:**

For Rainnn, an apology limerick:

Rainnn, that was some amazing art,  
I can see that Lenori's heart,  
Has a marked bullseye,  
And I'm not gonna lie,  
That you are solid on its mark.

By PlunnyBreeder

 **P: Limericks are more flexible with their syllable count, so I shouldn't have done the same mistake again.**

 **P: Huehuehuehuehuehuehue… Hit me up with more bribes- I mean, fanartists.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Another YamaYama/Dakeshi/whatever you call it heavy chapter :)**

* * *

 ** **Word Count: 12,563****

* * *

People were bustling around the ornate halls of the Vongola Headquarters, suits blending together in a mass of tailored black and white. The building had been settling down from the previous chaos, however the presence of security and alert was higher than ever, everyone glancing past corners before taking the step.

There were grunts as a man hauled a large box of shrapnel and debris from one of the room, his tanned skin shining with perspiration, the aircon out of commission. He huffed as he dropped it beside others of its like, a small segment of the hall taken up by them, waiting for men to come and remove them. He sighed as he straightened, cracking his spine as he did, dust coming off his sleeves.

" _There you are, I've been looking for you!"_

The man turned to the call before straightening, a smile coming to his handsome face as a tall blond came to a stop before him.

"Iemitsu-san, sir, you're back and safe, good to see." He laughed welcoming the Young Lion onto the scene. "Everything's going smoothly down here again, we're almost finished with the clean up."

"That's great." Iemitsu nodded, before breaking into a smile, showing the break in professionalism. "But that's not what I searched high and low for you for! Here, it took a while but I've managed it!"

"Huh- Oh!"

The tanned man grinned as he took the small, brown wrapped package, bowing his head a little in thanks. It was simple and inconspicuous, but got a jitter of excitement out of him as he looked to the waiting work, wondering how soon he could get a break.

"Go on, then. I can see you practically shaking to open it." Iemitsu sighed, waving him off.

"Thank you, sir." Came his response before he turned and walked.

Moving through the debris, he eventually came to an empty room, bare and dusty, but void of prying eyes. With a curl of his lips, he began unravelling the package, blinking when a familiar envelope fell out. He huffed and read it, refreshing his mind of what he had sent.

 _"Night soon fell, and the hunter grew worried for his elderly mother still at home. So the hunter told the dog to watch the cart and went home to check on his mother. When the man returned, he saw the dog on guard. So he gave the dog a reward for his master, a silver coin, to carry in his mouth. The dog ran all the way home and brought his master the coin. But the hunter flew into a rage.  
'I told you to watch the cart, and what did you do? You stole from it!' So the master killed the dog."  
The dog was just trying to help the master, and he got punished for it.  
Isn't that funny, son?_

Yamaguchi Yamada laughed at his own jab, the paper crumbled and broken in places, showing the abuse it had been through in the hands of his offspring. Shoving the piece in his pocket, he moved onto the rest, finding another envelope and pulling free a small sample of paper.

" _How many cockroaches does it take to screw in a bulb?  
No one knows! When the light turns on, they scatter!"_

 _Sound familiar, tou-san? I'd look in the box.  
-Watanabe-Yamaguchi Daiki  
_  
The browned eyes of Yamada narrowed at the words, remembering the kanji of the child's name, and how that reflected him in the script. He huffed out his nose before looking to the small container, blacked out as to not reveal the contents. The box put up a bit of a fight, but eventually, the lid cracked open.

"Fu- _Fuck!_ "

Yamada dropped the box with a hissed fright, the black and brown bodies of cockroaches scrambling across the floor and scuttling up his hands until he thrashed and threw them off. The sensation of thousands of little legs scurrying along his skin made him bare his teeth as the creatures dove into dark corners, fleeing from the light.

A slip of paper fell from the container, sliding up to his feet and brushing to tips of his polished shoes.

 _See how they run?_

* * *

"And that's the last of it!" I laughed, slowing the flow of sunshine fire to a stop before picking up Lambo off my desk and tossing him lightly.

The little Lightning shrieked with laughter as he became airborne, flailing his tiny hands and feet as he called for another round. My boy clung to me as I spun us in the space of my room, legs flying out from the gravitational pull, his childish face lit up in a grin.

"Higher, Papa!"

"If I toss you any higher, you'll go through the ceiling!" I laughed, collecting him close.

My smile persisted as small, cotton covered hands came to rest on my cheeks, Lambo arching up to kiss my nose lightly, something he had seen Takeshi do often. He cuddled into my shoulder as I walked over to my bed, using my foot to kick up one of Lambo's bouncy balls and toss it over to his toy crate.

Setting us down, I laid on my side as the young Lightning tugged and played with the chain around my neck, making random shapes with the line of silver links. Reaching up, I gently pried some fluff that had clung to the boy's hair, carefully resetting the soft locks after I did.

"Papa, can we go to the park with Miphy tomorrow? After you're done helping obaa-chan?" He asked after a few more moments of tinkering.

Mephistopheles picked his head off his paws at his name, looking at me from the end of my bed with the confused expression of someone who had been startled awake.

"I'm sorry, Bo-kun." I sighed, smiling softly. "I have to go to the Watanabe tomorrow, there's an important meeting that I need to attend."

"Oh…" Lambo breathed, deflating.

"But," I started, sitting up. "You can go with Daddy instead, he'll be more than happy to, I'm sure."

Big green eyes looked up at me for a moment, before he came forwards to be collected in my hands and risen to my eye height.

"Papa, why do you never leave me at home anymore?"

"Huh?" I blinked, surprised by the sudden question.

"With obaa-chan. Papa never leaves me with obaa-chan anymore, never alone or for long."

My grip on him tightened.

"What?" I laughed, "Do you not like going to I-pin-chan's house during school? I thought you two really liked each other."

"That's not what I meant!" He flailed, making me smile despite the rigid state of my spine. "It's just I like spending time with obaa-chan too, and I don't get to as much anymore!"

Looking at my boy, I held my tongue between my teeth to sate my state, keeping my face pleasant despite the cold coil of worry in my mind.

"Okay," I breathed, relenting to his desire. "Do you want to stay with kaa-san while I'm at school?"

"Some days." He answered, coming to sit in my lap as I lowered him. "Please."

"If you want to, honey, then so be it. Do you still wanna go to the park with Daddy tomorrow?"

"Ya!"

As the boy in my lap cheered, I sent Mephistopheles a glance. Big brown eyes caught mine, and he yawned big, exposing the sharp line up of teeth.

…

I rolled my shoulders as I exited the main house of the Watanabe Compound, the laughter of drunken men still loud and giddy with their alcohol and presented oirans. There had been a meeting about a small scuffle between minor branches about territory on our borders, and men had been hospitalised. Our Oyabuns had been called in in order to smooth out the issue and iron the details in hopes of avoiding a turf war.

"Well," I hummed, stretching my arms over my head and bending my back, getting the kinks out from sitting on my knees for so damn long. "That went well."

Crickets chirped loudly as koi disturbed the surface of the pond, the night in full swing as a crescent hung, ornamentally in the inky sky, dustings of pinprick stars and ashen clouds painting the overarching display well. Music floated through as I walked the pressed pebble path between out of bloom Sakura, old gas lanterns illuminating the traditional construction of the Dorms, open screen doors showing the chattering girls within as the young ones flopped on top of each other in a sleepy pile.

Honda caught my eye as I carefully removed my shoes and smiled at me from across the mass of humans, making a bit of room for me to drop down on my usual spot, cushions piled and fat. The fair woman hummed at me before coming to lay against my side, her head falling onto my shoulder as she sighed.

"How did the meeting go?"

"It went fine. No one's pressing charges, they're drinking it out now." I responded, playing with the dangling jewel of her earing.

"Mm, that's good." She breathed, shutting her eyes for a moment. "Your concubine, she has been spending extended amounts of time with Chrome-chan. They've been doing some sort of exercise, though, I'm not sure what."

"Hm, I am aware of this. Do not worry yourself over it, they're not doing anything dangerous. I rather like that they're talking to people more."

"I suppose. She has asked after you just recently, I told her you were in a meeting. You should perhaps check on what she wanted."

I made a noise of understanding, muttering a bit when she pushed me off the pillows and splayed herself out greedily. Rolling my eyes, I got to my feet and waved over my shoulder as I walked out into the hall, intent on Kimiko's door to see if she was in. Giving a knock, I waited for a moment, before repeating when I received no response.

"Kimiko-chan? Are you in there?" I called, sliding the door open a bit.

I pursed my lips when I saw her room lit up but vacant, showing she was near but not present.

"Kimiko-chan?" I called again, peering down the hall to see if Chrome had her company.

Raising an eyebrow when I couldn't find her in either room, I shrugged, deciding she was perhaps in the baths, before moving to my own dorm. I paused when the heavy scent of cinnamon and lily wafted through, warmth fanning onto my skin despite the low light that doused my room.

Movement made my eyes snap to the corner of the room, teeth meeting each other behind my lips when I saw the young oiran standing before the chair that faced the rest of my dorm. The little side table that sat beside it well stocked with a new bottle of amber alcohol and four upturned crystal glass cups. She bowed her head in greeting, the loose strands cascading in a silken curtain as she smiled sweet. Her kimono as elaborate, rich in colour with reds and golds, and the shoulders were slipped to curl around her smooth biceps, showing off a dainty clavicle and long neck.

"My Lord, please," She approached me with measured steps, bare feet padding softly against the floor. "Come take a seat."

I thinned my lips and furrowed my brow, glancing around with tension and curiosity, but nodded anyway and stepped into the room, the pleasure woman guiding me over to the chair. Fighting down an instinctive bristle, I sat and watched carefully, not liking the turn this interaction had taken.

The room was set in a low light, scented candles replacing my gas lamps and casting vanilla laced, amber light, heavy shadows rippling along the walls and outlining the oiran's figure. The sheets of my futon were obviously different, heavier to contain more warmth despite heated state of the building.

She better not-

"I hope the meeting was a success." She hummed, practised motions making the pouring of strong alcohol much too elegant.

"Yes, there is no longer any animosity between our Clans. It's all been sorted out." I supplied, nodding in thanks as she placed down a generous dose of amber liquid, internally mourning for my liver.

"That's wonderful, my Lord."

The pleasure woman smiled softly before floating back to stand just a small distance in front of me, far enough so that I could view her entirety, but close enough that her perfume and scented oils still reached my nose. She slowly lowered herself to the ground, curling her legs to the side of her while supporting most of her weight on her palm, looking very relaxed and open as she focused ash eyes up at me.

I resisted the curl of my fists when vermillion lips curled, loose hair slipping to expose her neck further and show a soft jawline.

"Kimiko-chan, just what do you think you're doing?" I asked, internally pleading that I had read the situation wrong.

"My purpose, my Lord." She answered, not skipping a beat. "Your previous displeasure reminded me of the reason I was given to you."

"We've discussed this." I sighed, bringing a hand to my temple. "I have someone already, Yamamoto Takeshi."

"Yes, as you've said, however-"

"And I intend to be _loyal_ to him, Kimiko-chan."

The Yakuza woman looked at me for a moment, vermillion lips slightly parted as she kept herself pleasant to the eye. She shifted in her stance, moving her hand a little to support her weight differently.

"What's so important about this Yamamoto Takeshi? Do you really need him that much?" The woman huffed, a look of unbelieving amusement on her face.

Need? Do I need Takeshi? No, in all truth, I don't need him. But...

"Takeshi-kun isn't a need. He is a want." I admitted, placing my cheek on my fist, wedding band cool against my skin.

Kimiko paused, before quickly collecting herself, her smile shaken.

"Pardon? A want?"

I leant back in my chair and looked to the woman across from me, a most dispassionate, but open expression bared to her.

"I could survive without Takeshi-kun and he could do the same, without a doubt. I do not need him to live, I can do that just fine on my own."

Letting this sink in, I then moved on, the candles around the room flickering as a light wind blew through.

"Takeshi-kun is a want. A want is something we don't need to survive, but seek out to make ourselves feel comfortable. You could survive without your bed, but you'd wake up the next morning in pain. You could survive without clothing, but you would be ashamed when you walk down the street. You could eat without cutlery or crockery, but it would be a challenge."

She blinked painted eyes at me, slowly beginning to understand what I was saying.

"I could survive this world without Yamamoto Takeshi, but every time I woke up, I'd be in pain. Every time I walked down the street, I'd be ashamed. Every time I ate, I'd struggle."

A slow smirk began to stretch across my face, eyes narrowing in mirth as I viewed the oiran across from me.

"I am greedy, I want things that make my life easier. Yamamoto Takeshi, is a greedy want. Neither he nor I need the other to survive, but if we _want_ each other, then have fun trying to control our combined greed."

"...What a proud man you are, Watanabe-dono." She finally said, tension barely visible in her seated, relaxed position.

"Anyone could tell you that I'm quite the sinner. Even hell itself has no room for me." I responded, amusement slipping into my voice at my own little inside joke.

"If even hell will not take you, then where will you go? Oblivion? The Void? _A_ Void?"

I paused to think it over, before giving a long breath through my nose, wondering why I even bothered. The answer was obvious, even to someone as dense as Tsuna.

"I'll stay right here. At Takeshi-kun's side for as long as he is greedy enough to want me."

Kimiko looked at me for a moment, before sighing and getting to her feet, holding her loose cloth folds closer to her shoulders from where they had fallen. She smiled a bit bashfully, looking down at my seated form.

"I'll assume that any advances will be for nought?" She sighed, obviously knowing the answer.

"You'd be correct. I am loyal to my desires." I huffed with a bit of humour.

…

Jun sneezed loudly, little button nose reddened in irritation as he sniffled, cup of honey tea billowing steam up to warm his face.

"Sorry, Mouse." I hummed, carding my hand through his hair as I radiated heat from my core, Chrome coming to cuddle near me as well. "You caught a cold out there, didn't you?"

"He came back quite early in the morning, but only came down with a fever by mid-day." Kimiko breathed gently, coming to kneel just a small distance from us, closer to Chrome than anyone else. "Chrome-senpai was the first to notice, she called upon me to make Jun-kun tea."

Kimiko had learnt her lesson after the night, no longer going out of her way in any sort of intimate attempt. She continued to strive for closeness, however, made no sign of anything beyond a friendship, something that I was much more comfortable with.

The four of us were situated in my Dorm room, the atmosphere toasty and content as the smaller teens curled up in my lap and around my side, taking full advantage of the heat that my Sun gave off. The pleasure woman smiled at us softly before handing me and Chrome our own blends, quiet thanks coming from us.

"Mm, but it's fine! My Lord requested it of me and it is my honour to fulfil it!" Jun squeaked, voice nasally from the ailment.

"Nonsense. If my orders place you in danger you should be able to alter or abandon them!"

The little Storm jolted at that, as if the suggestion alone made him convulse. He shook his head, tufts of dusty brown flapping around from the franticness.

"A-abandon?! I could ne- _whoa_..."

Jun groaned and flopped back into my chest, a cold hand coming to press against his cheek and try to steady his vertigo.

"Take it easy, mouse. Take it easy." I soothed, stoking my Flame when Chrome grumbled a bit.

"No amount of talk will change his mind, my Lord. I believe him to be quite stubborn in that regard." Kimiko laughed daintily, hiding her soft mirth behind her hand.

I sighed but nodded, understanding her words and knowing them to be true.

* * *

"Daiki-kun, check the oven?"

"Okay." I answered, turning away from my task and crouching a bit before the small window. "Maybe another ten minutes."

Kaede didn't respond and went about her business, the stale pressure of the atmosphere still weighing heavy on my mind as I attempted to move through the bakery as quietly and efficiently as possible. My mother had spent the week simmering in a displeased silence, only speaking or acknowledging me when absolutely necessary. I didn't really mind it, preferring to be tolerated rather than be given harsh treatment.

The demands she gave were quick and to the point, and I made no hassle with completing them, menial tasks that worked both as an apology and satiation. This behaviour was a normal reaction, and I tried my best to think ahead and predict as much as I could, avoiding furthering Kaede's displeasure.

"Do you need help with anything else?" I asked after a few beats of silence, standing just behind the matron, the bakery set for the day.

"No." She uttered, busying herself with the till.

"Okay." I breathed, "I'm gonna take a shower and head to school then."

When there was no reaction, I retreated from the store and into a softer environment. The television buzzed low with the morning news, telling of the overcast that would dominate Namimori's sky for the next few days due to the storm that was creeping over from Kyoto.

As I closed the door behind me, Mephistopheles lifted his head from my pillows, having burrowed under my sheets after I had removed myself and claimed the residue heat that I had left. Beady, brown eyes peered at me from the darkness, a sliver of morning light coming through the curtains and illuminating a strip of stark white fur.

"Hey boy, you know you're not meant on the bed." I whispered, careful of Lambo's sleep. "But that's never stopped you before, hey."

The highlander huffed before dropping his snout on the pillow again, looking at me out of the corner of his eye as I sat down beside him, running my hand along the top of his skull, gently scratching at the soft scalp. He made a low noise of content, his tail making the sheets jump and shift, tilting his head to change the point of contact.

"I'm gonna leave Bo-kun here with you and kaa-san. Watch them both, Mephistopheles." I hummed, playing with the warm softness that was his ear.

The white pup grunted and turned intelligent eyes on me, shuffling closer to my side. I smiled at his actions, bending at the waist to hug him, his jaw dropped on my thigh, tail patting my back as he breathed loud.

"You know, I'm going to have to tell Takeshi-kun about Kimiko-chan today." Came my voice, ear twitching as I spoke into it. "I don't think he's going to take it well, but I could hardly blame him. He'll give me a chance to speak, which is more than some people can expect, I suppose."

…

"So, that's what's going on."

Ryohei looked at me with sympathy as I clicked my pacer nervously, two full pieces of lead laying on my paper with a third about to join them.

"Bro, calm down. Takeshi-kun's a sensible guy, he won't freak out on you." He sighed, nudging me with his elbow.

"You don't know him like I do, Ryohei-kun." I groaned, dropping the pen and slumping back in my seat. "And it's not even really about that, it's just…"

I sighed loudly before crossing my arms, feeling metal clink against each other through the sleeves of my blazer.

"I'm the one who keeps putting pressure on our relationship. I keep on, I don't know, stuffing up and getting paranoid about being bad for him. The last thing I want to be is like-"

My cut off worked as well as a completed sentence, Ryohei knowing full well the man I was speaking of.

"You're not going to end up like him, Daiki-kun, I can honestly say that."

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye before slumping my shoulder against his, a long sigh punctuating the action. He threw an arm around my neck as comfort, still scribbling notes in his book. My grumble reverberated through his neck as I smothered myself before casting off a flair or my sunshine, quick to locate my partner Rain.

A light laugh left me when I found him just a floor below me, his Flame simmering low and drowsy, his Sky and Storm not far from his side. Gently touching down beside him, I crept up and began prying open our connection.

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Yamamoto Takeshi snoozed happily as the teacher droned on, the person sitting in front of him obscuring his napping form.

' _Takeshi-kun?'_

He nuzzled further into his arms, trying to block out the calling, not wanting to be pulled from his sleep.

' _Takeshi-kun? You better not be- You're sleeping in class again aren't you?'_

The call out made him surface, but only by the smallest smidgen. The sudden squeezing at his sides, however, was what really yanked him into the waking world, a yelp ripping from his throat as his knee jerked and slammed into the underside of his table.

"Yamamoto-san, how good of you to volunteer. Please answer this for us."

Oh crap.

He winced and laughed sheepishly, looking to the board and its writings, internally recoiling at the nonsensical displays.

"Ah..." Takeshi uttered, trying to make sense of the hideous script, an almost physical pain coming as he tried to piece it together.

' _It's tan_ _-1_ _(1.45)=55°24'. Do we need to go over this at lunch?'_ Daiki sighed into his ear, sitting on the side of his desk, arms crossed.

"Tan-1(1.45)=55°24', I think." He announced to the class, slowly dumbing it down to make it sound as if he himself had done the effort. ' _I know this! I was just...distracted!'_

' _I'm sure, that's why you were a complete mess when you read it and demanded for some sort of calamity to strike the blackboard.'_ His husband huffed, amber-earth bright with intelligence and humour, orbs glowing unnaturally in a golden halo.

The Sun's figure was unsteady, wavering when not paid enough attention and sometimes vanishing, only to be caught out of the corner of his eye. He made no sound as he moved around the smaller Flame, environment not reacting to his presence in any way, no one else seeing him despite his rather imposing stature. This, coupled with the unearthly luminescence of molten gold and amber eyes, proved to the slightly put out Rain that it was only a projection of his Daiki in the room with him. Takeshi pouted before tearing his eyes away from the smirk that made his heart stumble its rhythm, looking to the board as to avoid being called out by the teacher again. There was a low laugh, his skin pebbling in goosebumps as Daiki came closer to loom over from behind him, familiar scent enveloping the Guardian's space.

' _It's good to see you finally paying attention in class, however, I must steal your focus for a moment, my dearest. Will you grant me your time?'_ He asked, a playful lilt to his voice showing that he knew just how much 'attention' was being given to the teacher at the front, rather than the phantom warmth and weight that was spreading across his back.

Takeshi managed to nod in response, subtly turning his hand over to that his palm was open and facing up, allowing the transparent fingers of the Sun to slid in with his own and secure them.

' _Come to the roof at lunch? I need to tell you something important.'_

Another incline of the head came as his neck was nuzzled, light kisses coming to be planted just behind his ear and leaving patches of imagined warmth.

' _Wonderful, I'll see you then, love. Oh, and another thing,'_ Takeshi looked to him out of the corner of half-closed lids, back bowed over his desk. ' _Your teacher has been calling for you for the last minute.'_

"Yamamoto Takeshi!"

Mocha eyes widened as a grin split the rogue's face, a pair of lips sealed over his own for a split second before he cut the connection, leaving the Rain to the mercy of his teacher.

…

"Yamaguchi Daiki, my God, I got into so much trouble 'cause of you!" Takeshi whined, pushing the door open and storming out onto the roof where Daiki sat up against the fence, a look of amusement on his face.

"I'm sure you did," He hummed, opening his arms for the younger to drop down into, "I heard the whole thing from my classroom."

"You're a terrible person, shujin-kun." The Rain grunted, making himself comfortable in the elder's lap.

"No, you're just easily distracted."

Takeshi pouted and puffed his cheek, huffing when a kiss was pressed to the inflated side, hands gently massaging his hip as he was drawn closer into Daiki's warmth. The Sun made a low noise, continuous in its note and allowed his partner to relax into him, temple resting on his clavicle.

"Like now," He hummed, "You didn't even notice where my other hand was."

Mocha eyes opened just a slit from their contented closed, searching for the other, before stalling. The Rain gasped audibly as he tensed up, heat rushing to his face as he stared at the tanned limb, settled near the seam of his school pants.

"I'm honestly surprised you didn't realise, you're usually so in turn with all my advances."

As he said this, fingers began making little circles on Takeshi's inner thigh, sparking shivers and tingling ripples.

"It can-" The swordsman paused for a moment, before trying again. "It can keep moving, if you want."

"Mm, can it?" Daiki asked, smiling against his ear. "I'd love to, but we have something to discuss."

Takeshi made a noise of annoyance and disappointment as the hands on his body were removed, and he was gently placed back onto the concrete. He muttered but shifted himself until he was sitting across from his husband, allowing his hand to be claimed by a colder counterpart, their rings gleaming as they met in between.

"Okay," Daiki breathed, and Takeshi instantly knew that this conversation wasn't going to be a happy one. "Before we begin, I just want you to remember that I love you. I love you so much and that I'm doing my best with the situation."

"What-"

" _Please_ , Takeshi-kun. Just remember that." He pleaded, squeezing their hands.

The Rain looked at him for a moment, baffled and slightly alarmed by the situation, but breathed deep and nodded, squeezing back and giving a small, encouraging smile to his other.

"I love you too, Daiki-kun. Go on, I'll listen."

The rogue Sun breathed a sigh of relief before refilling his lungs, closing amber-earth and collecting himself.

"You know how I am in line to the Watanabe Yakuza, yes? Well, due to that, word of our relationship has gotten around. It's all purely speculation, and no one knows who _you_ are, but they are aware that I spend my time with you- or more broadly, boys." He explained, a sour taste coming to Takeshi's palette. "And because of this, the current Oyabun though it was best to quell these rumours by making a public display of handing me a woman."

The Rain took in a sharp breath but didn't interrupt, knowing to let the older talk first and try to deal out the details.

"I never made any move to deny or disprove the presence of a boyfriend or male lover in my life, so they thought it best to try and…' _cure'_ me of the situation by giving me what they call a 'concubine'. Her purpose is to apparently convert and satiate me through appeal."

There was a moment of quiet, to allow him to take in the information, piece it together in his mind despite the blaring red lights that flashed behind his eyes. The grip he had on Daiki's hand had slowly tightened as he had listened, their rings grinding together from the now vice hold. The older made no move or rebellion against it, and didn't seem to mind it either, using his thumb to run along the sharp knuckles.

"She attempted to follow through at first, but I explained that the rumours were true and that I was not just dating, but engaged. She heard that and stepped down for the most part, and I didn't cross her often after. Come just last week, I learnt that she was being summoned by the other men in the Watanabe house, and being abused by them. I ordered that she was to not answer the calls unless of her own volition."

"This reminded her of the primary task she had been given, and she once again attempted to attract me the next night. She came to my dorm and attempted to seduce, but I kept reiterating that I had you and would not budge."

Takeshi bit his lip before standing, his feet carrying him a distance away before pacing across the space of the roof, his brow set in a furrow. The information rolled around in his head in unbridled waves, mixing and rearranging, emotions coming to taint the messages or wash them shiny.

"Takeshi-kun," Daiki called getting to his feet as well, coming to stand by the pacing boy. "I haven't done anything with her, I never _will._ I have you, I don't want anyone else, I promise."

"No, no," He responded, shaking his head. "It's not that, I believe you, it's just...I'm just trying to wrap my head around it. Gimme a sec."

"Okay." The Sun sighed, falling quiet as he watched his lover move restlessly.

There were a few more moments of Takeshi's pacing, moving about as he worked his way through his mind, Daiki waiting patiently beside him.

Daiki was being truthful, that much he could tell with surety, there had been no lapse in loyalty between them at any point. The woman, concubine, however, was what raised his hackles, made him prickle and bristle.

"Can you send her away? Give her back?" He asked.

"I could, technically, but I'd absolutely destroy her reputation. If I were to give her back, it would make her seem faulty, or undesirable. She would most likely have to fall to common prostitution, rather than return to her current rank." Daiki answered softly, shaking his head. "Our actions, those of myself and the people around me, are all being watched. There is nothing that I could do that would not be read into."

Politics. Strategy. Appearances. His Daiki had to be aware of all of this, he couldn't do things just to please Takeshi anymore.

"I want to meet her, your concubine." Takeshi stated, keeping his voice steady.

The Rain wasn't all that well versed in the world that his husband was immersed in, but he would do his best. He couldn't ask for too much from him at this time, not when there were people breathing down his neck and waiting for him to slip up.

" _The Oyabun has placed a target on you, and is in the process of an assassination…"_

The memory of Daiki choking on poison jumped to the forefront of his mind, his teeth gritting as the sickly, weak form coloured his thoughts.

"Takeshi-kun." Daiki breathed, closing the distance and pulling him against his front.

"I want to meet her. If you're going to keep her, we need to set ground rules, and she needs to be aware that I am watching."

Takeshi turned and wrapped his arms around Daiki's waist, feeling the other nuzzle his shoulder.

"What's her name?"

"Kimiko-chan is what she goes by, she's 20 years old. Takeshi-kun, she did not have a choice about this either, she was merely following orders. She's really a nice girl and she keeps Chrome-chan company when I'm not at the compound." The Sun answered, rubbing his back, following the dipped line of his spine.

"Yeah," He breathed, "I understand."

Daiki gave a loud breath before tightening his hold on him, using his hand to press the other's face into his shoulder. He dropped kisses into the dark scalp, feeling nails bite through the material of his shirt and carve crescents into the flesh of his shoulder blades.

"I'm sorry that this happened, I'm sorry that this is so complicated." He sighed, tilting the younger's head back to he could see the mocha orbs. "I love you, Takeshi-kun."

"I love you too, Daiki-kun." The Rain smiled, arching up to hum it into the other's mouth.

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

Our hands were linked as we walked down the hall, the roof abandoned as the bell drew nearer and our time became shorter.

"Can you come to my house tonight? Please?" Takeshi asked, ignoring the giggle that burst from a girl as she scuttled past.

"I don't know, love. You know that kaa-san is still pretty miffed with me."

"She doesn't have to know! You can come after she's asleep!"

I laughed at that, his huff coming loudly when my humour boomed.

"Are you asking me to sneak out?" I chuckled, directing us down the stairs. "My, how rebellious."

"Aw, _please?"_ He pressed, "You just dropped a bomb on me and expect to leave me alone for the night?"

I could tell he was joking, but at the same time very much meant what he was saying. He didn't want me out of his sights until both his hormones and paranoia settled, the grip on my hand speaking volumes as well. My brows furrowed softly as I pulled him closer to my side, bringing his ring finger up to press a kiss on it.

"I'll try, keep your window open tonight?"

"Really?!" He grinned, eyes glowing when I nodded. "Alright!"

My smile came through at his glee and I cupped his cheek absently, allowing him to nuzzle the palm with gusto.

" _Hey, guys!"_

We looked from each other as Ryohei and the two of Takeshi's crew came running, usual grin, scowl and smile in place. Ryohei's shoes screeched against the floor as he came to a halt, excitement gleaming clear in his orbs as he bounced giddily.

"What's up, bro?" I asked, curling my arm around Takeshi's waist.

Tsuna panted as he finally reached us, Gokudera preparing to bite at the Sun for 'going ahead of the Tenth'. I blinked when I noticed Tsuna's Flame flicker, registering mine almost immediately and setting me on edge. It padded around the small space between us, before moving back a respectful distance, flaring a greeting.

"Sawada-san's EXTREMELY planning a Winter Test of Courage!" Ryohei bellowed, "We should EXTREMELY team up!"

"Huh! That's so cool, is it tonight? I can't wait!" The Rain cheered, sharing the enthusiasm.

"Sorry mate, I don't think I can. Kaa-san's cracking down on me so I can't go out as much as I used to." I sighed, seeing his glee dim a shade. "You have the others, yeah? Spend some time with them instead, be my proxy."

"But it won't be as _fun!"_ He whined, crossing his arms.

"I don't want to spend _more_ time with Turf-top, fuckin' giant!"

"Can't help it, sorry."

"Hmph, fine. We still need to do that sleepover too. Get on that, Daiki-kun." Ryohei huffed, pointing at me.

"Yeah, yeah." I breathed, waving him off.

The bell rung clear through the school and prompted students to unroot, the low rumble rising in volume as children were distilled abruptly.

"Okay, I'll see you soon love."

"Sooner than you think." Takeshi smiled, making me raise an eyebrow.

"What do you me- _an! Takeshi-kun!"_

My eyes widened and I gave a loud yelp, stiffening enough to make a board jealous as I felt the invading limb in my back pocket. The Rain hummed before using the arm to hug me, fingers digging into my flesh for a moment.

"Hahaha! Bye bye!" He laughed, taking off down the hall before I could grab him.

Holy shit, Takeshi just fucking grabbed my _arse!_

 **...**

"He actually grabbed my arse..." I muttered, sitting at my desk with a wide eyed look.

"You've said that seven times now, Daiki-kun." Ryohei sighed, flipping the page of our shared textbook.

"No, Ryohei-kun. My cute, little Takeshi-kun _grabbed_ my _ass._ " I stressed.

"Eight."

"My _ass."_

"Eight point 2?"

I gave a long sigh and shook my head, still reeling but slightly more collected. Blinking owlishly, I returned to our task at hand, the old English of _Othello_ standing stark on the page. This was all old news to me, but I still listened, enjoying the play for what it was, until a faint tapping came to my Flame.

' _Hey Daiki-kun,'_ Takeshi cooed, opening our connection and projecting himself to my senses, a skill he had refined in almost no time at all. ' _You distracted me in class, now it's my turn.'_

"Yamaguchi-san, could you read the passage to the class please?" The teacher called, making me stand up.

" _Should I repent me. But once put out thy light,  
_ _Thou cunning'st pattern of excelling nature,  
_ _I know not where is that Promethean heat  
_ _That can thy light relume."_

"Thank you, you can sit down."

' _That was wonderful,'_ Takeshi hummed, watching me return to my seat. ' _I should get you to recite it for me more often!'_

I fought to remain still as phantom hands touched my shoulders before the Rain moved and propped himself on my desk, sitting proudly before me, transparent body allowing me to see a slightly obscured blackboard just through him. My teeth grit as he swung his legs, knees on either side of me, a hand coming to play with the edge of his shirt thematically, raising it just a tad to allow me to see a strip of flesh.

' _You can't ignore me, shujin-kun.'_ He laughed _,_ coaxing my chin to tilt upward and see the blue illumination of his eyes.

' _God damn you, sweetheart.'_ I sparked, narrowing my eyes as he bowed to plant an impossible kiss on me.

' _Then you're coming with me, my husband.'_ He hummed, before proceeding to make English the best hell.

* * *

 **|D.C|**

Dokuro Chrome sipped at her cup as she sat in the front court yard of the Dorms, the treeline hiding away the building from the main house and granting her privacy- well, as much privacy as she could manage with Ken and Chikusa muttering away just beside her.

"Jeez, the guys in the building have been all over the place since the old dude got sick." Ken sighed, laying on his back with a packet of chips tucked under his arm. "I don't get why we can't stay here, there's a bunch of girls to hang with!"

"Because they're Yamaguchi-san's cousins. I highly doubt he'd ever let you near them." The yoyo-user sighed, taking a cup from the Mist.

"Daiki-kun is very protective of his cousins, Ken-kun. He'd be upset if he heard you snuck in. He's the only male allowed into the building, save for Jun-kun." Chrome explained, offering a cup to the huffing boy.

"Shut up, no one was asking you." He snapped, snatching the ceramic and chugging it messily. "Ugh, I've been drinking nothing but tea and sake since we came here. Don't they have coffee or something?"

"We shouldn't push for more than what we have, these are much better conditions than what we had before."

Chrome nodded in agreement, glancing over her shoulder when she saw Aiko, Nami and Ame peered around the door, gasping and pointing out oddities that adorned the boys. Ken's sharp teeth and Chikusa's barcode tattoo were paid special attention, Ame flailing her arms in excitement. The Mist laughed softly at their actions, before smothering it into her cup.

Yamaguchi Daiki, Mukuro had told her many things about the older boy. He had told her about how easily he had allowed not just the Cloud Hibari, but the Boss Sawada to battle on their own. Daiki had fought with Mukuro without his vision, refusing to open his eyes and fall into an ocular illusion, however still managing to avoid the melee attacks from the trident. The Mist had told her about how his eyes had flashed with an ethereal glow whenever they opened anew, aware of where everyone was despite not being able to see any of them.

She couldn't deny, she was healthily afraid of the next Oyabun.

However, Chrome had seen his softer side, how Daiki let his young cousin crawl all over him and had endless patience for their antics. How he held the Vongola Rain with such ginger care and laughed with his fellow Sun. Daiki was a dangerous man, yes, but that only proved that the Vongola were fortunate enough to have found him first.

"You said that the Oyabun was sick, can you tell me anything else?" She asked, looking to the lazing Mafia.

"They've been pretty tight lipped about it all, but apparently the Oyabun dude is over the hill already." The Sun shrugged, humming through a mouthful of fried potato.

"There's talk about Yamaguchi-san succeeding the line sooner than first thought. They're making preparations as we speak." Came the Rain's point, dead eyes looking over to the main house. "We can expect the passing of power before Summer, I believe."

"Oh," She breathed, glancing between them. "Thank you."

What Mukuro forgot to mention, however, was how easily Yamaguchi Daiki could get rid of you if you posed a threat. Again, she was quite happy that he was on their side of the war.

 **|D.C|**

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Yamamoto Takeshi gave a loud sigh of content as he walked back into his room, closing the door behind him as he towelled off his hair. He paused suddenly, looking to the scene displayed for him.

His Daiki was on the leftmost side of his bed, pillow propped up against the headboard to give support and comfort as he sat to read his ghastly thick novel, the warm lamplight reflecting a honeyed yellow off glasses, perched on the bridge if his nose as he lost himself in another world. The blue sheets were pulled up to his hips, the corner of the side closer to him flipped to allow the Rain easy access.

It was so very... _domestic._

If anyone else had seen this, they could have easily been fooled into believing that Daiki lived in the Yamamoto house, and that that half of the bed had been his for many a year. The young swordsman wondered if that was what he'd be greeted by every night in the future, his husband waiting for him in bed with a book the width of a baseball bat. Or maybe he'd be the one in bed, Daiki coming through the door and shrugging off his jacket while he called down the entry his return. No, they were both too restless for that, perhaps they'd stumble in the door together, barely awake, and just conk out on the couch, piled on top of each other.

Takeshi felt a rise in his chest as he did everything he could to memorise this, his phone in hand and camera focusing before the Sun even realised his observer.

 _Click!_

"What on Earth are you doing?" Daiki laughed, looking up to his fiancé.

"Taking a picture of you." He answered truthfully, saving the image with a smile.

"I gathered," The sheets were pulled back further before the Yakuza heir gave the mattress an urging pat. "But why?"

"You looked so domestic, I had to."

The Vongola swordsman quickly discarded his towel and climbed into the bed, already warmed by the heat of his lover.

"You actually climbed through my window?"

"Not the first time," He laughed, "And apparently not the last either."

Daiki smiled at him, cupping his cheek for a moment before turning back to his book, their shoulders grazing as they squeezed onto the barely big enough frame. The younger took the moment to scroll through a new article, pressed close to the other, the pleasant hue on his cheeks illuminated by the screen.

They remained like that for a long while, content to listen to the other breathe as they carried on with their individual task. At some point, Takeshi had taken one leg out from under the sheets, cause as much as he loved how warm his Daiki was, there was only so much of their combined heat he could handle.

The Rain looked up from his phone and looked to the clock beside the bed, noticing that it was due time they started to turn in for the night. Turning his head, the Rain traced the profile of the older boy, feeling the body shift with each breath. Letting his eyes trail, the young Yamamoto took in the double layers that covered his husband's upper body, thick track pants wrapping the lower loosely.

It was always hard to get a feel for Daiki's physique, loose fitting clothes and dark materials being the majority of his closet. And while Takeshi had no problem with this, there were times that he wished his partner would... _share_ some things with him.

Daiki had seen Takeshi in less than decent states, on many occasions. The towel had been the first time, the material flimsy as it was, proving even more so as it slipped easily. The second time, he had been before the older boy with his pants around his ankles and hands restricted, and yet the amber-earth eyed man had yet to reveal more than below the knees and less than a few inches of the plains of his abdomen.

Maybe...Maybe he would let Takeshi see him if he just asked? Daiki usually lets him do as he pleases, so why would this be any different?

"Um...Daiki-kun, can I ask something?" Takeshi started, sitting up from beside his fiancé.

Pausing the turning of a page, the older boy looked to him through his lenses before nodding, prompting him to continue.

The Rain shifted uncomfortably for a few moments, moving around the bed until he was kneeling across from the other, his eyes jumping around. He was obviously nervous, and that made Daiki curious as to what could cause such a reaction from the usually forward fiancé.

"Takeshi-kun, what's up?" He asked, placing a hand on Takeshi's knee.

"Uh- Well, um...Can I- Um, Will you let me- Can I take your clothes off!?"

…

"I beg your pardon?" The Sun coughed, trying to kickstart his lungs again.

"Your clothes. I wanna take them off." He reiterated, reaching out and snagging the end of the older's nightshirt.

"Takeshi-kun," Daiki sighed, gently prying the Rain's hand off and sitting up. "You remember the agreement, yeah? Not until you're eighteen at least."

Closing his book, the Sun placed it on the side table along with his glasses before turning to Takeshi, who was still watching him. Once he noticed he had his fiancé's attention again, he shook his head and continued to press the idea.

"No, I don't mean I want to have sex!"

Daiki flushed and jumped at the blunt response, but allowed the young Yamamoto to continue.

"I just- I just want to touch your skin." He explained, lurching forwards and grabbing the shirt again, tugging it up and making amber-earth eyes widen.

"W-wait, Takeshi-kun, hang on." The older Yamaguchi tried, fighting against the upward movement of his shirt.

Daiki's breath picked up as he gritted his teeth, forcing down Takeshi's hands and moving backwards away from him. An arm came around the large frame protectively even as the Rain crawled back closer, tugging at the older's collar, trying to expose more of that hidden chest. Mocha eyes widened with rapt attention as more and more dark skin was exposed, the so well hidden pieces of Daiki, that Takeshi had been forced to fall back on a blurry imagination to see, revealing itself to him.

Daiki froze as a split second flash of black material showed from under the white undershirt, Takeshi giving a whine of complaint as he saw it.

"You wear _three_ shirts?"

"Yeah, and none of them are coming off so-" The older boy started, gathering his collar back as the Yamamoto let go.

No. No, no, no don't hide again. Let me see!

"Shujin-kun, I promise I won't try anything beyond touching and kissing, so please?" He continued, moving to push his hands under Daiki's shirts.

The skin was wonderfully warm, and made Takeshi's hands feel cold in comparison. His long fingers moved, parted, rose and fell along the hard swells of Daiki's abdominal muscles, a pleased sigh falling from his lips as he enjoyed the responsive tensing that followed his hands.

"Takeshi-kun, love, please stop." Daiki breathed, backing away.

The motion caused the Rain to grab ahold of the older boy's sides, fingers digging into the dark flesh as he yanked him back. Hands found the elastic that clung to tanned hips, and with an excited inhale pulled the waist of Daiki's pants down to expose the band of his boxers.

"C'mon, what's wrong? I just want to see and touch you! I won't try to-"

" _Takeshi-kun, stop it!"_

The cry made Takeshi freeze, his eyes snapping up finally to take in the pinched expression, wide eyes looking down at him as Daiki tried to shy away from his grasp. It was an odd sight for him, the huge frame trying to curl in on itself protectively, like a bear whimpering away from a rabbit.

"Please stop. I can't. Please." Daiki pleaded, taking the band of his pants from the Rain as he pressed into the headboard.

Daiki is...Daiki is scared. Daiki's scared of me now.

The Rain's face suddenly turned stricken, realisation dawning in his eyes as he began backing off, coming dangerously close to toppling off the bed. A heavy shroud of sudden self-loathing settled over the boy's mind, the pleas that Daiki had been throwing at him before ringing clear in his ears to abuse his brain.

Is this what Daiki felt when I said he hurt me?

"I-I'm sorry, I just wanted to...I just wanted to hold you." He choked, his mouth painfully dry.

"Yeah. I get that." Daiki breathed, his knees meeting to ward off any more advances.

Mocha eyes jumped to the action, his brow creasing as he looked down in shame, hands clutching at the sheets beneath them. His shoulders quivered with tension as he stared ahead at the blue blankets drenched in Daiki's scent, suddenly feeling like he shouldn't be amongst them.

Takeshi moved shakily, swinging his legs off the bed and preparing to run from the amber-earth that were tainted with trepidation and anger, only to have his upper arm grabbed. Snapping his head around, the young Yamamoto froze as he looked down at his fiancé, preparing for whatever punishment Daiki found justified.

He probably hates me now. What I did was borderline assault, he wants me gone. I would want me gone. Oh, Daiki, I'm so sorry!

"Don't go…"

Huh?

The Sun rose from his bed carefully, keeping his grip on the smaller as he did. Takeshi almost yelped as he was pulled back onto Daiki's chest, arms coming to wrap him like a vice. His breath stuttered as kisses were planted in his hair, low notes rumbling deep in the elder's chest.

"Don't run away. You did nothing wrong." The Sun breathed, running a hand along Takeshi's spine.

Nothing? How could he- He just did _everything_ wrong!

"No, no, I did a lot of things wrong." The Rain disagreed, trying to wrestle his way out of the unworthy embrace.

"I didn't listen to you and tried to force you into something you didn't want! How could any of that be right?"

"Hey, hey," Daiki called, squeezing the younger's shoulders before making him look up. "I decide whether what you are doing to me is right or wrong. And I know you weren't meaning to scare me like that."

Takeshi looked down at that, wincing as fingers skimmed along his jaw comfortingly. A warm hand settled on the back of his neck and pulled him forwards, reintroducing him to the strong hold of his fiancé.

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to do any of that." The Rain gritted, pressing his face into the other's shoulder before wrapping his own arms around the broader frame.

"I know, love. I'm sorry, too."

The young Yamamoto jumped at that, his head coming to look up in shock at the apology.

"What're- Why are you apologising!?"

"Cause I understand where you're coming from." Daiki explained, giving an almost sad smile to the smaller lover. "You want to see me, unhindered, like I have you. It's a completely normal request, and with a justified backing. It's just…"

Daiki let out a long sigh, looking away for a moment.

"I'm sorry that I took something from you that I can't return. It was unfair of me."

"No!" Takeshi yelped, scrambling to throw his arms around the taller's neck and drag him down to an equal height. "No, no! Don't apologise for that! It wasn't unfair!"

"But-"

"Nope!" A hand was slapped over Daiki's lips to seal his sentence, the Rain narrowing his eyes up at him. "No apology!"

"I really liked what you did, so no apologising." Takeshi huffed, before smiling at the faint flush that dusted the older's cheeks.

"I decide whether what you do to me is wrong or not, and I say what you did was completely right, shujin-kun."

He felt the other smile softly against his palm, a warm gust of air coming as he relaxed.

A hand came off the young Yamamoto's waist to grasp the hand covering his mouth, the Rain's eyes widening as he felt the lips move and mould to kiss his palm. The warm grip kept Takeshi anchored as a hot, wet feeling replaced the lips, mocha orbs jumping to hooded amber-earth, sparks of playfulness in them making him stand slack-jawed. There was a gentle prodding at the seams of his fingers, before Daiki's pink muscle slid into the open, saliva slicking the long fingers surrounding it.

Takeshi stood frozen as he watched the lazy movement of the gleaming tongue, hot exhales fanning his hand. Daiki seemed to be completely at ease with the happenings, looming over the small boy slightly, as the other hand he had stationed on the Rain's waist pulled him forwards. The Sun tilted his head and moved downwards at the approach, carefully tracing the seam of the Rain's lips when he was close enough. The young Yamamoto opened his mouth instinctively, pressing forwards and capturing the muscle with his own, sealing his lips against the back of his hand. Tongues tangled and slid across each other between the small space allowed by Takeshi's fingers, wet sounds reaching their ears as they enjoyed each other. Though the young Rain tried to move his hand, wanting more contact with the older boy, the vice grip on his wrist kept it still, a huff of annoyance brushing over the barrier and making Daiki laugh into the hindered kiss.

The Sun pulled back after a few more moments, a silvery string still holding their connection as the muscle dangled teasingly. Amber-earth smiled down at him infectiously, a tilt coming to Takeshi's lips even as he panted, hand falling away and tongue still lolling out slightly.

"Do you want to try again, love?" Daiki asked, his thumb coming to clean a bit of loose saliva from the dazed Rain.

"Try again?" Takeshi breathed, not quite caught up with the situation.

The Yamaguchi boy gave a low chuckle before gently directing his lover to sit on the edge of the bed, a hand carding through short, black hairs and making the smaller croon at the sensation.

"I have my limits, but I'll walk the line for you, shujin-kun." He hummed, before drawing back to stand straight.

Takeshi's eyes widened as Daiki's thumb slipped under the loose pants that clung to the elder's hips, a deep breath reaching younger ears, before they were dragged downwards. The Rain's arms twitched but remained anchored at his sides, not daring to disturb the brittle concentration that took the Sun's mind as he slowly worked his way out of the garb. Daiki gave a shaky breath as he stepped out of the pool of greyish material, kicking it off to the side as if to stop himself from making a grab for it, leaving the dark skinned teen in his black boxers and shirts.

The young Yamamoto swallowed thickly as he let his eyes trace the long limbs, watching the way solid calves twitched as if preparing to run or leap away, only to instead step forwards. A tanned hand reached out for Takeshi to take, the younger wasting no time to accept the invitation, his fingers interwoven immediately. Mocha eyes looked up to amber-earth, a small, encouraging smile there to greet him, before his hand was led to the side of Daiki's thigh.

The young swordsman breathed in awe at the warm skin that met his palm, but didn't dare to move his hand beyond where it was placed. Daiki gently placed his hand over the smaller one and drew it up, keeping it pressed against him until the loose material of his boxers were pushed up on one side.

"Can you...Keep your hand there?" He breathed, a red hue on the rise of his cheeks.

Takeshi nodded obediently, his thumb rubbing circles on the jut of a hidden hip bone. He felt a little more give under the tips of his fingers, and a rush came to his blood as he realised what was so soft, a hue taking his face as he exhaled heavily.

The older spouse carefully removed his forearm guards, the metal catching the lights as it was cast aside, soft thuds sounding. Dark hands hooked under his shirt, and it rose off him, revealing the white underlayer beneath. Daiki tossed the layer to the side before teasing the edge of the second, his teeth gritting as he sighed irritably, a defeated look coming to his face.

"It's okay," Takeshi breathed, seeing the sign of a struggle. "This is more than I thought you would give me."

"No, no," Daiki grunted, shaking his head. "I can go a bit further...but I can't take my shirt off fully."

"I'm sorry, love." He sighed.

"Hey," The Rain smiled. "What did I say about apologising?"

Takeshi let his eyes trail before they soaked up the intricate irezumi that stained the left arm, his fingers coming to trace the shrieking phoenix. The Sun watched him for a moment before reflecting the smile, and grabbing the edge of his white shirt. The layer rose carefully, before coming to a halt just below his sternum. Daiki allowed his partner a few moments to take in the plains of dark skin, lamplight casting the form in a warm, orange glow, before taking the unoccupied hand of the Rain and guiding it to press against his stomach.

Takeshi felt the muscles lurch at the sudden touch, like they did before, but this time, he could see the almost rippling motion that shook the wall of flesh. Just like before, the young boy only let his hands move as instructed, allowing his fingers and palms to feel out the heated grooves and flats of Daiki's abdomen, quiet, enthralled sighs escaping the Guardian. He licked his lips after a few moments of thought, before glancing up at the older boy, a quick nod giving him the go-ahead to do as he pleased within the boundaries they had set.

Daiki sucked in a sharp breath as the Rain pressed a slow kiss to the cleft of his abs, the smaller teen enjoying the heat that radiated off the taller body. A heavy scent filled his nose, and he couldn't say he disliked it, recognising it easily and the fire it stoked in his belly. Takeshi hummed into the warm skin, hands still covering his own as he took his time to memorise the statuesque body, not knowing the next time he would be graced by the sight.

"I..." Daiki started, before trailing off, an airy breath falling from him as another kiss was dropped on his stomach.

"Hm?" The young Yamamoto hummed, laying his lips in the dip of Daiki's hips, most of it disappearing into his dark boxers.

"I want to see you too, please."

Takeshi looked up at that, a thrilled smile stretching across his face at the request. Daiki wanted to see him! He found him desirable!

A quick kiss was planted on the older's dark skin before the Rain pulled back, retrieving his hands and grinning up his fiancé. Getting to his feet, he opened his arm and nodded at the Sun, making amber-earth widen at the implication.

"You want me to..."

"Mhm!" He grinned, a faint hue taking his cheeks as he smiled widely, unabashed.

Daiki looked at the boy with a sort of cautious awe, his shirt almost falling back down if Takeshi hadn't been quick to catch it, not wanting the body hidden again, not while he had the permission to behold it. The older Yamaguchi reached out carefully after a moment, his hands falling to Takeshi's hips in quiet appraisal. Glancing to mocha, the Sun waited for a final nod before giving gentle tugs to the loose pants that already hung low, the garb slipping off with minimal effort on either's part.

The Rain stepped out and kicked away the clothing, before looking back to his partner with enthusiastic attention as he watched the other gaze at his legs, a hand coming to graze the skin that was stretched over an athlete's muscle. Daiki took his time praising the long limbs, learning how they tensed and knocked as he moved his hand around, before delving his hand into the sleeve of the striped boxers. The young Yamamoto hummed lowly as he felt a thumb press into the hollow of his hip, his eyes going to the expression of wonder on the other's face.

It felt good to know that, even after being on exhibition, Daiki still found him so amazing. The fact that the Sun would always take his time to remember everything about the smaller boy when they did something like this, however, the awe he showed never seemed to dampen over the turns.

"C'mon Daiki-kun." Takeshi sighed, tugging at his shirt to make a point.

The other boy blinked down at him for a moment, before giving a smile and obeying the push. With one hand stationed on the sharp hip, Daiki let his other hand rise to the occasion, fingers slipping under the Rain's night shirt and dragging it up. The older boy drew it to what he believed to be the beginnings of his sternum before pausing, a low breath leaving him as he observed the rise and fall of the paler stomach, taut with muscle.

"Keep going."

Daiki jumped and looked to his fiancé at the command.

"But my shirt isn't any higher than-"

"You have your limits, I have mine, Daiki-kun." The swordsman cut off, rubbing circles into the other's hip. "We're playing to our own lines, let me walk mine too."

The Yamaguchi boy watched his partner for any hesitation, before giving a slow nod. The shirt was drawn the rest of the way, Takeshi raising his arms to help it off. Daiki disposed the cloth in the pile where the rest laid, before letting his hand skim along tanned skin, his cool palm pressing into Takeshi's warm core and making him tense and squirm.

"Gah, your hands are so cold." He grumbled but made no move away, pressing forwards if anything.

"Sorry, love." Daiki apologised, distracted.

Takeshi took no offence to the lack of attention, a smile coming to his face as he laid his hands on the body across from him, letting them roam with a renewed vigour, but being mindful of the limits that Daiki had set before. A hum broke from the young Yamamoto as he watched his spouse lean forwards and lay a soft kiss on the tender flesh of his scar, the action almost apologetic in nature.

He felt the cooled palm of the other feel the muscled expanse of his back, large hand splayed full to take in as much as possible. It made him hum and his skin pebble as it dipped under his arm and came back to the front, Daiki's lips never leaving the marr of his shoulder.

A sudden tingle made the Rain inhale sharply, his eyes widening as he watched the older boy pull his hand away quickly.

"Sorry! I didn't think it would be so sensitive."

"Did you just touch my-"

"Don't say it!" Daiki yelped, making Takeshi's eyes widen for a moment, before a devious grin took his face.

"N-"

"No! Nope, cease!" The Sun shouted, covering his ears.

The swordsman reached out and tried to pry his ears open, singing the word repeatedly as he laughed at the state of his embarrassed spouse. His evil chanting was cut off suddenly as his sides were grabbed and he was pushed back into the bedding, his Daiki looming over him with a friendly glare, paired with a smile.

"Bad Takeshi-kun." He scolded, sitting himself on the other's lap and helping the smaller sit up, hands positioning themselves on his hips.

"How am I the bad one?" Takeshi laughed, looking up at Daiki. "You're the one who touched my-"

"Noooo!" The Sun hushed loudly, wrestling his grip off before assaulting the Rain's sides with his fingers, shrieks of laughter leaving the pinned boy.

"Hahahahah! Daiki-kun, sto-o-o-op!"

"Not until you agree to hush!" He shot back, running his fingers into every sensitive crook he knew.

"No, you must know what you did!" Takeshi squealed, his cheeks beginning to hurt from the grin.

Daiki huffed at that, before reaching behind him and snagging ahold of one of the teen's flailing feet, a gasp of panic leaving the Rain before peals of laughter filled the room.

"I know what I did!"

"Then tell me what you did!" The Rain grinned, loving the way Daiki's face bloomed a fine red.

"No, hush!" He spluttered, returning to assaulting the smaller boy by running his fingertips into the sole of his foot.

Takeshi flailed and gave shrieked laughter as he tried to take back his foot, dropping pathetic thumps on his husband's chest. Daiki merely grinned down at him before lurching forwards and sealing their lips together. Smiles pressed against each other as Takeshi's giggles were muffled and broke with a pleased groan. The older boy hummed and moved to kiss his cheeks and neck, a hand gracing along the flats of the Rain's stomach.

The swordsman smiled and wrapped his arms around his spouse, a hand grasping the material of the white shirt. His smile turned malicious when he noticed his Daiki distracted by the task of worshipping his shoulder, giving him time to lean forwards to the other's ear.

 _"Nipple~!"_

A cackle broke from the Rain as a squeal left the older boy and he jolted up, face aflame.

 _"Yamamoto Takeshi!"_ He roared, pinching the smaller's sides.

"You're blushing! You're blushing!"

"Be quiet!" Daiki snapped without malice, smiling despite himself at the glee expressed by the boy under him.

"Nipple! Nipple!"

"What are you? Eight?!" He continued, whacking the Rain Guardian with his pillow.

"Nipple~! Ni-"

"If you keep yelling that, I'll bite yours off! You want that?" Daiki threatened, landing another blow with the cotton casing, laughter sounding between the soft thwacks.

"You can try, I wouldn't mind, shujin-kun." Takeshi grinned, pushing his chest up cockily.

Daiki narrowed his eyes at the pinned boy and smiled, the lineup of sharp calcium on display, making the Rain shudder involuntarily.

"Are you tempting my teeth, love?"

"Maybe." He shot back, not allowing himself to be cowed by the wolfish grin.

"Hm," Daiki hummed, lowering himself to hover dangerously close. "Well, since this little raindrop is so courageous, I'll be nice."

Takeshi inhaled sharply and clutched at the back of the head of blue as a tingle shot through his chest, warm pressure making him squirm and cling to his partner. Low laughs vibrated along his skin as his Daiki watched him from below, a strong suck making the teen grab at the material of the undershirt.

"Ow!" He yelped suddenly, looking down to see his skin stretching, the reddened bud caught between white teeth.

Takeshi watched in a sort of enthralled trance as Daiki released his captive before soothing out the abuse with gentle strokes of his tongue, a kiss following. The Sun dropped finally, their bellies pressed together, and smile up at his spouse, a sigh coming as the young Yamamoto carded his scalp.

The Rain pouted at the harsh treatment, but couldn't find it in himself to complain, a hue touching his own cheeks as he remembered the electric shock that jumped along his skin when Daiki's teeth entered the play. Instead, he teetered them until they rolled into their collective side, a sound of surprise leaving the elder as he clung to the smaller frame, an _'oomph'_ coming afterwards.

"Time to sleep?" Daiki asked, getting a nod in reply.

The Sun sat up slightly and shuffled forwards, giving a breath as their cores came to be pressed flush, Takeshi laying his head on the open arm. The young Yamamoto reached under the sheets and drew his hand up the length of the taller's leg, pulling it up to hook it over his hip, humming at the weight and warmth that shrouded him.

"I'm happy that you showed me so much, shujin-kun." Takeshi smiled, running his hands along the thigh.

"I'm sorry that you couldn't see more, like you showed me."

The Rain frowned warningly, before sighing and replacing his smile, shaking his head at his partner.

"Daiki-kun, can I ask, why are you so against showing people your body? From what I've seen, it's pretty damn good looking." He asked, a snorted laughter his response.

"What?! You are!" He defended, squeezing a swell of abdominal muscle to prove his point.

"Okay, okay." The Sun sighed, before mellowing slightly, running his hand along the skin of the Rain's arm.

"I can't show you cause...Well, there's nothing _wrong_ with me, per say. But...You might not like what you see if I were to expose myself to you. Or _anyone_ , really."

"Why wouldn't I?" Takeshi pressed, not understanding how that was a possibility.

"Well, it's just cause...Takeshi-kun," He started, sitting up suddenly. "Takeshi-kun, I'm a- I'm a f-"

"If you say you're a fucking mess, I _will_ hit you."

Daiki looked at him for a moment, before sighing. A small smile came to his face as he shook his head, a hollow laugh rumbling his chest.

"Okay." He chuckled, before laying down again, opening his arms for his fiancé to enter.

When Takeshi was back in his embrace, he allowed for the Rain to grab his thigh again and hike it over his hip like before, burrowing deeper into the Sun's front happily, a hand squirming under the larger frame to wrap around the bare waist from both sides.

"I like how you immediately jumped to 'fucking mess'." The young Yamaguchi huffed.

"Am I wrong, though?" The smaller fiancé asked, a roguish smile taking his face as a kiss was pressed to his cheek.

"Hey!" Daiki scoffed, pinching the other cheek as he snickered.

The two pinched and poked each other playfully, resulting in Takeshi curling up in defence as the older boy dug his fingers into sensitive sides, squeals muffled by sheets and pillows.

"You can't run away, dearest. You've trapped yourself." The Sun chuckled, wrapping his arms tighter and using his leg to drag the body closer, a faint giggle coming from the smaller as he latched on.

Daiki smiled and reached for the lamp, clicking it off and dousing the room in darkness, soft breaths and the occasional laugh being what was left.

"Soon, love," Daiki cooed, pressing their warm cores closer and making the smaller croon. "You'll see me as I am."

"I can't wait."

 **|Y.T|**


	32. Chapter 32

**Word Count: 10,921**

* * *

I hummed to myself sleepily as I pulled myself from my bed, alarm blaring in my ears and dragging any chance of sleep from my system. Lambo stirred in the corner of the room but didn't quite wake as I silenced my phone, Mephisto rolling onto his back and splaying out in the new quiet.

"Time to get up, time to get up." I sighed, rising from the bed and stretching myself out.

Feeling my spine creak and crack as joints popped and refit, I allowed my feet to carry me over to the closet, quick to clothe myself in presentable gear and prepare for the first shift at the bakery. I yawned into my hand and pulled on my apron, stepping into the bakery's kitchen and immediately becoming aware of my mother just across the room.

"Morning, kaa-san."

"Mh."

Pressing my lips together, I nodded in acceptance of the situation before getting to work, sleeves at my elbows and hands becoming caked in a layer of flour. Digging the heels of my hands onto the thick wad of dough, I attempted to concentrate all my attention on the task, focus on only making it right-

A plate was put down heavily across the kitchen.

-But always found myself jumping to look out for Kaede, any of her actions setting me on edge. My teeth dug into each other as I moved about, quickly completing another batch before shoving it into the oven alongside its likeness.

I didn't know for how long my mother was going to keep this up, it could be only for a couple hours, or extend to days. This was my highest rebellion to date, to talk back to her and tell her off- in front of another to boot. Her reaction was fueled by both humiliation and worry, something I could sympathise with.

"Do the first shift." Kaede ordered, before walking out of the bakery, leaving me to dry my hands on a teatowel and open up shop.

The hushed silence of the morning did little to sooth my nerves, tension only seeping out of my shoulders when water rattled through the pipes of the building and showed that the woman was showering her labours away. I let out a long whoosh of air, body slumping as I unlocked the door and flipped the sign. My fingers found the lightswitch faster than my mind provided the location, already knowing the layout of the place off by heart.

That, however, never stopped me from clipping my hip on the side of the counter once every other month.

Rolling my sleeves back to my elbows, I quickly straightened the store out before returning to my post behind the counter and leaning my weight on it. A yawn made my chest expand, hand coming over to hide the gaping nature of my mouth before I closed my eyes, dozing off in the upright position.

…

"You're so dumb."

"Hey!" Ryohei whined, offence clear on his face as he shoved me. "I didn't expect it to happen, okay?"

"You mean to tell me," I said slowly, looking at him with raised eyebrows and narrowed eyes. "That you _didn't_ expect the geese to chase you after you tried to grab one of the chicks."

He thinned his lips and didn't offer a response, sinking into his chair as I intensified my expression. A small huff left him after a moment, his arms coming to cross as he pouted off to the side.

Leaning back in my chair, I rested my ankle on the opposite knee, careful of thunking the underside of my desk as I made myself comfortable with the victory.

"I reiterate: You're dumb, my brother."

"And you're mean." He sniffed, still refusing to meet my eye.

"I am factual." I shot back, before slinging my arm over his shoulder and pulling him back to lean against me.

Ryohei pressed his pout to become more prominent but didn't fight the one-armed embrace, his head dropping onto my collar as I used my free hand to continue sketching out the equations from the blackboard. I cussed low as I screwed up the spelling of a word, scrubbing it out of existence with an eraser quickly before carrying on.

"You smell like chocolate."

" _Wowza megowza._ " I muttered sarcastically.

" _Wowza megowza?"_ He asked, cramping his tongue on the English variant of a garble. "What the hell does that even mean?"

"I'm just being weird again."

Earthy eyes narrowed at me in suspicion even as he lowered his head back onto my shoulder, knowing full well the amount of times I had used my fluency of the other language to say things that flew over his head.

Another curse left me as I stumbled my pen, eraser in hand as I muttered annoyance into the ear of the Sun.

"I can't bloody spell today."

"Neither, bro." He laughed.

…

Ryohei and I shuffled into school with dramatic hesitance, both of us tired in the new morning. I grumbled as he nudged me, a snicker falling off his lips when I slapped his hand away with a huff.

"Hey, there's a movie coming out this weekend, Voltage, you wanna go? It looks good."

"Nah, sorry mate." I sighed, bumping my shoulder with his when he pouted. "I need to help out in the bakery for a while. I've been going out a lot recently, I should really just stay home for w while."

"Fiiine." My brother whined, looping his arm with mine and tugging me to our class.

"Why are we linking arms?" I asked with a laugh, trying to keep the stairs my ally instead of my enemy.

"Because we're manly men who link arms, holds hands and share food as bros."

"Of course we are."

 **...**

My book rested open on my face as I laid out on the roof of the school, the low murmur of student milling around on the levels as the break brought about an escape for restlessness. The midday sun provided me some solace from the deepening winter, and allowed my mind a bit of rest.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ryohei asked, dropping down next to me, his hands behind his head.

"Yeah," I sighed, feeling him come up against me. "Just a bit tired. Didn't get much sleep last night."

"Mm, I thought so." He hummed, lowering his voice as if to not aggravate my ears.

I blinked behind the pages as hands carefully lifted my head off the ground before it was cushioned by a familiar shoulder. The book was taken from my face and a jacket was tossed over instead, the light, soft material much more comfortable than the weight and sharpness of the hardback.

"Do you wanna nap until class? You have a good half an hour."

"Yeah, thanks." I muttered, burrowing a bit further and draping my arm over his chest. "I have some sausages in my lunchbox if you wanna eat some, I've had my fill."

"Haha, thanks!"

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Yamamoto and Gokudera were fighting again- well, more like: Gokudera was trying to fight with Yamamoto, who in turn just laughed.

"Dumb baseball freak! Don't be so informal with the Tenth!" He snapped, seeing the arm slung over the Sky's shoulder.

The normality of it all, the way they had fallen right back into routine despite the numerous near death experiences that had befallen them only nights before, made the small boy laugh, his smile on full brightness as he listened to the familiar chaos of his friends.

"Eh? Tsuna-san doesn't seem to mind, look, he's smiling!"

"Only because the Boss is too kind to _plebeians!"_

"What does that mean?" Tsuna asked, surprised by the sudden word, causing another laugh to bubble from the Rain.

"Haha, I know that word! Shujin-kun uses it sometimes!" He hummed, "Plebeians means 'someone of lower social class'. Well, that's what he said, then he went on a long rant about the history of it. I got kinda lost by 'patricians'."

" _Speaking of-"_

"Reborn!" The Sky yelped, young hitman appearing from beneath the desk.

"Yamamoto-san," He continued, completely uncaring for the near cardiac arrest he caused for the Vongola Heir. "I have been told of a certain way of communication you share with Yamaguchi-san. Could you tell me more about it?"

This made the Mafia trio blink in surprise, Tsuna having no idea what was going on and feeling even further out of the loop as both his Storm and Rain perked in understanding.

"Oh! You mean that cool thing when Daiki-kun talks to me in my head?"

"Talks to you in your head?" The Italian teen scoffed, "You're going insane and the voice you choose to fuck you over is that bastards?"

"I mean, well-" Yamamoto hummed, tilting his head.

"I _don't_ want to _know_." Gokudera hissed, provoking an embarrassingly slow realisation to bloom forth from the dark depths of Tsuna's mind.

"Oh- _oh._ Oh, God."

"Haha, come on Tsuna-san, don't look at me like that!" He cracked, but took his arm off the Sky and faced attention to the patiently waiting Arcobaleno Sun.

"Daiki-kun does it with Ryohei-kun too, but Ryohei-kun doesn't seem to realise it. I'm not all that clear with it, but I can guess that it's got at least something to do with our Flames." The Rain admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

Despite how absolutely lost Tsuna was, he found himself invested in the conversation. The topic of fantastical abilities interesting him- if you put aside the growing mundanity of his own spontaneous fire.

"You and him share a connection, however, yes? How do you do it- or does Yamaguchi-san make first contact every time?" The baby pressed.

"For us, he was the one who...opened, I suppose, the connection. I just follow the signals back, like tracing steps." Yamamoto explained, humming in thought. "It's kind of hard, actually, but I have to think about Daiki-kun in order to get it through, otherwise it kind of just ' _peew!_ ' bounces off."

"Really now? And do you think he can do this with anyone?" Reborn asked, a gleam coming to his eye.

A shiver ran up the Sky's spine, a wash of familiar dread coming as he watched the devilish ideas unfurling in the little man's head, already sensing the impending torture that would befall him and the little party he had collected over the years.

"I dunno...We should ask him! Let's go!" He laughed, getting to his feet, giddy at the idea of an excuse to see his fiancé during the grey time of school.

"But we don't know where he is!" Tsuna yelped, just ass Gokudera shoved his chair back and stabbed his hands into his pockets.

"Ah," The Rain breathed, before regaining his enthusiasm. "I'll ask!"

Yamamoto took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, face falling into a soft one of concentration. His lips tilted at the corners, a sign that he was fishing out memories of his other in order to create a foundation for their connection, before perking, a full grin showing his teeth. Eventually, the Rain opened his eyes, and both Gokudera and the Sky jumped, looking to each other for confirmation.

"Hey guys, what's up?" The swordsman laughed, looking between them.

"We could have sworn..."

"Your eyes were glowing, baseball freak!" Gokudera spat out, looking frazzled. "The hell?!"

"Oh! Really!? That's so cool!" He laughed, before stretching out and throwing his thumb over his shoulder. "Daiki-kun's up on the roof with Ryohei-kun, I think he might be tired."

"Huh, how do you know that?" Tsuna asked, standing up and following his Guardians out of the classroom.

"So," Gokudera spoke, the four of them ascending the stairs to the third level, Reborn perched atop the Rain's shoulder. "About the eye glowy thingy."

"I don't really know, but Daiki-kun's eyes glow too when he uses the connection to show up."

"Show up?" Tsuna reiterated, pinching his brow.

"Yeah! He just sort of blinks into existence. I've tried, but I can only do it when I _really_ try."

"Has he done it during class?" Reborn asked, obviously taking notes.

"Yeah, on Monday, he got me in trouble." Yamamoto huffed, crossing his arms.

"How come we didn't see him?" Gokudera questioned, the next in the line of questions.

"Uh..It's like he's tapping into my senses specifically, so I'm the only one able to make the image...You know what, I think Daiki-kun's gonna be better at explaining." He laughed meekly, before prancing up the final steps to the roof and pushing the door open with flourish.

" _Shujin-kun~!"_

 **|S.T|**

* * *

"Careful, Takeshi-kun, bro's tired." Ryohei hushed my excitable other as he called out his affectionate title in delight.

"Oh, I thought so, he felt kind of woozy." Takeshi hummed, feet coming to a stop beside me. "Daiki-kun, do you wanna cuddle with me?"

I sighed as I woke myself up, moving to sit as I felt arms come around me and pull me back against a familiar chest, allowing me to lean my weight on it, a nose buried into my crown and wafting warm breath on my scalp. Long legs bracketed mine as the Rain nuzzled the corner of my jaw, cooing little notes at me as I blinked blearily at the light I had been shielded from prior.

"Oh, it's you lot." I yawned, settling against Takeshi's chest contently, feeling a constant rhythm against my back. "I knew you were coming, didn't think you'd take so long."

Ryohei sat up and crossed his legs, eagerly rooting through my bag until he found my lunch box and began chewing through the container of sausages, toothpick his weapon against the meat. He shovelled on over as I held my hand out to him, inviting him to close the new distance and just link our hands together as he snacked away. I didn't miss the odd look both Gokudera and Tsuna threw the connection, but didn't address it.

Yes, I hold my friends' hands. Your point being?

"So, what new calamity have you brought about our lovely little hellmouth, boys?" I asked, tapping my stomach with my free hand.

"Be nice, shujin-kun." Takeshi chided gently, getting a huff out of me.

"I _am_ nice." I defended, reaching up with my hand and carefully following the structure of his jaw. "Just sparingly."

He gave a cheery, tinkling laugh that brought a smile from me, the hand on his chin getting caught and kissed.

"We- We were wondering if you could explain the Flame..talking... _thing._ " Tsuna spoke, trailing off as if he were unsure of just what to call it.

"Oh? And how did you learn of that?" I hummed, sending a glance between Takeshi and Reborn.

"Haha, I told them a bit. And Gokudera-kun was there when you I were talking." My fiancé admitted sheepishly.

"Did you now?" I sighed, "What do you want to know then? How much of my guts do you want me to spill this time?"

This made Tsuna blink, the almost grating, annoyed tone that left me making his mind flash back to months ago.

"You're being very easy today, what's the occasion?" Gokudera scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I hardly want any of you going after my mother for such a petty reason, ey? What's a bit of my secrets compared to her life." I shrugged, easy going appearance juxtaposing the awkward tension that settled in the Sky's spine.

"U-uh..." The small Heir started, only for Reborn to land a solid strike to his skull.

"Good to see you cooperating at last, Yamaguchi-san."

"Ooh, close." I laughed, "But I believe the term is 'coercion'."

The faintest twitch came to the corner of the hitman's lip, unsure if it was amusement of aggravation on his part, but swiftly disregarded. Looking to the young Sky, I inclined my head for him to begin, Takeshi reaching over my shoulder to play with my ring lazily. When his tanned cheek came into proximity, I reared my head back and planted a kiss on his cheek, getting a soft giggle out of him that reverberated in my ears.

"So, ah, the thin- What do you call it?" The little fishy asked, jostling his eyes away from the affection.

"I don't really have a name for it, either of them, really. I just use them." I answered, spurring him on.

"Okay, you said 'either', can you tell us about them?"

"Sit, sit." I urged, patting the sun warm concrete. "This may take a while."

The two Mafia slowly got to their asses, both very interested, if the way they focused rapt eyes on me even as they moved, said anything.

"So, first off, let's talk about the connection-talky-thing, shall we? It seems to be the most pressing matter." I hummed. "Ah, no, wait. You'll get confused if I do that."

"How?" Gokudera asked, furrowing his brow.

"Because our perspectives are different." I answered bringing a knuckle to my lip in thought.

"Perspectives?" Tsuna blinked, looking to Reborn, who had been quiet since.

"It is my understanding, that we have a very different perspective of the Dying Will Flames. We view them as different things, and thus use them differently. Think of it like this-"

I sat up slightly and reached for my bag, rooting through and pushing papers out of the way until I found a hefty book, girthy with pages upon pages of mind-numbing words. Flipping it open, I hummed to myself as classical works of art flashed through, history and context coming and going until I landed on the one I was after.

"This work of art is called the _Mona Lisa_. There is a lot of mystery surrounding the work as no one knows its intention or inspiration, all we have is our own understanding of it. Everyone has a different idea, because our perspective are different."

Lifting my finger off the copy of the cracked and imperfect paint, I moved it to point at the Sky.

"You, Sawada-san, what do you think this painting portrays simply by looking at it?"

The boy took it out of my hands carefully, looking it over as the Storm peered from his shoulder. A certain thing went off in my mind, watching them listen and actually think about what I was telling them, engaging in the conversation, rather than just accepting answers as they came.

"She's...She's happy... But she's not? Her smile doesn't really go to her eyes."

"But what about the path behind her? The mountain range? The mists? The shadows around her eyes?" I gently shot back, making the two blink before looking again. "That's the thing, you see one thing, notice one thing- whereas I see another. All this, however, we are both looking at the same picture."

"We are both looking at Flames, yet I see a different part of them. A different _perspective._ Because of that, I use them differently. I have an alternate artillery. Flames are a special thing, they mould and shift to fit their host, they have a hand for every round, it just depends on how you play them."

Takeshi shifted behind me, he too paying close attention to my words, having stopped his fiddling to cast all focus. Ryohei had paused his chewing too, and though I doubt he would remember much by the end of it all, the fact that he had chosen to try made me squeeze his hand.

"It's..hard to explain. It really is, since Flames are unique to all and very much against all conceived natural law." I sighed, closing my eyes. "However, my perspective allows me to see another view. My perspective allows me to see the students downstairs, the brawl happening out on the back strip, Hibari-san going to break it up. I am able to see Shamal-sensei sleeping on the job, too."

"How?!" Tsuna yelped, Flames rippling in surprise.

"I am also able to see you all, and all of your emotive little Flames. Gokudera-san, your Flame is halfway between telling me to 'fuck off' and dowsing me with holy water." I laughed, cracking an eye open.

"Ah, fuck you're a creepy bastard now too!" He hissed, bristling visibly.

A chuckle escaped me at that, before I smiled a bit at the startled boys surrounding me.

"Because I am able to construct a visible version of your Flames, dormant or not, I find it much easier to conjure my own or, as I have been, tapping into yours."

Holding my hand out, I let a buzz of light come, the faintest of glows coming to the tips of my fingers, barely visible in the daylight.

"Flames give off frequencies, and in those frequencies, are layers upon layers of emotion. If you can read the patterns, you can decipher the emotion being projected. Now, I'm not saying I know when someone's lying or not, but I know when someone's feeling a certain way."

"Okay, but what about the talking bit? You still haven't explained that yet." Gokudera pressed, very much invested, writing down his finding in the pictographic code of his.

"It's coming, it's coming." I hushed, "Because my Flames seem to translate these frequencies and emotions, I am able to understand these, and as a result am able to reverse-engineer them, and send it back."

The words kept flowing, long and detailed as I tried to convey how my inner mechanisms worked to outsiders. They looked doubtful sometimes, and even lost, but they never stopped me to dismiss me as a liar, only asking for more. More knowledge, more understanding, more of mine. When I was spent, I let them settle, let them take it in and try to piece together the parts I had given them.

"This connection," Reborn started, the first in a while. "Could you do it with anyone?"

"I could try," I hummed, looking at the three unlinked. "I've only forged two real bonds so far."

"Two?" Takeshi blinked, trying to count the people. "Who's the other?"

"Xanxus-san."

…

A muffled yelp left me as a familiar mouth sealed over mine, Takeshi's Flame purposefully coming up against mine in ripples of agitation and displeasure.

Jesus Christ, I teach them about alternative ways to use their Will and this is what he uses them for.

Fingers dug into the planes of my stomach and dragged up the front of my shirt, my own hands busied with the struggle to unlatch the younger boy's mouth from mine as he ploughed on, not letting me breathe because, oh God, he wasn't letting up.

' _Him! Him!? Why do you share a Forge with him!?'_

' _Forge? Is that what we're going to call it?'_ I asked distractedly as I tugged at his hair, trying to get air into my lungs. ' _Can't breathe, can't breathe, love!'_

The faint sounds of the others being slightly worried and slightly grossed out reached my ears even as my lips were pried open, allowing the other entry and a loud gasp for air taken, shallow and brisk. My struggle only seemed to make him more adamant to plunder, so I changed tactics, unbunching my hand in his hair and slowly reciprocating, his kiss becoming softer as the fight tapered off. I hummed up into him and curled myself in his lap, fitting well as he bowed over me to press closer.

' _Takeshi-kun, calm down. Calm down.'_ I soothed, gently carding his locks as his arm curled around me. ' _Good boy.'_

The Rain jolted suddenly, our lips disconnecting at the jarred movement. He stared down at me with a way too red a hue, his previous eagerness cowed to a shy splutter.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Y-You..uh.." He wheezed, face on fire as he failed to make eye contact.

Thinking over what I had said, I paused before letting a smile come to my lips. Reaching up, I pulled his head down until I could talk directly into his ear, breath wafting off the shell and causing his muscles to tense.

"Do you like it when I call you a good boy?"

A sound that was a mixture of a mewl and a yelp escaped him as he gripped my wrists, my smile become toothy and dangerous with a new weapon in my arsenal.

"Yamaguchi-san." Reborn called, making me pull away from my partner, a wave of disappointment coming to mingle between us.

"Yes, yes, let's get to it. So, who wants to Forge first?"

"Forge? I thought there wasn't a name." Tsuna blinked.

"Takeshi-kun just named it. He's actually quite good at naming things that aren't his own." I nodded, getting an indignant huff from my husband. "Deal with the truth, my dearest."

"I'll go first." Gokudera huffed, crossing his arms. "If he fucks up, I can't let the Tenth get hurt."

I twitched my eyebrow at him in offence but nodded.

"I'll try my best to open a Forge with you, try not to fight it off. It may feel a bit weird." I breathed, before relaxing against my partner and closing my eyes.

The red Flame stood against the black surroundings, flickering in both interest and a healthy amount of concern. I stepped towards it, making myself known with little ripples of greeting. It wavered, a slight noise reaching my ears from its host, before settling and allowing me to come closer.

Gently and carefully, I began to tap at it, melding and moulding a bridge between us, sending little washes of encouragement and instruction. Gokudera was careful, a bit tepid at the new experience, but curiosity took over and he allowed to me open that little crack, just enough to shout through.

' _Hello, Gokudera-san. Can you hear me?'_

"Holy-" He jumped, making me open my eyes.

His hands were cupped over his ears, and his eyes were wide in shock. His lips, however, were pulled into a grin, interest and his desire for knowledge sparkling in his eyes as he looked to the Sky.

"I could hear him! That was so bloody weird!"

"Really?" Tsuna breathed, "That's amazing, Gokudera-kun."

"Now try to talk back. Open the connection yourself." I instructed, enjoying the hands that settled on my stomach, warming my core through the material. "The Forge it there, all you have to do is pry it open."

He frowned and nodded, determined to completely master this new skill he had. Just like the genius he was. The Storm tapped around my sunshine fire carefully, trying to find the opening without burning himself. It took a bit of nudging and slow navigating, but eventually, he managed to find me and call through the Forge.

' _Hello?'_

' _There we go,'_ I sighed, opening my eyes and nodding at the boy. "Not too hard, ey?"

He huffed. "If you can do it, there's no reason I couldn't."

"Fair enough," I shrugged.

As they celebrated their little victory, I couldn't help but go over the feeling of our Forge, running it over in my mind and humming in interest when I found it so… _different_ compared to the ones I shared with Takeshi or Xanxus. This lead me to warm up next to the Rain, sparking our connection. He rippled a bit, both in form and in Flame, but welcomed me in as always, going as far as tracing a pattern around my navel with his thumb through my shirt.

Different again.

Not entirely so, they all felt weightless, the barely resistant buffer of walking through ash. It was...the _grip._ The intensity, the intimacy of the Forge that was different.

I needed to make sure, try with another and see if this continued.

It was then I turned my attention on Tsuna, the boy fidgeting in a kind of excitement-nervous cocktail. Raising my eyebrow at him, he withered a bit before stepping up to the plate.

"Okay, again, may feel odd, but just try and go with it."

"Mhm." He nodded.

Closing my eyes, I found him again and, immediately, I knew this was going to be difficult. Our Flames shied away from each other, even when I tried to surge mine forwards, it'd stop just inches away, like the reflex to not step off the edge of a jump. The frown must have shown on our faces, because a low murmur of worry came from Gokudera, though he made no move to disturb the attempt.

"Try to calm yourself, Sawada-san." I breathed, reaching for the Sky again.

Water over oil. My hands missed him completely.

"Sawada-san!"

"I'm sorry, I'm trying." He apologised, tension in his tone.

"I know, but just try to anchor yourself, I'll do the rest." I soothed, seeing his fire slow down, a trail left as he attempted to hold it steady for me.

Again and again, we went around the space, his Flames moving out of the way of mine until a grit came to my teeth.

"A-ah, I could try-" He started, getting my attention.

I hitched my breath as his Flames reared high, coming to run at me with too much vigour. A yelp escaped me as I pushed myself back, body going with it and crushing my form into Takeshi's, his arms coming around in concern as Tsuna released a cry, my Sun ripping itself free with claws of white hot.

"You son of a-" I hissed, writhing a bit as backlash from a Rejection tore up my spine. "Why'd you try to Harmonise!?"

"I didn't mean to!" He yelped, slowly coming out of fetal position, Gokudera hovering.

Breathing heavy, I let Rain wash over my system, soothing my nerves and steadying my heart. I carefully extracted myself from my partner's lap and walked a distance from the group, Ryohei coming to stand beside me. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Takeshi tended to Tsuna making sure he was alright, the poor kid shivering as if left out in the cold.

"Daiki-kun, bro, what happened?" Ryohei asked, nudging me gently.

"Sawada-san accidentally tried to Harmonise with me." I sighed, rubbing my arm to settle the pebbling goosebumps. "I think he's just doing it on instinct now, he doesn't have much control over it."

"Harmonise?"

"Sorry, it means, like, to bond to each other. Not _with_ , like the Forge, but _to_." Came the clarification, a slow, almost unsure nod coming from my brother Sun.

He hummed low before gently clapping me on the shoulder, trying to shake me out of the buzzing haze that tended to follow the rush of an almost-Harmonisation.

"Well, we have to get to class anyway. Maybe, do you wanna try and do your Forgy thing with me? Not like I'm gonna pay attention to Geography anyway. Sensei knows it too."

"We _all_ know it." I laughed, thankful for his distraction. "Yeah, I'll Forge a bond with you. Let's get going?"

"Mm, not going to give Sawada-san another try?"

"No, I think I've had enough of him for today."

We smiled a bit at each other before gathering our stuff, my lunchbox already packed away into my bag. Coming up behind Takeshi, I carefully carded his hair before pressing a kiss on his crown, making him start and look up along with the rest of his group.

"We're going back to class. I don't think trying to Forge with Sawada-san anymore today will do any good." I told them, looking between the three.

"Okay." Tsuna nodded, flushing a bit in shame as he bowed his head a little.

I drew my eyes away from him quickly, not wanting to tempt his Flame with a false hope before releasing my hold on the Vongola Rain, his smile covering the worry that absolutely caked his consciousness.

"Have fun in class, shujin-kun, Ryohei-kun!" He laughed, waving at us as we exited, through the faint twitch in his brow suggested that he wanted to keep us in his sights, even for only a little longer.

"EXTREMELY NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!" Ryohei hollered, waving the thick wad called a textbook in the air with malice.

A huff of laughter left me as I glanced over at him, and decided to put the nail in his coffin.

"Oh, were you aware that we had a test today then?"

…

"You can't run away from this, bro!" I called after his fleeing from, the boy already well down the hall and shrinking.

" _Dame-Tsuna."_

" _You don't need to say it, Reborn."_

* * *

 **|JUN|**

Hayashi Jun kneeled before the Oyabun, his hands forced to rest easy on his knees with his head bowed low in acted respect to the wilting man. It had been the third time the young Jun had been called to this room, and as he sent his eyes around the floorboards, he could see a number of men- three in total- here to bear witness.

"Jun-kun, how goes the Heir?" The Oyabun asked, catching back the mouse's attention.

"The Heir is doing well, Oyabun-sama. He has settled into the dorms and has bonded with the Ladies."

"And what of his concubine. Rumour has it he hasn't- "

His ears pricked as the harsh, wet sound of coughing rung out in the room, a choking squelch followed by a disgustingly chunky ' _splat!'_ following after. The mousy Storm had to hold onto his bile as the man closest to the Watanabe Lord came over quickly and helped him swallow a red liquid- medicine, no doubt. But definitely not the one he needed.

"The Heir has..."

" _If he asks about Kimiko-chan," Daiki hummed, resting his chin atop the fluffy locks of brown. "Tell him that I have been with her recently. And if he asks for specifics, tell him I did as I willed. Kimiko-chan will understand, don't worry."_

"Been with his oiran, my Lord." He answered, tracing a pattern in the wooden grain with his eyes.

"Oh?"

This caught the attention of all the attending men, their heads rearing in interest.

"I am aware of the fact that some of the men were still calling for that woman's warmth..." The serving man breathed, glancing to his other attending members.

"Come to think of it, where is that Kota-san? He should be here." Another joined, causing the men to murmur and scan about the space.

"Last I heard, he went out to one of our bars a couple nights ago."

"And he didn't come back?"

"I thought he was spending time at home."

"He wouldn't dare. Not with that harpy of a wife lurking around."

"So he'd come back here- which he hasn't."

"Then where could he be?"

Hayashi Jun, Right Hand of the 15th Watanabe Oyabun, bit down on his tongue to hide the smile that threatened to rip his cheeks.

…

Far away in the middle of a towering forest, a little hydrangea sapling grew out of new earth, the soil fluffy and aerated from a recent upturn. It's leaves caught the light happily and its roots went deep into the soil.

The plant itself stood out in the winter garden, lush with nutrients and colour, as if something was handing its life over to it instead.

 **|JUN|**

* * *

 **|KIMIKO|**

Jun scuttled through the hall with tiny strides, his feet padding against the floorboards, arms piled high with intricate wooden boxes. He squeaked and pressed himself against the wall as the young Ladies, Ame, Nami and Aika, dashed past, their shrieks of glee loud as they wielded brightly coloured pool noodles. The small mouse heaved a breath of relief, a hand clutching his heart.

"Hayashi-san."

" _I'm sorry!"_ He squealed, jumping a good height into the air at the sudden voice.

"Oh, um..." Kimiko uttered, a hand brought to her ruby lips to conceal her mirth as she watched him gather himself. "I have been meaning to ask, where is the Lord?"

Giving a steadying heave, the little mouse turned to her with a bit of a twitching nose, something that happened when he was startled. His eyes went wide as he looked up at the woman, not used to seeing her in her formal gear, the oiran having discarded them in exchange for more casual, comfortable kimonos, most of her bedazzlement packed away in a generous jewellery box gifted by the Watanabe Heir.

"Daiki-dono is in Namimori right now, he's at school." Jun answered, chirping the notes easily.

"Oh...Hayashi-sa-"

"You can call me Jun, miss."

Kimiko blinked, before smiling softly down at him.

"Jun-kun then, may I ask why you are not also at school?"

The boy hummed in understanding, boxes weighing heavy in his arms.

"Daiki-dono is expected to take on some of the Oyabun's workload from now on with this declining health. I'm to take the work to his room."

"But what about your own schooling? Surely Watanabe-dono would be upset if he knew you were being taken from school to tend like this." She frowned, following him as he began walking.

"Daiki-dono doesn't know. You're right, he'd be upset." Jun placed the boxes down on the low desk, shaking out his hands. "But someone has to do this, and no one else can go between the Dorms and the Main House! Besides, it's my honour to serve the Watanabe Lord."

Kimiko frowned as he began sorting the papers, finding already signed and filled one to take back and replacing them with new sheets. The desk they stood before was low, requiring the user to sit on the floor, but despite that, it expanded wider than the traditional one, allowing for room to manoeuvre their space. The corners were stacked high with work, strict, neat handwriting scrawled along all of them.

She kneeled before the table before her eyes were dragged over to a gleaming piece.

"What is that?" She asked, seeing it catch the light and reflect off lacquer.

"Oh, this is a temporary seal for Daiki-dono." He answered, picking it up to present to the woman. "It's a less official version of the Oyabun's seal. He will receive it after all the formalities have been shifted over."

"And when will that be?" The pleasure woman hummed, turning the piece in her porcelain hands, seeing the kanji for the Clan in the base to be stamped.

" _When the Oyabun is dead."_

Kimiko looked up, but Jun was still sorting papers, his face unchanged- only faltering when as he knocked over a pot and cried out in horror.

When the Oyabun is dead...and just how soon do they plan on that being?

 **|KIMIKO|**

* * *

I flexed my writing hand and cracked my knuckles as the tests were taken back, the teacher humming as he stacked them on his desk.

"I'll have these back by next week," He nodded, "Until then, we'll be moving onto the next module."

Relaxing into my seat, I hummed as Ryohei gave a hollow, deathly moan, muffled by his desk as he pressed his face into the wood.

"Oh don't be so dramatic," I huffed, rolling my eyes. "I can assure you, you did just fine. The sheer amount of notes you took in previous classes is almost disgustingly studious."

"You're being wordy again, bro." The Sun muttered, pulling himself off and slumping against me.

Turning my head, I pressed my nose into his crown before turning back and opening up my books, quickly scrawling the dictation that the teacher spewed. Ryohei groaned before sitting up and following as well, his hand moving at a surprisingly fast rate.

My brother had gained the skill of an enviously quick scribe, his copious note-taking resulting in almost double the amount of writing in the same timeframe. He had struggled at first, but after packing his pen with batteries and enough practice to go toe-to-toe to his boxing regime, he was no doubt the fastest writer in the class. His handwriting, however, suffered losses.

"So," He hummed after a few moments of mindless following. "Do you want to try and do the thing? Do we need to stop writing?"

"No, no, just keep acting as you are." I answered, before finishing the paragraph.

Holding my pen in my grasp, I rested my jaw in my hand and leant over our shared textbook, before closing my eyes. With his sunshine tongues practically blending right with mine, I took no time to zero in on my brother Sun, his Flames rippling in interest and familiarity as I nudge up against them in a coercing greeting.

The golden flairs crackled before becoming interested with their giddy nature as it let me poke and slowly weld a bridge between us. When the last foundation was laid, I reached out and welcomed the other aboard our space, calling across for him to come into clarity.

' _Brother, this is our Forge.'_ I rumbled, seeing him step into the bond with sparks and flares of wonder and excitement.

' _EXTREME!'_ He roared, Flames arching high and sending out scalding enthusiasm. ' _This is EXTREMELY COOL!'_

' _I'm glad you like it.'_ I hummed, nudging his side playfully before listening to his static-filled, unsteady response.

' _Now the teachers can't get pissed with us!'_

A quiet laugh escaped me at that, my arms coming to cross before me as I looked to him out of the corner of my eye.

' _That's one way to use it, I suppose.'_

* * *

"You need to read this, this, this- oh, and this pile is for signing. Most of the right side is needed before sunset." Jun explained, standing before me as I was shoved into my newly instated desk.

"U-uh..." I breathed, looking at the mass.

"You're to be Oyabun, there are responsibilities." He sighed, before looking to his watch, the little face telling him that he would be needed elsewhere within the next few hours. "You will be expected to attend a dinner with the Oyabuns soon, next week."

"What?" I blinked, looking up from my first article, glasses already bridging across my nose. "Why?"

"Publicity. You may already have a small network with the heirs, but immediate power is always a helping aspect, Daiki-dono."

"Ugh, true." I muttered, putting my chin in my hand as I deflated at the idea of a kiss and tell.

Shaking my head, I pulled myself straight and signed off the paper, moving onto the next. Jun smiled before coming to sit beside me, pouring a cool and fruity tea, explaining some of the terms and situations that went over my head.

"The Hanako and Watanabe have been chafing against each other since their founding, in terms of trade, though, their one of our best partners. Mostly because-"

"We're constantly trying to one-up one another?" I finished, raising an eyebrow in amusement as I read through the request.

"Well, yes." He huffed, shrugging a bit as I gave an airy laugh.

The pile was slowly worn away at, pages upon pages of writing going past in an almost indistinguishable blur as I worked my pen and eyes. A groan left me after a while, pen clacking to the desk as I pushed up my glasses to pin back my fringe and rubbed my eyes.

Jun peered at me from over his homework, a bit of worry in his gaze that I waved off before looking out the window. The sun was fully set and the hue of night had stolen the sky, gas lamps were shining bright across the small courtyard, illuminating my cousins as they tussled and played, Gin and Naomi weaving their music into the air.

A faint knock at the door jolted me out of my moment, both Jun and my heads snapping around to face the screen as a silhouette stood across it.

" _Watanabe-dono?"_

"Ah, Kimiko-chan, come on it." I breathed, recognising her voice.

There was a faint jangle and a tinkling ring as the woman stepped in, provoking me to look up from the papers on my desk and see her. I blinked when she showed herself, decked out in full oiran format, thick and lush colours and materials clinging to her body.

Kimiko smiled softly with her eyes lowered to the floor, her movements as delicate as ever as she gently brought herself to kneel before my desk, poised to be aesthetically perfect.

"How have you been, Kimiko-chan?" I asked, handing off a paper to Jun who proofread it for me.

"I have been well, my Lord." She answered, inclining her head and allowing the roaches and ornaments in her hair to shimmer and ring.

"That's good," I hummed, spinning my fountain men idly. "How can I help you?"

The pleasure woman paused for a moment, her smile pulled as she breathed deep, as if calling for patience, courage. Her fingers dug into the floor minutely, but caught my eye nonetheless, she was straining to do something.

"I have...been thinking, my Lord, about my purpose of being sent here." She said after much deliberation. "And I have decided, that it the least I can do to follow through with it-"

"Kimiko-chan, we spoke about this." I sighed, placing down both my pen and my glasses, looking to her unhindered.

"If you could let me speak," The woman pressed, a softness coming to her expression.

Leaning back, I took a breath, but nodded allowing her to carry on despite how my hackles had been raised. Smoothing myself over, I granted her attention, watching as she gathered herself.

"I was sent here, my Lord, to derail the rumour of your lover, to make the Yakuza see that you are not a man who finds a mirror attractive. However, as we have seen, you do in fact do such a thing, you do find your Yamamoto Takeshi desirable." A pause came and she drew herself up, bringing her gaze to mine, for perhaps the first, proper, time.

"And so, it got me thinking. To what end was I brought here, my instructions were nullified quite abruptly. Then, I thought over it, and after a while, I came to a conclusion." She smiled, but held her note of conviction. "I am here to derail the rumour of your lover, to make the Yakuza see that you are not a man who finds a mirror attractive."

"If you will have me, my Lord, I will protect your secrets. I will be your Mist, and conceal your true shape."

My breath caught in my throat as she lowered herself to a bow, Flames instinctively creeping forwards, her eyes closing as she laid herself vulnerable to denial and Rejection.

"You wish to be Watanabe-dono's secret keeper." Jun breathed, saving me from a long pause.

"If he will allow me, I will do my best." Kimiko answered, staying low.

The Yakuza Storm and I looked to each other, a quick conversation going between, even without a vocalisation.

Should we?

Jun looked unsure, glancing at the woman.

It would help.

Do we trust her?

I pulled my lips taut before turning my gaze on the oiran, then speaking.

"I accept you, Kimiko-chan."

In that instant, I felt the click, the links of a chin welding together to lock our Flames, and grant loyalty. There was a burst of warmth that swelled up in my chest and rushed through my blood, a kind of fractured completion, like I had found another piece to fit into a void. The woman across from me felt it too, her eyes widening as she let out a shuddered breath, relief rippling over her skin as a smile came to her face, real and open, unwitting.

"Thank you, my Lord." She said, her voice shaking, hands tightening on the floor.

Unable to hide it, I let a small curl of my lips slip through, before training myself and nodding at my Right Hand, the boy quick on his feet. Jun scampered from window to window, quietly bringing them shut and locking the panes.

This made Kimiko look up, coming out of her bow and glancing around as she saw herself getting contained. Her gaze came to mine, and in that moment, showed she was not scared or alarmed by the sudden actions taking place, trusting that I was not turning on her.

It made my hands curl, the way she had immediately doused herself in unquestioning loyalty and trust, wondering if this was her own doing, or the effects of a parody of Harmonisation. The idea that a person's characteristic suspicion being stripped away by simple bondage, made my stomach flip, remembering the times that I had come close to being contained by a Sky, a true Harmonisation.

"As my secret keeper," I started, leaning forwards and bringing my palm to rest my chin on. "You should be privy to some rather sensitive information. As per the term 'secret', this is to not be disclosed to _anyone_ without my express permission."

"Of course." She nodded, her eyes firm as the last window was shut cutting out any noise, any light and any chance.

Slowly, I got to my feet and walked across the distance to stand before her, a metre or two between us. Jun slowly approached from behind, his hands steady as he lingered by my side, the faintest clinks of metal coming from within his sleeves in case of betrayal.

Bringing my hands to my sides, I began working off my shirt, the first layer falling to the mouse's hands, followed by the second. A sharp inhale of breath came from the woman sitting before me, her eyes widening as she gazed up at me, searching, examining, understanding. Then she smiled, and bowed her head.

"I oath to keep your secret, Watanabe-dono."

* * *

 **|LUSSURIA|**

The Varia Sun gave a shout of glee as he stretched his arms out, finally free of his casts and able to show his absolutely beautiful, sun-kissed skin. He smiled broadly and crossed his arms, crop top and rabbit print, neon pink pyjama pants billowing in the wind as he stood before the open window of his hotel room.

"Ah, it's good to be back!" He chortled, sighing as he inhaled the air.

The smash and crash of his Family did nothing to water down his enjoyment, directionless tune being hummed through his lips as he went about his room, organising the things that Belphegor had purposefully rearranged simply to miff the immobile Mafia man. His walk contained a confident and bright swagger as he strutted down the hall, pushing open the door with flourish and posing for his audience.

"The _fabulous_ Lussuria is here!"

There was a collective groan that sounded from the Varia's best, Lussuria's Family rolling their eyes as he sashayed into the large living room. Despite the less than energetic reception, there was an undoubtable fondness in their action, a familiar spite that would make the scene fake if it wasn't present. Every one of the people in this room was twisted and malformed in one way or another, the hearts in their chests grown backwards since their birth, and it made the Sun's grin grow unnaturally when Belphegor flipped him off.

It was fine though, because if Lussuria wanted some plain ol' loving, he could always just pop down to that quaint little bakery and wrangle that sweetheart of a brother he had into a hug, smothering his face into the caramel scent that clung to his skin. The idea made him perk up, glasses flashing in conspiratorial glee as he brought his hand to cup his chin in a gun hold.

"What's with that face, you pervert?" Belphegor snarked, ceasing the spinning of his knife.

"I'm thinking of going to visit someone." The Muay Thai user giggled, coming over to drape himself across the back of his Sky's throne.

"Boss~" He cooed, making Xanxus look to him out of the corner of his eye. "I'm gonna go back into Namimori for a while, okay?"

"Why the hell are you going to that dump, trash?" The time-paused man scowled, taking a mouthful of amber liquid, scalding his lips.

"Because, I wanna see my little baker boy!"

This made Xanxus pause, glass half tilted and dangerously close to spilling over his messily tucked shirt. Wine eyes examined the fire before him, before closing, glass returning to the table as he stood. His jacket billowed as he strode towards the door, a grunt of dismissal coming when Squalo shriek.

" _VVVOOOIIII!_ Where the fuck do you think you're going?!"

Xanxus stopped by the door, before glaring over his shoulder, locking his gaze on his Sun.

"Well, you coming or not, Lussuria?"

A grin split the flamboyant man's face at the question, his expression lighting up in excitement as he pranced over.

"Coming, Boss~!"

 **|LUSSURIA|**

* * *

Twisting the lock of the bakery, I groaned as my step became unsteady, hand coming to the door to halt myself and find my bearings. A headache throbbed in my cranium for what must have been the fourth time in an hour, the medication having worn off and water doing little to remedy. Bringing my free hand up, I scrubbed my face irritably before pushing off and flipping off the lights.

Mephistopheles gruff up at me as I walked into my room, flour and wariness clinging to me as I slowly fumbled for my towel. The mutt gave a huff before hopping down from my bed and tapping across the floor, digging through a pile of objects stacked high and withdrawing the sheet of absorption that I had been searching for.

"Ah, thanks Miphy." I muttered, taking the towel from his jaws and standing straight.

Gently running my fingers through his fur, I stood straight and walked over to the bathroom, the faint sound of my companion following me into the room despite how I tried to block him. The highlander gave a soft growl when I tried to direct him out, snapping at me gently before flopping down on the bathmat.

"Okay, fine then." I sighed, locking the door after us.

I yawned, cracking my jaw as I pushed off my clothes and spun the tap of the bath, the ceramic space slowly rising with steaming water and layering the air with humidity. Tossing my towel over the rack, I kicked my clothes into a pile beside the door before making quick, but struggled work with my binder.

A faint whine escaped the pup on the floor, making me pause. I turned and looked over my shoulder at the mirror, a hissed tsk coming through my teeth when I witnessed the faint bruising that crawled up my side.

"I'm not meant to wear my binder for more than 8 hours at a time, Miphy." I groaned, remembering days of almost nonstop constriction.

A little tail brushed my ankles as I hung up the piece, making a mental note to ice the poor parts of my body. Sitting on the edge of the bath, I spent time petting the little patch of white, his jaw hanging free as he panted, tail whipping about frantically, squishy paw coming to rest on my foot. A smile broke onto my face as he gave playful growls, calling me to the floor so he could hike himself up onto his hind legs and lick at my face, laughs mixing with groans of disgust as slobber and dog breath layered my face.

"Yeah," I grunted, pressing kisses to the bridge of his muzzle before dodging an eager tongue. "I love you too, Miphy."

His bark echoed in the tiled room, a quick shushing from me making him fall quiet, my mother out for the night, but Lambo slowly drifting to sleep just down the hall. The little mutt made a noise that could be understood as an apology before he reared up and pressed the tip of his nose against mine, cold and wet.

We stayed like that for a while, noses touching, before I wheezed a laugh. Curling my arms around his warm body, I held him against my chest even as he struggled, wanting freedom and denying me affection.

"Love me." I whined, dodging snapping jaws as I smothered my face into his side. "Why don't you love me?"

Eventually, the mutt gave up and just laid limp in my arms, an adamant refusal to obey my call as I tried to get him to straighten.

"Fine, be that way." I huffed, letting him splay on his back on the bathmat.

Getting to my feet, I turned off the tap and felt the water, humming as it scalded my skin nicely. Grasping the edge, I stepped over and slowly submerged myself into the misty liquid, giving a low rumble in my throat as the heat melted my tension.

I was long too large for this bath, forcing me to draw my knees up out of the water should I wish to lay against the back of the porcelain tub. Doing just that, I sighed as the steam wafted over my cheeks, fingers making little whirlpools in the liquid. Humming to myself, I closed my eyes and let out a whoosh of air, just shutting myself up for perhaps the first time today.

"Ugh, I have that paper to write tonight." I sighed, snapping out of the peacefulness as reminders swarmed the space.

Taking a breath, I dunked my head under the water, submerging myself in relaxing heat. With the water clicking in my ears, I held my breath and floated, ignoring the muffled huffs and shuffles that sounded from above.

Water washed over my hair and dripped down my skin as I surfaced, a streaking shine coming as trails fell over my bust, a long exhale leaving me before I replenished my system.

" _Daiki-kun!"_

A yelp escaped me as I whipped around, the lock on the door sailing across the room as it was kicked in, a resounding bang ringing out as two very familiar forms stepped in.

"Daiki-kun! Your beautiful sister has arri-!"

My eyes were wide as my fingers squeaked against the porcelain edge of the bath, skin pebbling with goosebumps as a chill settled in the pit of my stomach. Lussuria gazed down at me through his sunglasses, and beside him, Xanxus remained stock still.

"You're..." The Sky began, only to be shut off by a shriek of the Sun.

"You're a _girl!_ Oh my God, I can finally have a little _sister!_ "

I remained in a kind of hued buffer as hands grabbed me by the biceps and lifted me from the water, mind still reeling as I was exposed in all my form to the two men across from me. Mephistopheles snapped and barked at the Varia, clapping his jaws at the ankles of the Sun and daring the Sky to step forwards, full ready to bite and maul at the first command.

"Why..." I managed, eyes still held in a wide state, not even cognating enough to cover myself.

"Why what? Oh, c'mon, Daiki-chan, let's get you dressed!"

The feminine suffix made me jolt back and fling myself out of Lussuria's grip, a yelp of fear escaping as my foot lost its grip on the porcelain base of the bath. The older Sun was quick to grab me again, stabilising my footing and lifting me from the tub and onto the floor.

"You need to be more careful, Daiki-chan." He scolded, finding my towel and wrapping it around my body, locking my limbs to my sides. "Honestly, so clumsy."

"Why...Why are you here. Why didn't you heed the lock? Why do you-" My breath began to pick up its pace, before I was pulled into a warm chest, the strong, muscle bulked arms of my self-proclaimed sister wrapping around me and making us sway.

"Calm down," He cooed, pushing my brow into his shoulder. "Calm down, Daiki-chan."

My teeth latched onto my lower lip as I recoiled from the address, the term unfamiliar when attached to this name. Nonetheless, I leant forwards, knowing that having a stable mind would be best, and Lussuria was the fastest route to such a state. Inhaling deeply, I twitched as tropical fruits wafted off my fellow Sun, a warmth radiated off of him in an almost alarming degree, heating the pebbling skin of my own as I shivered from being removed from the water and left to stand in the cold.

"...I need to put clothes on." I muttered finally, turning my head to glance at the silent Xanxus out of the corner of my eye.

The Varia looked to each other and nodded, releasing me and allowing both Mephisto and I to flee the bathroom.

…

"So..." I breathed, scribbling down answers in my workbook as I flipped the page on the large text. "When do you two plan on leaving?"

Lussuria hummed a happy tone as he plundered my wardrobe, creating outfits for me to wear to places I would never go of my own volition. He gave a gasp of interest before withdrawing a white button down, cogs in his mind turning as he looked to the pile laid out on the floor.

"I'll leave when I want to." Xanxus scowled, laid out on my bed with his shoes on, Mephisto on his stomach.

"Is that so." I muttered, spinning my chair to face them.

We remained in silence for a moment, just carrying on our individual tasks, studiously ignoring the elephant in the room. My hands clenched on my knees, jaw set as Lussuria checked the sizes of my binders, humming to himself before looking down at his own bust and pouting.

"Why do you pretend to be a guy?"

Of course, Xanxus was the first to surge on, breaking the ice with a blunt worded pick. Wine eyes bore into me as I sucked on the back of my teeth, casting my amber-earth around the room.

"Because..." I tried, fishing for words as the Sun set down his finds to come sit on the desk beside me. "I'm... _filling in._ "

"Filling in?" Lussuria asked, a frown coming to his face, brows dipping behind his sunglasses.

Looking down, I tucked my chin in

"I'm acting as, well, you could call it 'the man of the house', I suppose." I shrugged, "My father wasn't fit for the role so...I took up the torch."

"You've been doing this since he left? Then do the Vongola know?"

"No." I jolted, before quickly cooling myself down. "No, I've been branded like this since I was born. They thought it best."

This made the Sky pause his petting, but didn't take his eyes off the far wall. His face was blank but an undertone of concentration built underneath, making me press my lips together.

"Who's 'they'?" The Sun asked, prompting me to carry on, even as he placed his hand on the back on my neck as comfort.

"My-"

My head snapped up as a whimper emanated from the corner of the room, the sheets in Lambo's crib shifting as he tossed in his sleep. On my feet, I walked over quickly and leant over the bars of his cradle, reaching out to gently card my fingers through his hair and lull him.

"My parents. Thy thought it best that I become a boy, rather than stay as a girl."

Lambo murmured in his sleep and grasped my fingers in his little hands, a swell of affection blooming in my chest as I straightened his blankets and leant against the cradle, allowing him to cling to me, bringing my hand to his chest possessively.

"Why the hell did they think that?" Xanxus huffed, "Needed a boy for something instead?"

"Yes, actually." I sighed, making Lussuria's jaw tense and his muscles twitch. "A male Heir was required to inherit the Watanabe Yakuza."

I rubbed the metal around my wrists, flashing the near golden copper to the Varia members.

"Guess it worked, I'm due to take control before year's end, if all goes to plan."

There was a heavy sigh as Lussuria loosened himself, a frown still painting his face as he came on over and slung his arm over my shoulders, pulling me into a side on hug.

"Daiki-chan." He sighed, humming into my crown. "Does your fiancé know? The muscle boy?"

"...No." I muttered, feeling the sting in my pallet as he stuck me with a stare. "I haven't told them yet."

"Why not? Shouldn't your _husband-to-be_ know about your sex?" Xanxus scoffed, biting the term out.

"Well, yes, but..."

"You're scared." Lussuria breathed, "You're scared of how he'll react."

I thinned my lips and nodded, not missing the side on glance the Sky sent me, narrowed with an intention that I couldn't decipher in the short time.

"You should tell him, if he does care, he'll stay."

"It's because he cares, that he'll leave." I denied, shaking my head. "Cause it's only a version of me."

There was a stale silence in the room, the hand on my bicep giving me a squeeze as Lussuria crooned in worry, his sunglasses flashing in the low light of the lamp.

"That's fucking stupid."

I held my wince as Xanxus' harsh scoff rung out, his jaw jumping.

"Of that Sky isn't capable of casting over, or your bloody Rain boy isn't capable of doing his job," He sent wine eyes over to mine, a scowl marring his face. "Then I'm going to fucking drag you under my sky instead."

I blinked, before tilting my head and smiling, making him huff and cross his arms.

"You can try, Xanxus-san, but, as ever, I will put up a fight."

He flashed his teeth at me in a feral bark of grating laughter.

"You fucking better, trash!"

* * *

 **HELLO THERE!**

 **I have been getting reviews about the YamaYama pairing, about people who think it wasn't very well thought out or it was rushed or it just doesn't make sense, and yes, I won't and** _ **can't**_ **deny that the Yamamoto pairing is** _ **painfully**_ **rushed.**

 **I attempted to get the idea of their relationship be a 'playing-house' affair, where Daiki refers it to 'make believe'...I'd be saying that as an excuse, however.**

 **When I wrote this story, I was doing it entirely for myself, I was completely not expecting an audience that would read into it as far as some people have. This was just something to self-indulge in at the time, and in my 15/16 year old mind, all I wanted in a work was a couple that began early and was 'happy' for the most part throughout the piece. And, Yamamoto was my most prefered character at the time- you know how that story goes.**

 **If I were to reboot or restart The Baker's Daughter- which I may if I ever get the time or the damn to sift through the mass - you can best believe that Yamamoto's situation and development would be almost** _ **completely**_ **redone. I have a few ideas knocking about already, but I'm not sure if I could ever employ them. Unless I can find a way to inject chapters between pre-existing ones, then I will fiddle like no other.**

 **Instead, I tried my best to 'fix' their relationship in further chapters. I've tried to balance(?) their relationship in terms of power but there is a bit of a tilt that I can't quite yank out just yet without being too jarring, so I'm trying to find a place where I can develop it.**

 **I'm** _ **trying**_ **, just not very sure of how well I'm doing. But ultimately, yes, I can understand your points, and yes, I do agree, but I just have too much of a soft spot for them now and don't want to abandon it, so I'm trying to fix my mess.**

 **Sincerely, LeftNotRight**


	33. Chapter 33

**ANOTHER YAMAYAMA HEAVY CHAPTER! EMBRACE THE YAMAYAMA!**

 **Yama mean mountain, yeah?**

 **Mountain Mountain….Boobs?**

 **Their non-official ship name is boobs?**

 **Subliminal messaging?!**

* * *

 **Word Count: 14,378**

* * *

My fists thudded against the nylon and polyester thread as the hollow echoes of other boxers filled my ears. Sharp jabs rendered the bag tumbling on its flat base, the heavy thing rocking unsurely as I continued to abuse it, my breath steady in its fast pattern.

The sounds of Ryohei assaulting a first year with encouragement and support overlaid the other noise, a huff of amusement coming when I saw the young blood just sort of scuttle away when given the first chance.

"Yamaguchi-senpai!" One called, prancing up to me with too much vigour. "Can you help me with my style? I keep feeling off balance, but I can't seem to fix it."

"Of course, show me your footing?"

The boy hummed with a curling smile, his eyes narrow as he moved to place himself before the bag. Immediately, I could see the imperfection in his placing, his back foot too far back in an attempt to overbalance himself.

"Last foot forwards." I instructed, tapping his heel with my shoe.

"Oh," He breathed, fixing himself before pulling a face. "But it feels weird."

"That's 'cause you've conditioned yourself to feel more comfortable like that, but you're overstepping. Give it a while, you'll get used to it."

"Okay, Yamaguchi-senpai." He nodded, before giving the bag another heavy beating.

I stood beside him with my arms crossed, tsking and giving him a nudge when his foot slid backwards of its own accord. He muttered an apology before getting back to it, making me tilt my head and examine his posture.

"You're leaning too far forwards. You'll fall if you're knocked off balance." I commented, making the younger pause and looked down at himself.

The coaching continued on for the rest of the club activities, and though my own time for stress relief was taken, I didn't mind spending it on someone who had asked for help. I pointed out light flaws and congratulated where he excelled or had a natural affinity for.

The room shifted as nearly one as the whistle shriek through the room, signalling the end of practice. I smiled and clapped the young first year on his shoulder as I passed him, wiping sweat off my chin with my singlet as I did.

"You're doing good, give it a bit more practice and the ring will be your domain."

"Nah," He laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "The ring's always gonna be under Sasagawa-senpai's foot."

"Hm, I suppose." I shrugged, unable to deny my brother's prowess.

A hand grabbed me from behind and dragged me back into a sweaty chest, arm slung over my shoulder as light colouring entered my peripheral.

"C'mon bro," He bellowed right into my ear canal. "Your man's waiting for you outside! Don't wanna keep him waiting, do ya?"

"Oh shit, he's here already?" I yelped, looking to the door. "Bloody- be back in a sec."

Ryohei waved me off as I jogged to the door and pushed it open, Takeshi waving at me giddily from outside as I stepped through. I smiled for a moment, happiness blooming, before I paused, eyes going over him again and making dread drop in my stomach and a smoky haze of concern rise forth.

The Rain's baseball uniform was stuffed in his bag messily, the sleeve falling out of the half closed zipper with his bat hung over his shoulder, dark hair was mussed from sweat and speed and a red hue rested on his cheeks from exertion. Takeshi grinned at me, but the corners didn't tilt quite right, a downward, weak decline at the edges of his lips. Mocha eyes didn't gleam with adrenaline, nor did they hold the afterglow of post-exercise delight, no, they were tired, drained, almost matte in their darkness.

I pinched my lip under my teeth as I reached my downcast partner, hands, warm with pumping blood, coming to settle on his biceps as I lowered myself to mutter into his ear as I nuzzled his temple.

"Bad day at baseball?" I sighed, getting a low note out of him.

"Yeah. A bit." Takeshi sagged, leaning against me as I wrapped my arms around him fully and tucked him into my collar, the boy not caring about the sweat that still clung to both our skins.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" I asked, feeling his squeeze me softly.

"Not right now. When we're alone, maybe."

"Mm," I hummed, kissing the top of his head. "Okay. Wait a bit longer? I need to change."

I felt him bristle minutely, his hold becoming strong as he burrowed his face deeper into the crook of my neck.

"Can I stay with you, please? I really don't want to be alone right now." He muttered.

Running my hand along the dipped line of his back, I cooed into his ear to sooth out his nerves, my mind cast over to the many times I had talked to the Namimori Middle coach, only to be disregarded, and Takeshi's load to not at all lessen. Gritting my teeth against his jaw, I pressed warm kisses along his jugular and hummed a directionless tune at him, dragging my nails lightly through his shirt and making him shiver, doing my best to distract him from the day.

"Come on then, let's get this done and on our way, my love."

He nodded and slowly extracted himself from my arms, however, still kept our hands connected, gripping my fingers as if he was scared he would get lost if he let go. The Rain smiled brightly as we stepped into the boxing club's room, getting hoots and greeting from those who recognised him, and raised eyebrows from a few of the first years, who glanced about and to our interwoven fingers.

"Hey, Takeshi-kun can come into the change rooms, yeah?" I asked Ryohei as he came up to our side, adrenalised grin still in place.

The Sun and I exchanged a look, and no Forge or words were needed for him to understand, his head inclining as he sent Takeshi a worried glance.

"Sure, bro!" He laughed, clapping us both on the shoulders before walking off to strip off his sweaty singlet.

I smiled at my Rainy partner before guiding him into the room with sweat stained air, remembering with a fondness how his face had scrunched up as if offended by the smell the first time he had stepped in a year ago.

Takeshi released my hand with some hesitance as we came to my bag, sitting on the wooden bench/shelf that ran the length of the wall, watching me intently with a too keen tilt of his lips as I pulled the sweaty, black singlet off to reveal my undershirt, an exaggerated groan of dismay leaving him as he slumped thematically. I laughed and shook my head at his dramatic behaviour, my hand coming to gently pinch his cheek between my knuckles, making him whine and pull himself free, nuzzling back into the back of my hand.

In the background, I could hear cooes and wretches, a first year making a gag reflex motion that was promptly silenced by a resounding slap to his behind by one of his friends.

Ignoring the roughing up behind me, I stuffed the singlet into my duffel bag and worked off my shorts, those too being stored away before being quickly replaced by uniform slacks. Leaving the fly open uncaringly, I searched around for my white button up, before pausing as Takeshi shuffled up and lifted my undershirt.

My breath caught in my throat, hands clamping down on my bag as he focused his gaze intently on the ridges of my stomach, the rustling of clothes behind me becoming white noise as my fiancé leant forwards and pressed his nose into the cleft of my abdomen, pulling the shirt back over his head as if to hide away.

"What are you doing?" I asked, looking down at him.

"Rejecting reality." He answered, muffled by my flesh.

"Is that so?" I hummed, calming when I noticed how carefully he was touching me, keeping his eyes closed and not in any way moving higher than the borderlines I had previously set.

With his chin brushing my brief's waistband, I continued to rummage through my bag, giving a huff of victory when I found the shirt I was after. Unfolding the piece, I slipped my arms through and threaded the buttons, tie coming out of hiding in it's breast pocket to loop under my collar and settle into a knot.

"I need to do up my pants and put my belt on, Takeshi-kun." I said gently, humour laced into my tone as I brushed the back of his head.

"Do it around me." He muttered, adamant in his placing, making me roll my eyes.

Shrugging off his behaviour, I reached under his chin and slipped the button before snagging the zipper, careful not to pinch his skin as I did. The belt was harder, his arms needing some jostling when they covered the trail the buckle needed to follow, but it was eventually done, his chin pressing into the cooled metal as I fixed the positioning. Smiling softly, I pulled my shirts off his head, hair springing up at the displacement before settling as I carded his scalp with my nails, his eyes flashing up at me.

"Time to go, sweetheart." I hummed, stepping out of his range before he could make a move against it.

 _"Noooo!"_ He whined, reaching for me as I shrugged my bag onto my shoulder.

"C'mon, let's go."

He pouted and puffed his cheeks but followed me out the door, both of us giving our goodbyes to the Sasagawa Sun as we parted with my brother at the gate. Our hands found each other as we walked, turning the corner where we usually wouldn't and entering a lesser used side of the school, no students yet at this street.

"You ready, my love?" I asked, squeezing his hand as he shuffled closer to my side.

"Yeah." Takeshi nodded.

I looked to a flash of colour as a familiar car rolled up, black and sleek with tinted windows and a long exterior. With it's engine still turning, the driver side door opened and the figure of Cooper stood, long legs taking him around to our side of the vehicle.

"Watanabe-dono." The Eurasian Yakuza greeted, bowing at the waist, allowing me to see the glance he sent Takeshi behind his glasses.

"Good afternoon, Cooper-san. This is Yamamoto Takeshi, he's coming with me to the Compound today."

The name made his eyes flash with recognition and he immediately dropped the look he once held, sizing the teen up anew through a different lens.

"Of course, my Lord." Cooper nodded, before pulling open the door for us. "Traffic is relatively light on our path today, we'll be at the Watanabe Compound in good time."

"Thank you." I smiled, before looking to my partner. "Let's get in. Watch your head."

Takeshi grinned with excitement as he slid on in the car, gazing around the interior with interest and delight, taking in the dark leather and plethora of buttons. He giggled as I came up next to him, bumping the Rain teasingly as I thanked Cooper again.

"Will you be needing the partition, my Lord?"

"If you don't mind, please." I nodded, a ' _whirring'_ coming as the black panel rose from between us and separated the back from the front.

I smiled as the red light from the dash camera blinked out, allowing my fiancé and I privacy. Turning my head, I wrapped my arm around Takeshi's waist and pulled him up beside me, nuzzling into his temple as he hummed in content, hand creeping into my lap to settle on my thigh. I pressed my happy expression into his hair, bathing my senses with his scent and nuzzled him, making my love give a laugh, crooning into my neck.

My teeth sealed over my lower lip to hide away a near yawn that threatened to break through, making my partner pause and narrow his eyes at me.

"Daiki-kun, are you okay? You've been yawning more lately." He asked, cupping my jaw and drawing my face closer to his for inspection.

"I'm fine, just tired." I dismissed, tapping our noses together.

"You should sleep then, the ride's an hour minimum at this time, right?"

"Yeah, but don't you want to talk about your issue? If you want me to go to the coach again, I can."

"No," He denied, shaking his head. "You need to sleep. There's a dinner on tonight, right? With the other Oyabuns. I don't think it's a good idea for you to fall asleep in that. Go to sleep now."

I frowned and we glared softly at each other for a few moments, clashing desires making us sit quietly, still wrapped around each other as we tried to ebb away at the other's resistance. Takeshi growled lightly before rearing up and pressing a kiss on me, making my eyes widen, before relaxing and tilting my head into it.

"Shujin-kun needs to sleep. I'll be happier if you sleep." He huffed, before using his strength to push me back across the seats.

"Ugh," I groaned, sitting back up despite the hands on my shoulders. "Fine."

Reaching under the seats, I felt around for a hand hold and gave a noise when I found it, gently clamping my hand down on the impression and releasing after a second, the drawer sliding out automatically to reveal a drawer. The space was originally meant as a storage place for alcohol, but Jun and I had repurposed it for pillows and blankets, having to make this trip often late at night or early in the morning.

Pulling out the pillow, I fluffed it before having Takeshi steal it from my hands, giving it an experimental hug and gaping in surprise at the memory foam and high thread count.

Cooper liked his cars fancy.

"Come, come!" The Rain laughed, taking the pillow and shoving it behind his back, allowing him to rest against the door comfortably opening his arms for me.

I blinked, before smiling and unraveling the blanket, thick and soft. Shuffling forwards, I laid myself atop my partner, cheek resting on his chest, allowing me to hear the steady rhythm of his heart as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled the blanket up over my shoulders. I sighed as his hand found my hair, playing and grazing my scalp lovingly as I nuzzled further into his chest.

"Sleep, sleep." He cooed, voice rumbling low. "I'll watch over you."

…

I jolted awake as the door was popped open, light slashing at my eyes as I groaned and tried to hide in my husband's stomach.

"My Lord, we've arrived." Cooper announced.

"Ten more minutes." I grumbled, faintly hearing Takeshi's smothered laugh.

"I'm sorry Watanabe-dono, but I think it best not." He huffed fondly, before grabbing my ankles and dragging me off the warmth of my partner.

My legs dangled out of the car as my feet crunched in the gravel, face pressed into the leather of the chairs. A long, dramatic groan escaped me as I slowly got to my feet, standing straight and smoothing myself out uncoordinatedly.

"Is Daiki-kun still sleepy?" Takeshi asked, coming to stand beside me and rearrange my hair.

"Mhm." I nodded, rubbing my eyes as I tried to erase the eternal blur.

He gave a cooed laugh at my actions and reached up to nuzzle my cheek, a whine escaping my throat when it roused me more.

"Watanabe-dono, I would suggest that your partner be taken to the Dorms before he is spotted by any in the Main House. If he is, I can not be sure of the results." Cooper interrupted, making me frown through the bleary haze.

"Okay." I grunted, rubbing my eyes one last time. "Thank you, Cooper-san. I'll be staying here for the night so you may resign for the day."

"Thank you, Watanabe-dono."

Turning on my other, I smiled and urged him to follow me, but made sure to keep a certain, more platonic distance between us as we walked. Takeshi looked to me in confusion and tried to reach for me, but stopped when I glanced at him over my shoulder, giving a reassuring smile and shaking my head. The Rain Guardian frowned but kept to himself, walking just that little bit closer as compensation.

I hummed when I heard him make a noise of amazement, the borderline of sakura separating the two realms of the Watanabe coming into view. Harp music mixed with flute came ringing out from between the thick trunks and flitting leaves, the sound of water being disturbed as a koi jumped, followed by the giggles of my cousins. It all came seeping out in wisps, seeping into my bones and helping my muscles relax, a smile coming to my face.

"Welcome to my other home, Takeshi-kun."

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

This? This was his Daiki's other home?

Mocha eyes gazed about the practically enchanted place, the sun low and casting the scene in a honeyed light. Everything about it was right out of a painting, the sounds of gentle, feminine laughter and harp songs, the feel of a light breeze. It was nearly jarring, how a place like this could exist just over an hour's journey beyond their little town of Namimori.

An arm slunk around his waist and made him snap out of his daze, looking over to his husband with clouded eyes, a quiet inhale coming to his lungs when he saw the pleased smile that was cast down at him. His ringed hand was taken up gently and brought up to press over Daiki's heart, the rhythm fluttering against his fingers.

"This is my home. Another side of my heart." The heartbreaking smile stretched, softened, moulded against his lovingly and left him breathless. "And I'm happy to have you here."

The Rain's breath caught in his throat at that, and only came out in shuddered stutters. His hand became a fist over his lover's heart as he gained a dark hue, unable to hold the boiling over of emotions that thrashed about his chest, threatening to make his legs buckle if not for the arm holding him.

"Thank you." He croaked, trembling vocals making the amber-earth that looked down at him soften warmly. "I'm happy that you're letting me be here."

Takeshi bowed forwards and pressed his nose into the hot skin of the other's collar, inhaling melted caramel that had stained his flesh from years in the bakery.

"I'm so happy. I love you."

Daiki squeezed him gently, kissing the top of his head.

"I love you too, shujin-kun."

The Sun no doubt felt the smile that was pressed against his clavicle, the title still provoking shivers and glee to rattle the younger's body in waves. Takeshi reared up and pressed three quick kisses on the other's smiling lips, before pulling back and linking their hands, fingers clasping each other tightly as they stepped through the threshold.

He blinked as a shout rung out to them, small and high, before three, identical girls came running. It made him waver, just how graceful their dashing was, children's casual kimono barely disrupted as their pale little feet padded heavily along the pebble path, hands out for their cousin.

Daiki's laugh filled the air as he bent and scooped up the trio of girls, holding each of them close as he dished out affection.

"Hello you three," He hummed, accepting the fiddling that came to his collar and chain necklace. "I see you're all home from school then, is everyone else in the living room?"

"Yes." The one in the centre answered, dark locks swaying as she nodded.

The one clinging to the Sun's left shoulder paused before turning an ash gaze on him, snapping him out of his stare and making him wave with a bit of a stilted smile.

"Who's that?" She asked, causing her sisters to turn as well.

"Oh, this?" Daiki started, before pausing and giving a dark smile. "This is Yamamoto Takeshi, you know him."

The Rain blinked and came closer to the other's side, allowing the girls to inspect him with wide eyes, before they looked to each other and sprung from the older's arms. They hit the ground running and bolted to the large, traditional building, with a shriek on their lips.

" _DAIKI-NII-SAMA BROUGHT HIS BOYFRIEND!"_

There was a moment of quiet, allowing for Takeshi to look to his partner in a mixture of amusement, thrill and absolute confusion, the smile sent at him not at all setting him at ease, too much teeth and too much sadistic humour laced into the stretch.

"I never did get you back for that kiss in Elementary school. Better late than never, I suppose." He shrugged, before screams shook the very walls of the dorms.

The large Yakuza teen stepped aside as a battalion of women burst from the doors, each in rich finery and impeccably presented, if not for the near bloodthirsty gleams in their eye as they zeroed in on the Mafia. A small 'eep' escaped the Rain as he was suddenly surrounded on all sides, his height not making him feel any taller as the party of females sized him up with critical eyes, dissecting him with glances.

"How long have you and Daiki-nii-sama been together?" A bleach blond asked, making him turn quickly.

"Ah, six years now?"

"What are your plans?" Another asked, cheeks dotted with hundreds and thousands.

"Plan-?"

"How tall are you?" A little one with a bright pink pool noodle shouted.

"177 cms-"

"What are your intentions with our Daiki-nii-sama?" This girl was still in her school uniform, a tag hanging from around her neck with the name 'Bunko' penned on the laminated paper.

"Intention-!"

The barrage continued until Takeshi looked over his shoulder in a plea for help, a helpless exhale escaping him when he saw the Yakuza Heir petting the hair of a young teen, the girl clinging to his torso tightly with her face pressed into his collar. He was talking to Honda, this one he recognised, and she was most definitely the eldest one of the cousins there, her mature features pulled into half-happy half-put out as she glanced between the mass and the scene of the two Yakuzas.

"Naomi-chan, I need to get to Takeshi-kun, they'll eat him alive otherwise." Daiki laughed gently, nudging her shoulder.

"No, no!" She denied, burrowing deeper into his front. "Stay here, stay with me."

"Cousin." He sighed, before reaching behind him and unravelling her fingers, prying her off and stepping away. "We'll talk later, okay? I need to help Takeshi-kun now."

Coal eyes narrowed and were turned on the Rain with a hostility and outright disdain that it made him blink, confusion bubbling as she turned on her heel and all but stormed back into the building, Daiki shaking his head.

"Let's get our guest inside and out of the cold, shall we?" Honda started, getting the Sun back on track.

"Of course," He nodded, before turning to the still huddled group. "Come on cousins, leave him alone. He's staying the night, so you'll have plenty of time to interrogate."

"Aw, fine." The bleached blond pouted, stepping back and crossing her arms as she huffed.

Daiki walked the distance and wrapped his arm around the Rain's waist, pulling him against his side and pressing a kiss to his crown. Takeshi leant against him and enjoyed the warmth that spread across where they were held flush, listening to the cooes and singular gag that sounded from the family.

"Time to go inside, and we'll get some food." The elder smiled, before getting the mass of undergrounds to move along.

Takeshi took off his shoes as Daiki did, the girls tapping their feet before treading into the room, already barefoot when they had rushed out onto the grass and pebble scape. The interior was just as traditional as the outside, with a low table tucked into the corner, and a pile of lush pillows, plump and rich, crammed in the other.

"I'll...I'll go and get some food and drink. Is there anything in particular that you'd want?" A small girl asked hesitant to talk and swallowing her voice behind her hand.

"This is Gin-chan, she's wonderful with an instrument." Daiki introduced, placing his hand on her head, the girl closing her eyes as he gently pet her.

"It's nice to meet you!" The Rain laughed, rubbing the back of his head as she flushed bright. "And anything's fine, I don't wanna be any trouble."

"Okay." Gin nodded, before fleeing the scene to another room, sliding door closing behind her.

"You've made her make a decision you'd best take Yamamoto-san on the tour." The neon nailed girl hummed lightly, her tone not mean, a fondness in her teasing.

"I suppose it's inevitable- what colour is that, Sora-chan?"

"China Glaze." She, Sora, answered, displaying the fluro green nail lacquer.

"Looks good, try not to chip it off so fast this time?" He laughed lightly, before nodding after the Rain. "C'mon, I'll show you 'round."

Takeshi followed Daiki through an opening that led out into a long hall that followed a U shape, framing the internal garden which was just as fairy tale-esque as the garden out front. Another pebble path led off to beyond his view, and when he tossed the question to the Heir, he received a smiled answer.

"If you follow the path, you get taken to the bathhouse. I'll take you there later, when we need to bathe."

"Wow, you even have a personal bathhouse!" He laughed.

Internally, however, he cringed away slightly, feeling very overwhelmed by the sheer riches of this house. Women of high prestige, apparel and appearance. Cars fit for celebrities and personal chaperones. Concubines and oirans, heirships and lordships.

Yamamoto Takeshi felt very out of place here.

But at the same time, as he glanced to Daiki out of the corner of his eye, he felt happy. Shuffling closer, the Rain leant against the other, looking over the garden as he rested his head on the broad shoulder.

"You have a beautiful home, Daiki-kun."

"Mm," The Sun hummed, placing his cheek atop his hair. "And it'll always be here for you should you wish to come."

The swordsman accepted the soft nuzzle that came to the part of his hair, his eyes scrunching in the corners as he laughed lightly. His hand was used to tow him on, the two talking about whatever as they moved about the large building, Daiki showing him the nooks and crannies of the structures.

"That dent is from Ame-chan charging head-first into the wall during her animal phase, she tried to be a rhino."

"These are all of Gin-chan's music trophies, she's due to head to another competition next week. Maybe we can go together."

"There used to be Honda-onee's favourite vase there, Chiharu-chan broke it while trying to break dance."

"This spot gets the most sun throughout the day."

"Does that mean it's your napping spot?" Takeshi laughed, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe." Daiki shrugged, before getting playfully shoved to move on.

"And this is my room." The Sun said finally, bringing them to a stop before the last room down the right hall.

Takeshi hummed and peeking in, seeing the lived in space, before retreating and stepping away. His feet took him to near a metre away before his husband called out to him in confusion.

"What, don't you want to look inside? I thought you would."

"Oh," Mocha eyes looked over his shoulder with a dark smile. "I'll be very familiar with that room soon enough."

He managed to keep the grin from splitting his face as he saw the older's composure trip over itself, eyes going wide and lips parting in a minute jaw-drop. The Rain gave a little whistle, jolting his partner awake from his stupor and prompting a hue to take his cheeks as he quickly closed their gap and reconnected their hands, his amber-earth cast pointedly away.

Takeshi huffed in amusement and victory as he leant back into his partner's front, enjoying the slowly intensifying red that dusted Daiki's cheeks.

" _Daiki-kun? Oh, you've brought the Vongola Rain."_

The aforementioned boy snapped his attention to the familiar voice, blinking in confusion when he saw Dokuro Chrome standing in a doorway, her head tilted slightly and a pillow clutched to her chest.

"Hello, Chrome-chan." Daiki coughed, snapping himself free of Takeshi's influence. "Did you just get back from school?"

"No, about two hours ago. I had a nap." She explained, before turning her halved gaze upon the Rain.

The young Yamamoto looked at her in a kind of intrigue, not used to seeing the mysterious Mist in such a state, hair down and clad in a night gown, her black, skull-adorned eyepatch foregone for an obscuring lock of hair. When she focused her eyes on him, he smiled and waved, through expressed his confusion through the squeeze he gave Daiki's hand.

"Takeshi-kun, Chrome-chan, Ken-kun and Chikusa-san have been staying here since just before the Mist Battle." He started, placing his free hand on the small of the Rain's back. "You remember Kokyo land, correct? They were living there before, very unsuitable situating, so I brought them here. Ken-kun and Chikusa-san are both in the Main House."

"Oh." The younger uttered, before looking to the girl, watching as she tucked her chin into her pillow.

"Kimiko-chan is in her room, if you're looking for her. She's meant to be doing her exercises." Chrome said, glancing to the door just further down.

"Thank you, baby bird." Daiki hummed, petting her hair, making her flush faintly and curl herself. "You can go back to sleep now, Bunko-chan will wake you for dinner if you're feeling hungry."

"Mhm." The Mist girl agreed softly, before bowing a bit to them and retreating into her room, door sliding shut behind her.

"So," Takeshi turned to his other when he was spoken to, the amber-earth eyes looking down at him gently. "Shall we talk to Kimiko-chan?"

"Not-" He paused, glancing at the door. "Not just yet."

"...Okay. Gin-chan should have picked something out by now, let's go check." The taller breathed, urging the younger back to the main space.

The two teens stepped into the room and Takeshi felt the hand around his own clamp down, body pressing closer from behind.

"Naomi-chan," Daiki gritted, keeping his eyes on the familiar girl standing in the room, Gin holding her by the wrist with a pleading expression. "Do _not-_ "

"Why did you bring him here?!" Naomi snapped, making the Rain start and reel back into the body framing his. "He's not welcome! He's a thief and a wrecker!"

"Naomi-" Honda started, only to be cut off as the teeth-bared girl moved forwards.

Takeshi tried to keep up with the situation, but wasn't quite fast enough to avoid being shoved aside, heels of her palms digging into his shoulders as he was cast away to make room for herself.

Daiki grasped her biceps as she bundled his shirt in her fists, her head tilted up to see the older.

"Naomi-chan, you need to get it out of your head-"

"No, no, no! You are my husband!"

A ping rang in the back of the Mafia's mind.

"I am your cousi-!"

There was a collective silence in the room, everyone staring wide eyed in a stunned moment as Naomi brought the older's head down to seal off his denial, lips layering over each other. Amber-earth were wide with shock, mind visibly reeling as he remained frozen.

" _Watanabe Naomi!"_ Roared the eldest Yakuza woman, her stance threateningly perfect as she glared and kickstarted the room.

Daiki tore himself out of the girl's grasp and covered his mouth, a pale tint to his face, soon replaced by a dark furrow.

"How dare-"

"Daiki-nii-sama-"

"Stop interrupting-"

"Why do you need him?! He's useless!"

"Takeshi-kun is _not_ useless, and you will never refer to him as such." The Sun hissed, before resigning himself back in. "This idea that I'll be anything more than your cousin is fruitless and baseless, stop it immediately. I have been gentle with you until now but-"

"If he's not useless, why can't he fight for himself? Why do _you_ need to fight with me?! He's making us-"

" _Please_ , Naomi-chan." Daiki nearly scoffed, narrowing his eyes down at the girl. "I am doing you a favour because you're my cousin. If Takeshi-kun were to deal with you himself..."

The Watanabe girl paused before slowly dragging her eyes over to the Rain, freezing up in her cousin's grip when she saw the dark glare burning her flesh. Mocha eyes turned boiling earth, his brow furrowed and his jaw set, a suffocating atmosphere choking her of air.

"You are my cousin, so I wish to keep you safe." Daiki breathed, "But never will I let you insult my fiancé in such a way. Do not do it again."

The Sun stepped away after a moment and returned to his other's side, slowly ebbing away the glare that had settled onto Takeshi's face, light kisses making a rigid body relax.

"I wanna become familiar with your room now, please." The Rain muttered, getting a nod.

"Okay, let's go then."

"We'll send someone when you need to get ready," Honda sighed, watching as Naomi was stolen from the room by Sora.

"Mhm. I am sorry for the scene." Daiki breathed, tucking his husband into his side.

"It was inevitable. She was getting out of hand." The blond, Kaguya, grunted, looking into her cup with a bitter frown.

With awkwardness and the residue of anger whisping around his mind, Takeshi urged his partner back to his door, dropping down on the lavish futon as soon as they were safely hidden away.

"What a way to introduce me to your family." He sighed, sprawling across the sheets, watching the other place their bags in a corner.

"I'm sorry that happened." Daiki muttered, coming to sit beside him, leaning his weight on his hand to loom slightly. "I wasn't expecting Naomi-chan to lash out like that."

"Mm," The Rain hummed, rolling to face the other more. "Your other cousins are nice though. Gin-chan is a nice girl."

"Yeah, they were all excited when I told them about you. I think it was Kaguya-chan who asked when she should start buying wedding presents."

Takeshi's eyes lit up at the mention of a wedding, his cheeks warming with his heart as Daiki smiled and shuffled closer, free arm coming to drape over him to settle on the Rain's hip. The Sun dipped his head to nuzzle their noses together, getting a quiet squeal from the laying boy, giggles lacing the air between them as they basked in their affection.

When he pulled away, mocha eyes couldn't be helped but be drawn to the vermilion lips that hovered above him, bowed in a fond smile that wrangled his heart almost daily. His musing stop, however, when he spotted a sheen on them, his brow furrowing in confusion. Reaching up, the Mafia cupped the Yakuza's chin and used his thumb to line his bottom lip, a flash of something hot, and something sour bursting low in his chest when he pulled it back to see a stain of light pink.

Naomi.

"She left her lipstick on you." He breathed, eyes wide with a boiling undertone.

Daiki blinked in confusion at his airy hiss, fingers coming to touch his lips and too finding the remnants of his cousin.

"Oh," He muttered, rubbing his mouth with the back of his wrist. "Must've rubbed off."

The Rain's eyes remained wide open as he rose slightly, pushing himself up on his elbow to allow for height as he stared up at his other, watching him intently as he tried to remove the blight. He gave no warning as he surged forwards, fingers snagging the elder's dark cobalt hair and dragging him down to match their levels, pressing lips over lips in what could be the harshest kiss in their history.

The movements were messy and overpowering, the Rain intent on erasing the peach scent and pink stain, replacing them with the mingling of their breaths and the shine of saliva. Daiki seemed to have no qualms with the desire, leaning into the kiss and submitting as the other wished, allowing the swordsman to plunder and love.

"There," Takeshi sighed, pulling back and gazing up with satiated eyes. "Much better. Now you're nice and clean."

A lulling satisfaction thrummed in his core as he drank in the hazy expression that dominated his husband's face, the elder not quite off their cloud quite yet, but still responsive as the Rain brought him down to lay on his shoulder, bicep a pillow for the Sun's head.

"You're rid of that girl now." He hummed, gently running the tips of his fingers along the slightly swollen lips.

Daiki made a noise of listless agreement, dazed even as he smiled and swiped his tongue over the playing fingerpad.

"I like your taste better, anyway."

"That's good," Takeshi grinned, slowly softening now that the threat was passed. "That's good."

"You're yandere got the best of you again, my love." Daiki sighed after a moment, cognitive enough to crack a humoured smile as the Rain huffed.

"I am _not_ a _yandere!_ " He denied, cheeks gaining a hue a deep laugh washed into his ears. "I'm just protective."

"I do recall you referring to me as- and I quote- ' _mine'_."

"Because you are!" Takeshi whined, looking away stubbornly as the elder cooed at him and nuzzled the turned cheek.

A smile was shared between them as they laughed quietly, not needing to be loud to express themselves when they were so close.

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

 **|LAMBO|**

Lambo of the Bovino trilled to himself a loud tune as he happily licked the chocolate layered spoon, rightfully gifted to him by Kaede. Since Daiki was gone for the weekend, he was to behave for the woman and not give Mephisto too much stress, the pup himself watching him from the entrance of the kitchen like a hawk, the small Mafia hitman sitting precariously on the bench's edge.

On one hand, he was _supposed_ to behave. On the other, he was Lambo.

And Lambo didn't do behaving.

Of course, it would displease Papa, but he wouldn't mind Miphy keeping his skills sharp, so…

"Miphy!"

The dog's head snapped to his own, and he instantly started growling. Maybe his eyes were flashing, but Lambo was too gleeful to dwell on it.

"I, Lambo-san, am here for the weekend!" He crowed. "And I have taken it upon myself to keep your watchdoggy skills sharp and amazing! Though not as amazing as me…"

Miphy seemed to wilt, but his growling didn't cease.

"Oh, c'mon!"

How dare he not be grateful? Well, that wouldn't do. When he weekend was over, Papa would be so over the moon with Miphy's guarding awesomeness, that he'll go to the amusement park with Lambo! And then Miphy would stay at home and be boring- with his improved guarding awesomeness, courtesy of Lambo. Yes, he liked the sound of that.

But in order to improve Miphy awesomely, he had to 'pull out the big guns', like Papa liked to say. And there is no bigger gun than he, himself!

With that master plan in mind, he pulled out a purple bazooka…

And misfired.

As Miphy disappeared in a pink cloud of smoke, Lambo was dreading the accuracy lessons Papa would drill him in again.

The smoke cleared, some dirt, a few planty parts, and a necklace with a tooth appeared.

Lambo promptly retreated, a valid decision when confronted with such a worthy foe like TYL!Miphy. Obviously, these evasive and distraction tactics have been taught by him, Lambo. When he'll tell Papa about it, a visit to the park would be guaranteed indeed.

Now, where did he leave that chocolate spoon of goodness?

 **|LAMBO|**

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Takeshi hummed to himself as he leisurely ran his fingers through his husband's cobalt strands, the dark shade a soft texture. The head on his chest weighed a comforting heavy, steady, constant breaths soothing his ears as afternoon sun warmed the room, their space illuminated in a pinky peach.

Daiki stirred suddenly, amber-earth blinking up at the Rain sleepily as he roused himself, sighing as he grumbled.

"You fell asleep, shujin-kun." Takeshi breathed, smiling softly at his partner. "Are you really that tired?"

"No," Daiki lied, an unsteady waver signalling in the back of his mind. "It's just cause I'm with you."

He lowered himself back down to the warm chest, planting a barely-there kiss on the plains of the anatomy before nestling back into the Rain.

"You're calming." The rogue Sun sighed, closing his eyes and inhaling deep as he pressed his cheek to the other's heart. "You make me feel safe."

Takeshi's breath caught when the words reached him, a pleased smile coming to Daiki's lips when he heard the erratic heartbeat beneath his ear, eyes still shut as he doused himself in the feeling of his fiancé. The Rain's hands slowly carded the older's scalp, quiet purrs escaping the one draped atop him as he scratched at sensitive patches of nerves, provoking him to shift and growl softly, rubbing the corners and underside of his jaw against the broad chest in an almost animalistic manner.

Amber-earth eyes opened finally, pinning the younger with a relaxed, hooded stare that stirred the swordsman's insides, before a small smile came to his lips, a huff escaping.

"You ready to talk to Kimiko-chan now?" Daiki hummed.

The Vongola Rain pouted as Daiki sat up from their lazing, looking down at his lover with honey eyes. He was reluctant to let go of his husband, arm only sliding from around strong hips as the older stood and held his hands out for the Yamamoto.

"We must do it eventually, my love, I have limited time." He chided gently, drawing the younger up and cupping his cheek.

"I know." Takeshi admitted, leaning into the cool palm. "Well, let's do it then. Lead the way, shujin-kun."

Daiki looked down at his with such softness that he felt the warning quiver of his heart, an impending, inevitable overflow due to happen should the look last any longer. The hand cupping his face stirred, a calloused thumb coming to rub gently along the rise of his cheekbone as the older rested their foreheads together, a long exhale leaving him as he kept their gazes connected.

"Thank you for being so understanding about the situation, Takeshi-kun." He sighed, getting a warm smile from his other.

"What kind of husband would I be if I didn't at least try?" The Rain asked rhetorically, tilting his head to plant the sweetest kiss he could conjure, trilling deep in his throat as it was reciprocated with the same tireless endearment.

They shared a blush-painted smile as they pulled themselves from each other finally, the desire to continue licking the back of the Guardian's mind as he watched his Daiki step back and bowing to plant another kiss on the back of his hands.

"Let's go, then, my loving husband."

Mocha eyes widened before he broke out into a grin, happiness thrumming through his veins as he followed after the Yakuza Heir, their fingers laced with their heartbeats, riding high on bliss. Deep breaths were taken to steady himself, the Rain knowing that an unbiased mind was his best weapon when stepping into the awaiting arena of the oiran's room, a glance towards his other showing him the tension that riddled his eyes.

Daiki gave a breath, hissing it out as he forced his body to loosen, his head tilting back to open the airflow. Takeshi watched as skin stretched and bounced over a steady pulse, strong jaw lolling back.

"Ready?" The Sun asked, looking to the ceiling.

A flash of a winter chilled morning when through his mind, childish laughter, brand new sports equipment, and the now familiar warmth of amber-earth eyes.

"Ready." He breathed, nodding decisively.

Copper-tan knuckles cracked against the wooden frame of the sliding door, the sound reverberating through the structure.

"Kimiko-chan? May I come in?"

" _Of course, my Lord."_

Immediately, any peace the Rain had possessed flew out the window. He was nervous. Overwhelmingly.

This woman, her voice alone was a frightening thing, smokey and clear, airy in just the right way, smooth and rich. It made his grasp on the older's hand double anxiety bubbling in his stomach, not wanting the other to leave his side.

Daiki sensed this, looking over with soft orbs. He squeezed the fingers in his hold, forcing a smile onto his own face to sooth the younger.

"Remember who's ring I'm wearing, my love."

Takeshi blinked, before nodding, a sparkle of courage coming, provided by his husband. All he had to do was fan the new flames.

"You're my husband." He continued, keeping his gaze on mocha eyes steady. "And I am yours."

"And I am yours." The Rain repeated, closing his eyes to collect himself.

There was a smile, before the door was pushed aside and the Yakuza teen strode in with the confidence of a Oyabun, eyes set stern yet warm.

"My Lord," Came the voice again, "You've had a good evening, I hope?"

Mocha eyes were drawn to a figure, head bowed gracefully, allowing for a curtain of ebony strands to fall from a bare shoulder. Her clavicle was pale and delicate, neck swan-like as it reared back up to act as a podium for a idealised face, no flaws in the image. Her kimono was vibrant and rich in colour, layers doing nothing to hide the supple frame beneath.

Her lips were stained a dark red, and bowed in a welcoming smile, eyes painted prettily as they gazed up at her guests. Her face was void of any blemish, or any imperfection of unevenness. She was perfect.

He was terrified.

"My evening was wonderful, Kimiko-chan." Daiki hummed, "I spent it with my fiancé."

A kickstart to the heart.

"And what of yours? Chrome-chan tells me that you're still trying to get your Mist Flames to cooperate."

"Yes," She sighed, looking an apple placed upon a napkin. "It would seem that this is all much harder than Chrome-senpai said it would be."

"And who might this be?" Kimiko perked, turning her fine onyx gaze on Takeshi.

Daiki paused, before looking over his shoulder, a split eyebrow coming to raise when he saw how the Rain was lingering by the door. He urged him forwards, hand held in suspension, waiting to be grasped.

Takeshi steadied his breath before stepping forwards, his exterior carefully crafted to be calm as his interior shivered. The cool of Daiki's palm was a welcome distraction from the roaring tension, and as he was brought forwards, the Sun made sure that he could feel the heat that radiated off his body, even from the small distance.

"Kimiko-chan, this is my fiancé, Yamamoto Takeshi." He introduced, making the woman stop.

Thinning his lips, the young Rain pulled them into a smile, civil but as warning as he could muster.

"Hello!" He chirped, years of performance coming to back him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you finally, my Lord." The woman all but crooned, turning on her knees to bow at a graceful degree. "The Lord Watanabe speaks nothing but praise of you."

"Haha, really?" Came his laugh, hand coming to scritch at the back of his neck in half-faux bashfullment.

"Yes, very much," She smiled, bringing her head up to gaze at him with gentle eyes. "Watanabe-dono has made it quite clear that he is loyal to you, and you only. You are a lucky man, my Lord, not many have such devotion."

"Only because he makes it so easy to love him." Daiki chuckled, coming up from behind to kiss his nape, hands grasping his biceps. "He's just too wonderful."

Takeshi could tell that he was laying it on thick, the affectionate nuzzling, while appreciated, over pronounced in a manner that made it noticeable. Despite their extra flourish, it made a smile come forth as he watched him out of the corner of his eye, settling back into the touch, content to show Kimiko what they had.

"I have," He stared, lacing his fingers with the hands that gathered with his own, Daiki still apothesising his shoulders in an obsessive display. "Been made aware of your situation. The concubine thing."

"Yes." She breathed, nodding.

"So you'll know what kind of position that puts us all in."

"Yes."

"Then you know that I'll be watching. I'll be watching everything you do to my husband, and will be the first to respond if you overstep your bounds."

Kimiko looked at the decisive boy, seeing his crafted expression, before bowing her lips into a smile and inclining her head.

"Of course, my Lord."

There was a gentle nibble on the bony knob atop his spine, a subtle reminder and a harmless warning.

"I...Do not blame you for the situation, however." He continued, squeezing copper-tan hands. "Daiki-kun told me the details and I know this isn't all your choice."

"And, thank you, for looking after Daiki-kun while he's here. I know he can be a bit of a handful-"

"Hey!" The Yakuza Heir exclaimed, popping out from behind.

"-but you seem to know how to deal with him in primadonna mode." Takeshi laughed, reaching behind him to cup his pouting cheek.

" _My_ primadonna mode?" He huffed, releasing the last hand and circling his waist, pulling the Rain right up against his front. "And what about yours? Can't go longer than a few hours without getting your attention fix."

"Oh shush, you can't go a few hours without a kiss fix." The younger shot back, playful smile taking his face as the other drew closer with a hum.

"What can I say? They're addictive." He chuckled before pressing chaste affection onto his lover.

Kimiko smiled at them fondly, a kind of second-hand happiness flooding her as she watched them mingle and cuddle. She was so used to seeing this all as an act, girls curling themselves around men and arms wrapping around waists, all an act of lust and bodily desire. It was refreshing to see it done out of an act of affection, simple and clean, touching because they wanted to hold, hold because they wanted to cherish, cherish because they wanted to love.

"You are very lucky, my Lords." She hummed, drawing their attention. "I wish you both much happiness with each other."

The Rain paused, looking her over with mocha eyes, before smiling softly, his eyes glimmering with a newfound care for this woman.

"Thank you, Kimiko-chan."

…

"Oh, no sweetheart, you need to minus one here, otherwise the graph will move the other way." Daiki corrected softly, reaching across his low desk to tap in incorrect scribe in the Rain's workings.

"Huh?" Takeshi whined, looking at the sheet in perplexity. "I don't get this."

"It's hard, but you're smart, my love, you'll be able to do it." He hummed, smiling over glasses frames. "Try again, this isn't anything you can't accomplish."

The Yamamoto gave a heaved complaint but leant back over his book, a hand coming to sooth along his spine, making his relax from his concentrated tension.

The night was growing on them and there was only a little time left until Daiki would be called away into that imposing building across the sakura border.

"Again, you went in the wrong direction."

"Sorry." He sighed, flushing a bit in embarrassment, glancing at the Sun's completed homework, the older boy already having moved to 'Yakuza paperwork'.

"There is no reason to apologise, just keep trying."

The Rain huffed and shuffled over, pressing their thighs together in a bid to rise his mood again, smiling softly when Daiki changed his writing hand to allow their fingers to thread together under the table. With the rogue's voice gently chiding in his ear, he allowed the elder to help him navigate the question again, a noise of delight escaping when he finally came to the answer.

"I did it!" He cheered, fistpumping the air with both hands, dragging the copper-tan arm up with him.

"Yes," Daiki laughed, pressing a split second kiss to his cheek, catching him by surprise. "Just like I knew you would."

Takeshi grinned sheepishly, enjoying the praise, even if it did come after quite a bit of suffering.

"And now, do it twenty-six more times."

Oh _fucking_ hell!

"Jun-kun, it's time I'm guessing?"

Takeshi jolted before looking up, a low coming to his mood when he saw the Yakuza hand standing at the door. The young Hayashi gave a nod, bowing his head to the Rain as he scuttled in, arms carrying a pile of folded clothes and a small box.

Daiki stood from his desk, a muted noise leaving the swordsman as his heavy palm ceased being pressed to his own. His fingers came to grasp at the older's calf as he stood beside him, leaning to rest his head on a solid thigh and watch the Storm lay out the pieces.

"The dinner will start momentarily, but Daiki-dono will have more than enough time to prepare." He chirped, taking a shiny, expensive looking watch and placing it down.

Fingers laced into Takeshi's hair and made him hum before he was left to drop into the floor, Daiki walking off with a laugh as the thump reached his ears.

"Shujin-kun!"

"I love you~!" The Sun snickered, having the gall to shoot a _wink_ of all things at him as he laid strewn across the floor.

The Rain made a noise of playful outrage, crossing his arms even as he remained laid out on his side. His cheeks gained a hue as he watched the elder of their pair undress himself to his border, before pulling on black slacks and a dark blue dress shirt, cufflinks a dazzling gold and his irezumi peeking out of the sleeve at his wrist. The Rain _swore_ that Daiki was purposefully flexing the muscles that rippled underneath the material, and in the process, gave the young Yamamoto a small heart attack.

A small pool of salivation collected under his tongue as amber-earth turned in him, playfulness sparkling in the orbs. The Sun sauntered on over with confidence, no doubt knowing just how much of the Rain's attention was devoted to his very existence alone, his smile curling attractively as he kneeled and planted a kiss on the tanned forehead.

"One of my cousins will come get you for dinner, I'll see you later tonight."

And with a quick caress of the cheek, both the future Oyabun and his Right Hand were out of the room, the mousy boy giving a quick bow before sliding the door shut.

 **...**

Takeshi thinned his lips as he paced about the room, already having snooped in just about every nook and cranny of the place and completed messing up and tidying their shared futon, he was out of things to waste time. His sigh came out loud and grating, head thunking down on the pillows, his eyes closing as he tempted the idea of sleep, before dismissing it, not willing to submit to slumber in an unfamiliar place without some sort of comforting company.

"How much longer..?" He asked quietly, rolling over to grab his phone and groan at the one hour difference, at least four more still waiting to turn over. "Oh, come on."

The Rain blinked as a soft knock rapped at the door, making him sit up and call out for entry. The wooden panelling slid aside and revealed the oiran woman, her smile as catching as usual. She bowed gently before breezing into the room, eyebrow raised as she glanced around.

"My Lord, why are you sitting in such darkness?"

"Huh?" He uttered, looking to the walls, not having noticed the gradual decrease in light. "Oh, slipped past me!"

Kimiko laughed as he chuckled sheepishly, feeling a bit more at ease with the woman than he thought he would, or should, have been. She gestured to a lamp that sat on the low desk, asking for wordless permission, and getting it without fuss, moving over to the device and setting off the gasoline, burning a flame to brighten the room.

With the room bathed in light, she lowered herself to lean against the desk, casting her gaze to the cross legged Rain.

"You seem restless." The woman observed, making him scratch the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I kinda don't know what to do here now that Daiki-kun is gone." The Vongola Guardian admitted, shrugging his shoulders.

Kimiko rested her cheek in her palm looking at him through hooded eyes, examining him from top to bottom, making the boy shift a bit on the spot.

"My Lord," She started suddenly, mocha eyes shifting to her quickly. "I do believe there is something that we can do to fill your time. I assure you, you'll enjoy it _immensely_."

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

The room was brimming with a low roar, highlights of laughter and shouts going off as groups and parties boisterously enjoyed equally crude attention and company, the stale smell of alcohol filling the air, mixing with expensive cigarette smoke and high rate cologne. My nose stung with insult, but the drunken, giddy mood was infectious, my own friends were no different, after all.

"Watanabe-dono," Yukimura chirped, flopping against my side, a heavy alcohol in hand already. "How's the little town life treating ya?"

"It's doing well." I hummed, tapping Furuichi when he rocked in his seat, looking ready to fall asleep. "Just for a few more hours, friend."

"I'm tired, though." He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I had an assignment to hand in this morning that I didn't start until last night."

"Oh, shit man." Yukimura hissed sympathetically, picking a piece of sweet cake off his plate and handing it over to our fellow Heir. "You're gonna need it more than me at this rate."

"Huh- Oh, thanks." The pale garbed Yakuza smiled popping it into his mouth, sugar waking him up a bit.

I felt a yawn build in my throat and stifled it with the back of my hand, both of my little triangle groaning as sympathy yawns cracked their jaws as well, tears welling up in Yukimura's eyes.

"God damn it, Watanabe-dono, you know how much my tear ducts leak when I yawn!" He snapped, wiping at the corners with his sleeves.

A laugh escaped my as he thudded my shoulder weakly, shoving his mouth full of a kind of cake, huffing as Furuichi and I cooed at him playfully, his cheeks going apple red and making him grumpier.

" _Ey! The entertainment's here!"_ A man hollered, cheers ringing out as the sliding door opened, allowing a small parade of women to walk in.

Yukimura roared in appreciation and dragged two girls down to sit on either side of him, arms around their waists, but keeping his hands out of their business. He gave the girl on his right an appreciative kiss on the cheek, before quickly offering them food or drink, the girls stuttering to accept or turn down the offer.

A glance was all I needed to know that these girls were new, no more than a month in servitude, I'd say. Poor things. Sometimes I wondered just how quick Yukimura was, if he managed to snag them so early, locking them out of range of the worse men in the room.

Furuichi called for a girl as well, gesturing her over with a elegant flick of his hand. She moved quickly and knelt by his side, hiding her alarm well when he yanked her over as gently as he could managed while keeping appearances. The Heir sighed and rested his head against her chest, muttering a small explanation to the girl, making her relax.

"Sorry, he's tired." I hummed, getting a deep nod in response, her eyes low.

A shot of sake was forced into my hand by Yukimura as he laughed obnoxiously with his newly acquired harem, the two still unsure about their captor. One of them looked to me, a curiosity in her eye. I didn't meet her gaze despite noticing, instead continued to drink the small shot, letting her find what she wanted.

"Are you not going to take a woman?" She asked, before stalling and tacking on: "My Lord."

"I'm not your Lord tonight." I corrected plainly, "Yukimura-dono is. I am Watanabe-dono to you."

"O-oh, I'm so sorr-" She rushed, eyes wide with flickers of terror.

"Don't worry." I soothed quietly, placing down my cup. "You're new, we can all tell."

She curled in on herself and nodded, face aflame with shame and embarrassment.

"Yukimura-dono will keep you safe for the evening." I sighed, "Just keep acting as you are. He's perfected the mask of an asshole."

"I resent that!" The Yakuza teen snapped.

"But is it untrue?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, split in history.

"...Yeah, fuck you too, Watanabe-dono."

"Mm, no thanks."

His teeth bared at me with a viciousness that was laced with playful spite, my own lips curling into a humoured sadism. Just as he was full ready to lunge at my throat, the door slid aside again, allowing for the last of the women to come in, easily snatched from their line by hands in the crowd.

I bit my lip at the rough treatment, but smiled nonetheless as Kimiko came into my vision, her colours making her as reserved. The woman reflected the gaze, before stepping aside, allowing to see a figure behind her, flushing playfully under oiran garb.

"Heya, girl, come sit with us." Yukimura snickered, grasping the oiran's companion by their wrist, making mocha eyes jump to him as if just noticing.

"Uh-"

"Oh c'mon, Yukimura-dono," I huffed, "You've already got two to yourself, this one's _mine_."

The Yakuza second Heir looked to me, scanning my expression and the one underneath it, reading my words for all their worth. His eyes widened, before narrowing, and he let the wrist go.

" _Fiine!"_ He whined, wrapping his company up again and slumping dramatically.

Ignoring his theatrics, I turned my attention on the two, inviting them to sit with me. Kimiko carefully placed herself against my side, shoulder bumping mine as she placed her weight on one hand, legs curled to the side of herself. Her companion did the same, though they were obviously looking for instruction, their actions stilted and slow.

"And who's your friend, Kimiko-chan?" I asked with playful sarcasm, looking to the person on my other side, watching the way they shifted in futile attempts to make themselves more comfortable in their twisted position.

"She's a newly introduced girl, my Lord." The woman giggled, obviously getting a kick out of this. "She has reserved herself for you, specially."

"Really?" I hummed.

Out of the corner of my eye, the Oyabun turned his gaze on me, watching with badly concealed interest at his 'supposedly gay' Heir mingling with women in public. He huffed and drew attention to it, the Oyabuns surrounding him looking over as well, and clapping him on the back in their own, old-regal-person way.

Cracking a smile, I decided to do an act for gain, and for pleasure. Reaching over to the 'new' face, I grasped their jaw and hummed, examining and finding many things that I liked.

"And just what do I call you, my dear?" I asked, mocha eyes reflecting humour back at me.

"Anything you wish, my Lord."

My lips curled and I dragged the pretty creature over, tucking them into my side.

"Then, would you mind if I called you 'love'? For I do harbour that emotion for you," My lips brushed the shell of their ear, making a full body shudder ripple through their flesh. "My Takeshi-kun."

A gentle, jocund laugh escaped my disguised lover, his hand coming to curl in my lap as I nuzzled his jaw.

"Was I that easy to find out?"

"You could catch my eye in a room full of the most sought after oirans, my love." I admitted, wrapping my arm around his waist.

My breath caught for a moment, nose buried in the dark hair behind his ear. Pulling back the tiniest bit, I inhaled again, eyes widening when a delicious scent hit my senses, hold on the boy tightening.

"My God," I muttered quietly, lowering my head to touch my nose to the juncture of Takeshi's neck. "You smell so good. _Why_ do you smell so _good?_ "

"Kimiko-chan put some sort of perfume on me," He hummed, tilting his head to let me find spots of replenished fragrance, croons leaving my throat as I quickly came to be addicted to the aroma. "I take it that you like it."

Instead of answering, I scraped my teeth over a nook I knew was sensitive, an airy gasp leaving him as he squeezed his eyes shut, a hue bathing his cheeks and creeping down his collar.

Off to the side, I could hear Kimiko giggling softly, her fingers shielding her smile delicately as she watched the exchange, obviously pleased with her work.

"Would you like some drink, my Lord?" She asked, remembering her role, although still enjoying herself.

"Yes please, Kimiko-chan." I smiled, accepting the cup and shooting scalding alcohol back.

I started as Takeshi took it from my hand and tipped a bit into his own mouth, eyes widening as he gagged in surprise.

"Dai-" He cough and fixed himself. "My Lord drinks alcohol?"

"Well, I'm required to at these sorts of events." I explained, cleaning the corner of his mouth off. "Don't drink it, I'm sure there's tea or water around."

The Rain huffed and glared down the cup in his hands, still half full of the murky liquid. He gave a grunt and brought it to his lips, tipping the piece until it was gone down his throat, my eyes widening as I rubbed his back to sooth out his nerves.

"My Lord is in your company, Watanabe-dono. I'm sure he's as safe as he can be while consuming alcohol when with you. Let him, he seems to want to." Kimiko hummed, taking the now empty cup and refilling it delicately.

I looked to my oiran-dressed partner with the buzzing of concern, but sighed in defeat when he didn't seem to show any bad reactions to the drink, accepting another and taking a bit more reserved sips.

"Okay, but only a few. You stop after five halves- if you even get there." I muttered, before thumping my lap and calling the Rain to shuffle into the seat, his head falling onto my shoulder.

With this decision in placed, I took the cup from his lips and pressed it to my own, drinking down the biting liquid with perhaps too much ease.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, Yamamoto Takeshi wasa fucking lightweight.

And as per usual, I was dragged down with him. Perhaps not unwillingly.

…

My head was hazy from alcohol as I pushed my partner into the darkening space of my dorm, a single gas lamp on the desk in the corner illuminating the area in a soft, golden glow and dowsing my lover in a honeyed light, his smile open and carefree as he wrapped his arms around my neck. Our steps were stumbled and our mouths were occupied as we navigated the room clumsily, yelps escaping us as Takeshi's heels caught on the edge of the futon and sent us sprawling.

The Rain laughed drunkenly as I weighed down on him, still a bit dizzy from the tip. His hands roamed along my back and slid up my neck, tugging my hair to pull my head so he could seal our lips again, rolling his tongue into my mouth. Humming at the alcoholic flavour, I pampered and praised the moist muscle, bringing myself up to hover before shifting to straddle my lover.

As he sat up, I hooked my hands around the obi that hid him away and tossed it aside with intoxicated abandon, pushing open his silken kimono and allowing it to collect at his elbows. I grinned as he looked up at me, open and bare, before bowing and touching my nose into the juncture between his shoulder and neck, inhaling before pressing my tongue onto his skin, tasting salt. I gave a low note as he rutted up, my seat jolting as he clacked his teeth near my ear, nails digging into my shoulder blades, hooked around the edges.

I let a noise rumble in my throat as Takeshi continued to grind up, the hands settling on my hips anchoring the friction that made him choke and groan into my collar, perspiration from his panting collecting on my skin.

"This," He grunted, fisting my shirt's collar and narrowing hazy eyes up at me. "I want this gone. All of it. I want _you._ "

I inhaled sharply, feeling the buzzings of panic, before it was submerged in a wave of blissing intoxication. The alcohol in my system helped me bring my hands up and unbutton my dress shirt, the dark blue material falling from my shoulders and tossed away to join with the bright obi. I could feel his rising excitement as my white undershirt was played with, my face twisting into a smile as I pressed his hand to my stomach, his nails dragging the length.

"If that's what my love wants." I hummed, getting eyes flashed at me with hot inebriate.

"That's what your love wants."

My smile came into a full blown grin that was reflected by his own as I yanked the cloth, hands coming to cup his jaw and bring him closer to crash my lips over his, notes leaving us and mingling together as he rocked in his position. Pulling our mouths off each other, we panted as a trail kept our tongues connected, my heart stumbling over itself as the corners of his eyes wrinkled with fondness.

"Haha, what's that?" Takeshi slurred, running his hands over the tight black material.

"It's my binder, silly Takeshi-kun." I hummed, snapping the shoulder strap to emphasize.

We giggle drunkenly and continued to bite and suckle salty skin, heavy scents rising in the air around us as our insides boiled.

"You wanna feel under it?" I snickered, bringing the Rain's hands to rub against the piece.

"Yes!"

The enthusiasm made me scrunch my nose in fondness, before I slipped fingers under the bottom and wormed my way out, shuffling in my straddled position. Takeshi returned his hands to the hips atop his own and pressed kisses to the dark clavicle, starting when the material caught him in the face, not moving out of the way in time to dodge the sudden take off.

"Shujin-kun has nips!" The Yamamoto cackled, throwing his head back in hysterical laughter.

I huffed at him before tangling my hand into the pitch hair and bringing my spouse forwards, provoking the smaller to nuzzle the valley of flesh, cooing at softness and warmth. It didn't last long, however, as he was roughly tugged out, causing a yelp, before his mouth was sealed over. He eventually weaned himself off my tongue before he leant back to marvel, my face heating up beyond the alcohol as his hands wandered, feeling, exploring, mapping and familiarising.

Our lips met again as he squeezed, and I was completely taken under, world going dark and muted as he was all I could smell, all I could see, all I could feel, all I could hear, all I could taste.

Hands, skin, tongues, mouths. Takeshi. Takeshi. _Takeshi._

 **...**

Ugh, the light is too loud.

I winced as I opened my eyes, a groan rippling from my throat as I tried to bring my hands to cover my eyes. When my arm didn't budge, I forced my eyes open fully and looked down, my heart slowly freezing like it was doused in liquid nitrogen.

Takeshi was securely tucked under my stationary arm, his fingers interwoven with mine and pinning it to his chest. We were curling into each other, almost no space between, allowing for his free hand to be pressed to the _unbound_ hills of my own chest, my eyes widening when I realised his own openness, kimono loose and acting as little more than a coat.

When-!? How-?!

Holding my breath to avoid waking my sleeping partner, I carefully untangled myself and sat up, lips parting in a jaw drop when I saw the sheer amount of marks decorating my torso, a pang making me touch my shoulder and feel out a set of brutal teeth marks, not needing to reach behind to know the no-doubt red scratch marks that cascaded down my back.

Getting to my feet, I winced as my buckle rubbed against irritated skin, making me look down and grimaced as I gingerly touched the remnants of nails, an ode to the attempts made throughout the night to remove my pants that had valiantly remained. Shaking my head, I teetered as a wave of dizziness rung through my mind, before I huffed and stumbled to the pile of clothes in the corner, pushing aside an obi and a familiar pair of boxer briefs before I found my binder and wrestled it on, my movements sluggish and stalling. Taking a deep breath, I checked the tightness before tugging my shirt over my head, fixing the collar just as a rustle came from behind me.

" _Uuggghhhh..."_ Takeshi groaned, rolling over and giving a hissed breath. "Turn off the sun, shujin-kun."

Turning around, I winced at the sun as well before crawling over into the sheets, myself hidden away and allowing for the Rain to receive my undivided attention, though a buzzing remained in the back of my mind under layers of haze and fondness.

"Morning, love." I greeted softly, careful of his ears.

"Don't wanna be mornin'" He grumbled, rolling over, before flinching and pushing himself off the sheets. "Ow...Ow."

My brow furrowed as I helped him up, his hands covering his eyes from the light as I pushed aside his layers, a red hot rush coming when I saw the marks marring his own skin. Bleary mocha eyes looked down at himself and gave a stuttered breath, fingers brushing over blemishes and redness.

"What happened?"

"S...Sorry." I muttered out, blushing as I glanced off.

Jesus Christ, we didn't go easy on each other last night, did we?

Takeshi didn't seem the least distracted by my words, still consumed by the designs bitten and scratched into his flesh, fingering a faded mark dangerously high on his thigh. This made me think to the taste in my mouth, and I coughed, scrunching my nose.

"Did we..." He began, looking to me with wide eyes, a rich stain on his cheeks.

"No, I guess we decided that you were easier to undress, too uncoordinated to undo my buckle." I soothed, shaking my head. "But we tried."

To further my words, I pulled my shirt up and showed the marks that decorated my own body, the feral scratches and bites that littered near my belt catching his attention.

"Good," He sighed, deflating with relief. "I want to remember it. All of it."

Warmth bloomed in my chest at that, eyes pinching in the corners as I watched him reach across to trail his fingertips over the night's attention.

"I do too." I hummed softly, drawing him over to slump against my chest as he held his pounding head.

"Ugh." He groaned, pressing his face into my collar to block out the piercing light.

I made a noise of sympathy and laid us back down, arm curled around my partner as I pulled the sheets high over our heads, covering us in darkness and soothing our retinas. Takeshi grumbled and wormed in closer, his bare front pressing up against me and if I weren't in a post-alcoholic haze, I probably would have spluttered. Instead, however, I ran my hand down the length of his back, feeling the silken fabric of his kimono pulled taut to his body.

The soothing action made him murmur a noise, before he hiked his leg across my own, effectively trapping me to him.

Blinking against a blurry view, I groaned and fumbled for my phone, wincing as the screen's light stabbed me in the eyes and made my heartbeat shriek in my ears. Lowering the brightness desperately, I hid away half my vision in Takeshi's hair, feeling him breathe steady against my shoulder as I tapped on the speed dial and brought the device to my ear, flinching when the tone was too loud.

" _Daiki-dono?"_

"Hangover, Jun-kun." I grumbled, making the Rain mimic the noise.

" _I'll be right over, then."_ He stated, before hanging up as I tossed my phone out of the sheets and curled into my fiancé, pressing my face into the top of his head.

"I love you, Daiki-kun." The hungover Rain started, voice gravely and dry. "But I'm never going to drink again."

"Okay, love." I grumbled, half dreading the next meeting.

* * *

Ryohei gave loud laughter as I chased him with raised fists, my phone in his hands as he read out the texts that went between me and my Rainy lover, my face ablaze with rage and embarrassment as he jumped over a desk, the class of 3-A having an absolute riot about it.

"Sasagawa Ryohei, I swear to God, if you keep reading those I will find your old blog and post it on the year chat!"

"You wouldn't _dare._ " He hissed, clutching my phone.

I began reciting the web address, my voice carrying through the room and a select range of students scrambling to record it on any medium they could grasp first, only to be cut off as my phone was pegged back at me.

"Fine!"

With my device in my possession, I waved at my brother Sun as I walked out, his pout following me.

…

A yawn cracked my jaw, eyes blurry as I leant against the wall with a sigh, the low murmur of the school meeting the dead buzz of my ears.

Tired. Tired. I was so tired.

For the past weeks, sleep hadn't been a great luxury that I could afford, my mother leaving most of the shifts at the bakery to my hands, early mornings and late nights coming under my order. That, coupled with staying atop my growing lists of homework and 3rd year exams, the amount of time dedicated to sleep was the bare minimum, anywhere between four and one hour, depending on how needy Lambo was and how heavy a load the set work was.

"Chattering Herbivore."

Looking to the call, I deflated a bit and smiled wearily at the Skylark as he landed from the tree, his coat billowing dramatically.

"Hey, birdy." I sighed, rubbing my eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" He huffed, looking at me with a critical eye.

"Just a bit sleepy."

Slate eyes narrowed at me, the cold wind making my skin pebble with goosebumps even under my blazer.

"Go to the infirmary, handler."

"It's not that bad-" I tried, pushing off the wall, only to get nailed across the temple by a metal tonfa.

"If you weren't, you would have been able to dodge that."

Oh fucking hell.

* * *

 **|S.R|**

The Vongola Sun blinked as the door was pushed open, the teacher preparing to reprimand the impromptu and impolite interruption, only to freeze and give a creeking smile to the default glowering Hibari Kyoya.

"Sasagawa Ryohei, Yamaguchi Daiki is in the infirmary." The Cloud announced across the room.

His breath caught and his Flames roared high on instinct, muscles twitching in barely restrained desire to bolt. Thinning his lips to hold himself, Ryohei turned on the teacher, his voice a tone rougher than he usually would have allowed.

"Sensei, may I go to the nurse's office?"

She glanced between the boys before gathering herself and dismissing the Sun, waving him out of the room. Ryohei didn't stay long enough to hear it all.

"Bro!" He shouted, bursting into the infirmary, the first of their group to arrive. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened-" Daiki tried, but the way his arms shuddered as he tried to push himself up betrayed him.

"Dude, are you sick? Did someone poison you again?" The Sun continued, grasping his brother by the biceps.

"No, no, no." The other sighed, curling his arm around his fellow Flame to try and calm him. "I'm just tired."

" _How_ tired!?" Takeshi shouted, slamming the door open and stomped into the room, followed by his Storm and Sky. "How tired are you that you _dropped!?"_

"I just haven't had that much luck with sleep lately."

"Oi, the fucking bird-brain said you were completely out of it when he found you, what the fuck?" Gokudera huffed, walking up to the bedside.

"Did he?" Daiki sighed, pinching his glabella as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"What's wrong?" Takeshi asked, coming over the final distance to cradle his head to the Rain's hip. "You have a headache. Your Flame is hurting."

"Some water is all I need. I'll be fine."

"Lies." Hibari scowled, strutting into the room. "You were unable to dodge a simple blow to the head. You are unaware of your surroundings and ineffective as a fighter."

"Because I wasn't expecting you to strike at me." The rogue Sun huffed, cuddling into his partner. "Where have you been anyway? You didn't even come to the dinner."

"I was on business out of town." The Skylark dismissed. "And I come back to a mess."

"Oh please." Gokudera grunted, rolling mint eyes. "The Tenth kept Namimori safer than you ever could."

Slate eyes flashed at that, but Ryohei decided to push that aside as his brother yawned, muffling it into the Rain's stomach. Takeshi's brows furrowed with worry as he carded his fingers through blue locks with such care, amber-earth blinking slowly until they shut and Daiki began to sag.

"Lay him down, Takeshi-kun." Ryohei instructed quietly, coming to help him force the biggest member of their gang against the bed.

"Mm…" He whined, hands coming to grab the Rain and drag him up onto the bed.

The Sun Guardian smiled as he watched his brother nuzzle and coo at his chosen love, before pausing when amber-earth was turned on him, arms open for the fellow Sun to climb on as well. Ryohei laughed lightly before crawling onto the tight space, allowing the older boy to situate him against the wall, a pillow donated to his position to make him more comfortable.

Daiki smiled at him sleepily, before leaning forwards to gently butt their foreheads together, before he returned to his partner, cuddling into the embrace offered to him, exhaling and deflating as kissed were buried into his hair.

"So," Tsuna began, walking up to the bed to gaze around at the three crammed onto the cot. "What's made Yamaguchi-san so tired?"

"Dunno." Takeshi answered, gently stroking the head buried in his stomach. "But I think he's been tired for a while. He was yawning a lot last week too."

"He was out of it as well the week before that, like _extremely."_ Ryohei tacked on, continuing the thought.

"The hell could have caused that?" Gokudera asked.

"Is he sleeping at home?" Tsuna asked, reaching out, before pausing and retracting his hand.

"I...don't know. He doesn't talk about home a lot." Takeshi slowly admitted, frowning as he bent to kiss Daiki's nape.

Ryohei thinned his lips and narrowed his eyes, looking his brother over and seeing the darkness of his eyes, the naturally deepened shade of his skin hiding it well, but not when under such intense inspection.

"Guys," The Sun started, glancing to his fellow Mafia. "Let's talk outside."

"Mhm." Tsuna nodded, Gokudera following him to stand by the door as the Sun uprooted himself carefully.

The Vongola Sun watched with a bitter taste on his tongue as the Rain slowly extracted himself from his brother's arms, the limbs heavy and anchored with sleep. Anyone could tell the swordsman was hesitant to leave Daiki, leave the boy who had a bed practically reserved for him in the infirmary, but the looks that everyone shared was enough incentive to get them all to move.

As they shut the door behind them, Ryohei turned to look at Takeshi, seeing the tension of his shoulders and the quivering of muscles. Tsuna and Gokudera were both apprehensive, glancing from the door to their fellow Guardians, worried, but only Tsuna showing it freely, the Storm shooting sideways looks under his lashes. Hibari huffed and lent against the wall four steps away from their little group, close enough to listen, but not to be associated with a pack of herbivores.

"Something is wrong with Daiki-kun," Ryohei started, crossing his arms. "That much we're certain of. He's being poisoned, and now he's almost constantly dead tired."

"Yeah." The Rain bit out, his Sky trying to sooth him.

"So, what do we do now?" Gokudera huffed, shoving his hands into his pocket irritably.

" _I'd ask the mother."_

The group whipped around, startled by the new voice. Shamal smirked at them cockily, a bag hanging off his fingers, raunchy magazines peeking out of the cheep, loudly cackling, plastic.

"The mother?" Tsuna repeated, brow furrowing.

"Well yeah," The doctor shrugged, coming up to the group. "The issue is sleep, and the home environment impacts the sleep cycle the most. Checking the home would be the best first course of action."

The Vongola Guardians all glanced to each other, before Takeshi took a deep breath and dropped his arms from the cross they had held.

"Guess it's time we talk to the mother then."

 **|S.R|**


	34. Chapter 34

**Word Count: 15,207**

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

 _The Vongola Guardians all glanced to each other, before Takeshi took a deep breath and dropped his arms from the cross they had held._

" _Guess it's time we talk to the mother then."_

…

Despite having said all that, Yamamoto Takeshi had no idea when or how to start. Daiki and him had engrained the respect for privacy into their relationship so deeply, that foregoing his permission to go straight to his mother was…

"What's wrong?" Daiki asked, looking up from his book.

"H-huh?"

Takeshi blinked awake from his thoughts, the almost muted state of the library having led him astray easily.

"Nothing." He smiled, waving off the worry. "Really, this is just so boring to read."

"Love," The Sun frowned, looking at him through clear lense. "You're reading a baseball magazine."

The Rain stalled, his lies falling out from under him as he scrambled to create the story with crumbling details. Letting his smile fall, Takeshi slumped in defeat, unable to defy the tilt of concern that tugged at his heartstrings, reaching across the table that separated them, he found the cool fingers of his other and wove them with his own, squeezing gently.

"I'm just...worried about you, is all." He admitted, running his thumb along darker skin. "You've been having a lot of trouble lately."

"No, I haven't." Daiki laughed lightly, bringing the hand in his grasp up to cup his cheek. "It just seems like I have, because a lot of stuff is happening around us lately. I'm fine, I promise"

The Rain kept his frown even as he continued to hold the soft skin of his husband's face, a helplessness coiling in his chest as he watched the older lean into the touch and close amber-earth eyes in content.

"You know," He started, getting an acknowledging hum from the other. "That I'll always be here for you. Right? No matter what it is, I'll always love you."

Rich honey opened just a crack to peer at him through dark lashes, the thinned line of warm lips making his stomach squeeze with unsurety. Eventually, Daiki found himself, and smiled, a plastic little expression that burnt Takeshi's heart.

"I know." A lie.

"I'll always love you too." A truth.

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

" _Your_ _fabulous_ _older sister, has arrived!"_

I stared blankly at the Italian man who posed before me, a hand held electric fan giving an artificial wind to allow his feather jacket to billow dramatically. His glasses flashed with the bakery's lights as he shot a look at me, his chin coming to be held in a gun hold, gloves, pristine as per usual.

"Go away," I said bluntly. "I have work."

"Aw!" Lussuria whined, planting his hands on the counter between us and leaning over the pace exaggeratedly. "Come on, Daiki-chan, come out with me!"

"I need to watch the bakery while kaa-san's out." I repeated, crossing my arms and feeling the muffled clink of metal through my sleeves.

"But if she's out, she won't know!" He continued, dragging himself up to lay across the register. "And the bakery isn't going anywhere! I'll leave some of my girls here, if you're really that worried!"

"Get off the register, Lussuria-onee."

"Please!"

"Please get off the register, Lussuria-onee."

The high pitched wail of the Varia Sun rattled into my ears and filled the bakery, the slightest twitch cracking the corner of my lips as theatre tears trailed down his face. Reaching around, I grabbed a small wad of serviettes and balanced them across the bridge of the man's nose, swallowing my snicker when he was stunned into silence.

With my fellow Sun distracted by the sudden blur of white dominating his vision, I tucked my hands under his back and gently took him off the table top, his squeal ear-piercing as he latched his arms around my neck.

"I asked you to get off the register." I hummed, all but cradling the bulking Varia man.

"You can _carry me!?_ " He gaped, glee shining in his tinted lense as he grew comfortable with being airborne.

"I was near able to tear your metal knee cap off, friend." Came my laugh as I walked around the counter and lowered him back.

"Why didn't you?"

I blinked, pausing my retreat back to the other side to turn to the question, Lussuria's face strangely solemn, though held curiosity. His head was slightly tilted, allowing for his oddly dyed hair to fall to the side, a faint frown tugging at his lips, shiny with some sort of cosmetic.

"It-" I glanced off to the side, a part of me paranoid that extended eye contact would reveal more than was allowed. "-wasn't my place to do it."

The lusty Sun hummed at my response, his arms coming to cross. The snap of his fingers rung out in the store and made me jump to attention, confusion swarming in my mind as I watched him adopt the well known _Sailor Moon_ pose.

"That decides it then," He declared, the door slamming open to give me a fright and allow a small swarm of Varia ranks to enter the bakery. "While my girls take care of your little bakery, you and I will go _shopping!_ "

"What- How does that decide anything!?" I yelped.

" _Get in loser, we're going shopping."_ The flamboyant man recited in accented English.

"You don't have a car! _And don't quote Mean Girls!_ "

 **...**

I dug my heels into the ground as Lussuria attempted to drag me into store after store, the owners giving slightly perturbed glances at the man as he cooed at dresses and gasped at dagger heels. Both of which were in gag-worthy designs and prints.

"How do you keep finding the shittiest clothes in the store!?" I snapped, a bit of wonder in my voice.

"They're underappreciated gems, Daiki-chan, you just need to work with them!" He defended, cradling a pair of leather sequin leopard print pants.

 _Leather sequin leopard print pants._

"That looks both uncomfortable and-"

"Fabulous, I know, I have a talent." He huffed, turning his nose up in self-praise.

I rolled my eyes with no little amount of fondness for the strong-willed man, allowing him to link arms with me and drag my sorry ass into the next store.

"Why are you even here? Shouldn't you have gone back to Italy by now?"

"Boss and a few of the others have, but some of us are doing trips around Japan! We don't get days off much!"

I slumped and groaned. He laughed and towed me from rack to rack, our heights making us stand out in the little store, but the attendant didn't so much as blink twice, only changing her expression when she saw just _what_ my companion pulled from the rack.

"Excuse me sir, I'll have to take that off you." She cooed, gingerly stealing it before scuttling over to the staff door.

"What're you going to do with it?" I asked carefully, Lussuria already distracted by something equally as repulsive.

"Burn it." She chirped, before disappearing with a blowtorch.

…

Hands wrapped around my biceps and dragged me over from the accessories rack that I had been entertaining myself with by spinning aimlessly. I jolted as we came to a rather violent stop, my eyes wide with alarm.

"Daiki-chan, this dress would look amazing on you!" Lussuria squealed, bouncing behind me as he grinned with ideas.

I thinned my lips as he drew the lacy material out of the rest, dark cobalt in colour and soft to the touch as he brought it to compare to my skin colour.

"Uh...I don't know." I muttered, glancing up over my shoulder at the Sun.

"Oh, just try it on! You never know, go on!"

"But-"

"Ah!" He cut off suddenly, smacking his forehead as if realizing something. "You're right."

Slowly, I relaxed, the stress seeping though I still rubbed the lace between my fingers. It was a nice dress, I couldn't deny, the lace appealing and light, long sleeved and the skirt stopping at perhaps knee height or just above. It was nice, but I could never wear it myself.

"You need a bra! Of course, thank you for reminding me, Daiki-chan!"

" _What!?"_

I spluttered in a frozen stupor as the man ran off to pester the attendant, tittering with her happily and asking for the nearest undergarment store, getting a quick direction down three and across the street. Lussuria laughed and grabbed ahold of me again, his fingers binding and giving me no chance to resist before we were moving.

"Lussuria-onee, wait-" I tried, but was steadfastly ignored as we entered the shiny store, mannequins in tiny things lining the walls along side racks and displays.

A buzzing began in the back of my mind, familiar embarrassment and the beginnings of panic painting my mood as I was pulled up to the front desk, the woman there glancing between us with a raised eyebrow.

" _Ciao!"_ Lussuria greeted cheerily, falling to Italian in his excitement. "We need to get him fitted for his first bra!"

"Lussuria-onee!" I snapped, feeling a flush of shame creep into my face.

The woman looked to me as the Varia man proceeded to deafen his ears, her eyes scanning me over critically. I thinned my lips and looked to the side, feeling very uncomfortable, and much rathering to return home at this point.

"...Do you have an idea of your cup size?" She asked, beginning to rummage through her drawer, pulling out a tailor's tape measure.

My eyes widened as Lussuria squeezed my bicep in comfort, his smile still huge as he urged me to answer.

"Uh...B cup, maybe." I managed out, getting a look. "After I take my...binder off. I mean."

She blinked, then nodded.

"Okay, let's get you fitted then. Go to the change rooms and we'll measure your band size. Are you after a sports bra, strapless, push up?"

"Just a normal support, thanks." Lussuria hummed.

"Alright, I'll be right with you."

I inclined my head before getting tugged along again, my fellow Sun pushing me into the dressing room and shouting for me to strip the tops. My teeth gritted behind my lips as I tugged them off as quickly as I could, not giving myself enough time to hesitate. As usual, the binder put up a fight, but with enough of a struggle, it flew off, whacking against the mirror before hitting the floor.

Bending quickly, I hung it up, a gentle rap at the wooden panelling warning me of the impending invasion.

"Are you ready?" The attendant asked.

"Y-yeah." I answered, clearing my throat, leaning back into the mirroring walls with insecurity.

The woman looked me over, before smiling softly, encouragingly, and gesturing me to step forwards, so she could get the tape around just beneath the swell of my breast, humming as she got the number.

"Okay, let's get you in one. I'll be right back." She said, before disappearing beyond the curtain.

I shuffled in my aloneness, wincing as I looked up and saw a reversed representation of myself, head tilting one way in the glass when I tilted it the other. Letting my eyes trail, I brought my hand up and fingered the faint, light line that followed my sternum, a message from the Oyabun of current days.

Was I actually doing this? Getting a _bra_ of all things? I had...no use for it. Even as just a token item, it served no purpose. I'd never get a chance to wear it beyond today, it'd be a waste of money and an offence to-

"Kaa-san." I sighed, rubbing my face with my hands, mind being barraged, mangled and twisted by words that bashed phantom ears.

"Try not to think of her, Daiki-chan." Lussuria cooed, gently pushing aside the curtain and slipping into the stall, coming to sit on the little stool in the corner. "She doesn't know you're here, and what she doesn't know can't hurt her."

"I feel like you use that phrase quite often." I breathed, glancing at him through the mirror.

"When it fits." He shrugged, crossing his knees lazily. "So, what colour are we going after. How much lace do we want? Patterns? A bow?"

"My God, Luss-onee!" I snorted, before stalling as the Sun bolted up with a shriek.

"You gave me a pet name!"

"U-uh-"

"I'll wear it with pride, my lovely little sister!" He cried out, wrapping me up in my half-naked glory.

"Gah! Get off me!" I snapped fondly, no bite in my words.

The Sun cackled and nuzzled my cheek, skin smooth with moisturizers and the usual fruity odour. He only stopped when the woman walked back in, shooing him off with a tisk of disapproval and a clothes hanger.

"I'll find you the pretty ones!" The Sun called before he was shoved out the final step.

I laughed a bit before I found myself with a handful of foam and material, my mind reeling at the familiarity that they settled in my hands with. I knew that these were. I knew how they worked.

"Do you need help putting them on?" The attendant asked.

"No, thank you."

I knew how to wear these.

I just hadn't. Not like _this._

She nodded before retreating, leaving me to hang two up and handle the plain black one, thumbing the thin padding and the clips at the end of the straps in an almost fond, nostalgic manner. Slipping my arms into the spaces, I slid it on with perhaps a bit too much gingerness, an irrational fear blooming in my mind, scenarios of my phone going off with the summons and questions of my mother, or the curtain flying open to show someone I knew as the male me. It built up in the space between my ears even as I reached behind me to fumble the tiny clips into place, never having been one to do the strange 'spin around' technique in the life past.

"Daiki-chan, did you get it o-" Lussuria choked on his words halfway out, his brow furrowing as he looked at me with worry.

I blinked as he stepped forwards and wrapped me in a tight embrace, confusion bubbling, until the shudder of my shoulders and stutter of my breath finally made me realise. I was crying.

How very dumb.

I was crying just because I put a bra on…

My breath hitched and I buried my face into my fellow Flame's shoulder, arms coming to constrict around his torso with too much force and too much desperation as I smothered whines and heaves. My mind was a buzzing, unintelligible mess. I couldn't differentiate sadness from relief, panic from happiness, stockholm from freedom.

"It's okay, it's okay." Lussuria cooed, carding my hair with thick fingers as he swayed us. "Good girl. You're a good girl, Daiki-chan."

Girl…

"I-" I coughed and fixed my throat, the croaky vocals clearing after the fourth try. "Is it okay if...If I try that dress on?"

"What do you mean 'is it okay'?" He laughed gently, pulling back to look down at me and clean up my face with an embroidered handkerchief. "Of course it is, lovely!"

A wet laugh escaped me, his glee infectious even when in this state.

"How many do you want to buy? I've found some very nice ones. You're lucky you're a smaller size, they have all the pretty looking materials!"

I choked as bright colours were piled into my hands, lace and sheers coming to crowd my vision.

"I think just one will do me." Came my hesitant laugh, handing them over as quickly as I could manage.

"Aw! Come on! Get two at least!" He whined, pouting at me through tinted glass. "One normal one and one _fun_ one!"

"Why would I want a 'fun' one?"

"Oh, you know." He hummed, leaning forwards, making me lean back. "You're fiancé~?"

My breath caught and the sharp sting of inhaled saliva made me convulse into a coughing fit, chest heaving as I leant up against the mirror walls to steady myself. Lussuria rolled his eyes and waved off my apparent dramatics.

"Oh please, it's no need to be so freaked. You don't need to wear it in front of him, you could, you know, 'accidentally' leave it hanging on your chair, or on your bed...Or on his face, whatever you prefer."

"Luss-onee!"

"What? It's just an option."

I sighed out a laugh and shook my head at his shrugged words.

"Okay, I'll get one 'fun'," I used my fingers to create quotation marks. "But no way am I going to do... _that_."

"Oh fine." He huffed, before displaying the many choices he held. "Let me choose with you?"

"Hm," I hummed, raising an eyebrow. "Okay then."

"Yes!" My fellow Sun cheered, before dragging me into the little hall of the dressing rooms and spreading out the items.

And so it begins, I thought with a bit of a laugh.

…

"Here it is, thank you for holding it for us!" Lussuria chirped, taking the dark blue, lace dress from the girl behind the counter.

I rolled my eyes as my elbow was yanked and I was all but thrown into the cubical, dress disposed of in my hands before the curtain was tossed shut. Sighing outwardly, I bit my lip to hide the rise of both excitement and paranoia, the cocktail growing heavy in my chest as I stripped off my masculine layers and slipped on the light, silky material. Twisting my arms around, I felt around for the zipper, pulling it up in two movements, eyes squeezed shut.

Taking a deep breath, I willed my eyes to open, a hissing scratching at the back of my mind, warning me of treason, but the view was shown to me, despite it all. I choked reflexively, eyes going over the display, reflexion shifting under the intense observation.

What a pretty dress.

But the waist is too wide. The shoulders are too bulky. Ah, there should be a curve there. The legs are too thick. The biceps pull the material too much.

With every thought, my mood slowly sunk lower and lower into a depth, the shine that once I held in my eye fading in realisation.

I was right. This was a nice dress, I just could never wear it myself.

I lowered my gaze and leant back against the wall, shoulders slumped a bit. Maybe I really should just stick to the other side of the spectrum. A flinch rippled my skin as the curtain swung open, my lips pulling into a grimace as I tried to hide myself, ducking my head and pinning my hands between myself and the wall behind me.

"...If I wasn't gay."

Lussuria sighed as he came into the cubicle, a warm, excited smile on his face as he took in my less than stellar take of the dress.

"You look amazing, Daiki-chan!"

"I look like I don't fit the dress." I muttered, looking off to the side with no little amount of dejection.

"Look," He breathed, tucking me into his side and pointing at the mannequins who were clad in silken outfits. "Just because you aren't a size -12 doesn't mean you're not fit for the dress! You're stunning, and if I do say so myself, if your fiancé were here- well, we might have needed to get him an ice pack 'cause he would have gotten a fair few bruises when he fainted."

I managed a smile as the image dashed through my head, a hue coming to my cheeks as the elder Sun cooed at me. We snickered and laughed as he poked and prodded my sides, getting me to unfurl and open myself to manipulation, hands coming to smooth out the lace and fix the silky underlayer that wasn't quite pulled down enough. He hummed as he brushed my fringe out of my eyes, looking me over, before snapping his fingers.

"We should get your ears pierced! Then we can you a jewellery set for this- oh, and some shoes!"

I paused and thumbed at my earlobe, feeling the softness of it, a brief flash of a memory of firmness coming to mind. Would I be able to..? Surely Kaede would notice if I got my _ears pierced._

But...would it matter? Once my ears are punctured, there would be no fixing it. And, I could always say that it was for the Watanabe.

"Uh...I wouldn't mind." I managed out, looking down at my feet with a little hesitance.

Lussuria grinned and nodded, his hands coming to clap in enthusiasm as he ripped the tag off the dress with lightning speed and dashed off to the counter.

I smiled at his retreating form, before looking to the lace that draped my thighs, swaying my hips and humming when the fabric rippled and swirled to follow the action. There was no fooling either of us, both Lussuria and I knew that this was the only way to wean me off my safe space. I would only stretch my legs from the chair should someone push me from it. I needed someone to force me out of my comfort zone, either as a motivator, or simply as an excuse.

"Daiki-chan! Look at these flats! They'll go with the dress so well!"

Glancing up from the whirling cobalt, I saw my elder sister wave a pair of dark blue flats, the sides baring cut out patterns, a bag of his own fashion deforms hanging off his elbow.

"If you say so, Luss-onee!" I laughed, shoving my masculine clothes into a little bag handed to me and following the Sun out, dress brushing my knees as a breeze went through eastern Namimori.

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

The young Yamamoto Takeshi hummed to himself in a bored manner as he flipped the page of his textbook, a routine maths test coming up the next morning and little to none of the information actually in his head. He huffed and crossed his arms, chin dropping onto his table in defeat as he pouted at the senseless diagram, wishing that he had Daiki to explain it to him again.

"I don't get it!" He whined, looking to the grinning face of his husband pixelated on his computer's background.

" _Takeshi-kun!"_

Eager for the distraction, the Rain sat up quickly and turned to attention, calling out after the father.

"Yes, tou-san!?"

" _You have a girl here who wants to see you!"_

Girl?

Pushing himself out of his chair, the Vongola Rain trotted down the stairs at a relatively reserved pace, curiosity peering out of his mind as he came around the corner, before freezing up. His eye widened when he recognised the person before him, dark hair and sharp eyes still fresh in his memory.

"Good afternoon." Naomi bit out, Honda and Sora hovering over her shoulders to act as both guides and restraints.

"Hello, Naomi-chan! Honda-onee, Sora-onee!" He forced a laugh, sewing a smile onto his face, his father's eyes flashing between them. "What brings you guys here?"

The irritable Yakuza didn't answer and instead turned her face away, choosing to ignore him right out. Sora sighed and shook her head, little Ghibli character earrings dangling off her lobes. Around the restaurant, people were gaping at the celestial beings who had entered, their looks beyond human and containing no seeable flaws.

"Naomi-chan here has something to say to you, Takeshi-kun." Honda said instead, "Do you mind taking us somewhere where we won't be interrupted? We don't have much time until the Oyabun realises that three of his granddaughters are no longer there."

Tsuyoshi's hand ceased its chopping at the Yakuza term, mocha catching mocha out of the corner of their eyes.

"Take these young ladies to the dojo, Takeshi-kun. That's the best place."

Takeshi nodded before waving the girls to follow, leading the way through the halls to open the door for them. They filed in like geisha, strides measured and seamless as they circled the room with their eyes, taking in the place with regal caution, the Yakuza nature of their being an undebatable fact.

He followed them into the space, his stride firm but seemingly carefree as he grinned at them in a slacky manner.

"So, what did you wanna tell me?" He laughed, tilting his head.

Naomi bristled at his blase attitude, teeth gritting behind her pink painted lips. A sour flash when through the Rain's mind when he recognised the cosmetic hue, having vanquished that very same shade off his other with his own tongue and attention. Nonetheless, he kept his exterior carefully crafted to neutrality, eyes open with faux ease.

"Naomi-chan." Honda prompted, making the girl huff and cross her arms.

"Cousin." Sora urged grumpily.

The Yakuza girl looked ready to hiss old curses at her fellow blood before she turned back to the Rain, eyes bubbling with charcoal hate.

"I was _forced_ to come here to apologise for my actions previous." She spat, straightening to smooth out her kimono as if she had been handled roughly before. "But I see no reason why I should, you're not deserving of my apology."

"Nao-"

"Why not?" Takeshi asked, not quite there enough in the head to notice the rude cut off.

"B-because!" The girl snapped, stuttering her shout when she saw the familiar darkening of the Rain's expression. "You're just another guy! Daiki-nii-sama will come to his senses soon enough and get rid of you, like he should."

This made him tilt his head further, the Yakuza girl almost cringing at the unnatural cock it had taken.

"He's promised to marry me. He won't leave so long as I don't want him to."

"So!? Just cause he said that he would doesn't mean that he will!" She shot back, before huffing and preening. "Daiki-nii-sama is a Yakuza Heir. It's not uncommon for them to invite a crowd into their beds. You're not special, you're just another warm body to our cousin."

Mocha eyes flashed with blue fire, his Flames roaring up in thick obsession with a possessive nature clawing at the underside of his cranium, screaming at him to remove the threat to his family. There was no calm in his Rain, only a hissing, crackling fire that was a deadly cool.

The Vongola Guardian crossed the room with a grace that he had come to associate with battle, his hand coming up in a gentle arc before his fingers latched onto a pointed chin at the end of Naomi's heart-shaped face, her eyes widening with alarm as he tilted it up.

"Daiki-kun has loved me for longer than he's known you've even existed. Daiki-kun has passed out in my bed more times than he's touched your skin. Daiki-kun has had my tongue in his mouth more times than he's even said you _name_."

His eyes did not narrow, nor did his grip on her chin tighten.

"Before you go about trying to demote my position in my fiancé's life," He breathed with ease. "I suggest you remember the fragility of your own."

Sora narrowed her eyes at this from beyond the two, her lips twisting downwards minutely at the sides.

"Of what?" She asked, only curiosity in her voice.

Takeshi looked up at that, not losing his hold on the frozen Yakuza.

"Fragility of what?" Sora continued, "Her position, or her life?"

The Mafia teen smiled, carefree but conniving.

"Daiki-kun would be annoyed with me if I did something like that."

Annoyed.

What would it look like to have people like these be 'annoyed' with each other.

Sora fought the age old desire to shrink behind the eldest Watanabe cousin, feeling perhaps only as safe as she did due to her presence in the room.

"No!" Naomi shouted, ripping her chin from his grasp and taking a step back to separate them a distance. "I refuse!"

Takeshi blinked and pursed his lips at her resilience, unused to such harsh reactions to his words, people usually blindsided by charms of the smile.

"Why are you so adamant?" He asked, curious to her intentions. "Why are you so desperate to get Daiki-kun?"

Naomi paused, before sobering a little, glancing off as she collected her thoughts before returning her gaze to the Rain.

"When...When I first saw Daiki-nii-sama he looked so _strained._ " She breathed, bundling her hands. "Like he was being pulled too many ways at once, ready to snap and break if he was so much as nudged."

Her eyes went over her cousins, the girls watching the youngest with a careful eye.

"It made me...I don't know, sad? That someone, my _cousin_ , was expected to do so much, even when he was obviously so tired." Naomi admitted, slowly bringing her hand to press over her chest. "I didn't- I _don't_ want my family to be hurting like that. So...I decided that if I became his wife, I could ease his troubles a bit. Even if only a bit."

Takeshi thinned his lips as he listened, understanding what she was saying, but at the same time…

"And at what point did it become your right to be his wife?" He asked.

Her lips parted as she prepared to speak, but no words came out, her eyes widening as she slowly retracted. Pink painted flesh pressed together in a moment of recognition, charcoal orbs staring unseeing at the far wall as she tried to gather arguments, coming up short.

"I understand that you are worried about Daiki-kun, and that you feel that you need to help him. I always feel that way about him too, despite how he acts, he doesn't take care of himself very well at all." The Rain sighed, remembering paled skin and a hot brow. "But you are out of line and stepping on toes. You can help in other ways, aside from being his wife, you can be his _friend_."

He stopped, and let it sink in, the girl slowly lowering her polished onyx to the floor in thought. Sora smiled, and walked over, her hand coming to rest on her cousin's shoulder for comfort as they bumped hips in the most gentle manner.

"We're here for Daiki-nii-sama, Naomi-chan. We never weren't." She hummed, getting a glance.

Naomi looked to Honda who bowed her lips into a warm expression. The youngest Yakuza girl brought her hands before her in a sheepish manner, cowed by the sudden call out, her fringe coming to cover her eyes as her cheeks burnt red.

Takeshi lifted his chin in a bit of victory, but at the same time, getting a curl of delight at watching the family of his fiancé in such a manner, comforting and bashful.

"Yamamoto Takeshi." Naomi began, drawing the attention of the room.

Mocha eyes jumped to the girl, her cousins holding their breath as fiery coal dug into his eyes with renewed vigour.

"If you hurt our Daiki-nii-sama. If you break his heart or bruise his skin." Her teeth became displayed in a dangerous manner that even he could not ignore. "Not only I, but all of the Watanabe Yakuza and all of our allies will come down on you with all the might of our underworld."

"I may step down," She breathed, her fine brows furrowed in an elegant snarl. "But only to second place, if you fail to measure up, I will usurp you without mercy or guilt."

Takeshi tilted his head, and smiled at the girl.

"Haha, okay!"

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

Quickly locking my door, I crammed the brown paper bag into the far reaches of my wardrobe, hiding it underneath layer upon layers of shirts and vests, the tell tale clankle of precious metal making my heart skip as I smothered it safely, before closing the door. There, now the clothes were hidden, but…

I thinned my lips and thumbed the small hoops in my lobe, a matching pair hanging on either side of my jaw, small, thin and inconspicuous. However, existent, nonetheless.

" _Daiki-kun!"_

I jumped to attention and moved on instinct, my feet carrying me down the stairs to receive my mother and take her possessions out of her hands. Meeting the Yamaguchi matron at the door, I hummed a greeting and took her purse and spoils of shopping from her and let her walk in unhindered. Quietly sorting the things on my arms, I heard her give the place a once over, falling silent when she found nothing awry or out of order.

"Papa!"

Turning, I switched my expression and smiled at the racing Lightning, his little legs moving fast to allow him to jump into my arms when I kneeled.

"Hey, Bo-kun, did you have fun with kaa-san?" I asked, closing the door and walking into the living room.

"I ate so much candy!" He hollered, hanging off my neck and swinging freely.

"I can tell." I huffed, lowering him onto the couch and pecking his forehead affectionately. "Remember to brush your teeth really well tonight."

Lambo whined as I dropped the bags of clothes and walked over to the kitchen, placing away the groceries.

" _What is that?"_

I felt every muscle in my body collectively tense at the tone, heart lurching into my throat as my teeth came to grit and my hands balled.

"What's what, kaa-san?" I breathed, robotically sorting the items on the counter with jarred movements.

"In your ears." She all but _hissed_ , voice shrill from behind me.

Forcing my hands to unravel their fists, I painted a look of innocent apathy onto my expression, turning to peer at her over my shoulder as I touched the loop in my lobe.

"It's an earring. Well, two earrings."

"Since _when_ did you have an earring, Daiki-kun?" She asked, crossing the distance and lacing her words with acid.

"I-" I took a steadying, concealed breath. "Got them today, while you were out."

"You were meant to be watching the bakery like I told you to."

"I did it on my break." I tried, attempting to derail the oncoming train.

"You don't have breaks!" Her temper roared up, my ears attempting to balance the rise in noise. "Not today! Not unless I say so!"

"Kaa-san-"

"'Kaa-san', 'kaa-san', 'kaa-san'! Just because I am your mother does not mean you can take advantage of my generosity!" She snapped. "The second I turn my back you go and make my life difficult!"

"How does getting my ears pierced make your life-" I started, only to get drowned out by another angry holler.

"Your father and I did not raise you to be like this! You were not raised to be so disrespectful of your parents!"

As she spoke, she moved forwards with heavy steps, face growing red with rage. Despite her small and frail body, I still found myself instinctually pressing myself back until the edge of the counter dug into my lower back, shoulders bunching in tension as I became very aware of the bunching of her fists.

"Just listen!" I finally shouted, voice bouncing off the walls.

My mother was startled for a moment, eyes widening before they angled in outrage.

"Don't you-!"

"Ojii-san said it would be a good idea to get it!" I lied through my teeth, spouting the rehearsed line in high volume. "Appearances, and such."

As I tapered off my tacked on sentence, I watched my mother look me over for dishonesty or manipulation. In an instant, she flipped, a smile coming to her face as she brightened and trotted over pleasantly.

"Oh, you should have told me in the first place!" She chirped, coming forwards the final step, disregarding how I flinched when her hands came up to grasp my face.

"You're going to have to keep them in for a while, otherwise the holes will close up." Kaede hummed, turning my head this way and that to see the golden loops.

I thinned my lips and gently stepped out of her grasp, nodding to whatever she said as I finished sorting the purchases and excused myself. Moving quickly enough to not be noticeable but still able to leave in a fair rush, I scooped up Lambo from the couch and made my way up the stairs, Mephisto tangling with my feet as I opened my bedroom door.

"Papa?" Lambo asked gently, bringing a small hand to rest on my cheek in worry.

"Hm? What's wrong honey?" I hummed, smiling for him as big green eyes looked up at me.

"Is Papa okay?"

His voice was soft and on the edge of teary as he bundled my shirt, refusing to budge even as I tried to lower him into his play corner, dangling off my neck in adamant refusal. I bit my lip before sitting down amongst his toys, wincing as a lego dug into my thigh, and brought the little Lightning to sit in my lap, his cheek mushed against my front as he gazed up at me.

"I'm fine, sweetheart. Kaa-san can just be a little much for me sometimes, and I for her." I soothed, carding my fingers through his hair and making him trill.

"But obaa-chan was so upset 'cause of earrings! Lambo-san thinks your earrings are pretty! I don't get what's wrong..." He muttered, playing with his own fingers in an act of awkwardness.

I blinked, before smiling and gathering him to my front more, cooing and cuddling him until he brightened and giggled.

"You don't need to worry about it that much, it's barely anything." I sighed, pressing my smile to his forehead as he tried to hide away his laughter in his hands. "Now tell me about your day! I know about your lollie adventure, and I wanna know more!"

Lambo's eyes glimmered as he bounced into the story, Mephisto coming up to rest his chin on my thigh as he flopped the rest of his body out on the ground, fluff and fur spanning out to mimic a rug. I huffed and ran my hand down his spine, the body rumbling in a contented manner as I lent my ear to my happily rambling son, perking and reacting as the story desired.

"And I saw this really pretty doll on the shelf!" He shouted, as if this was the climax of his tale.

"Really? What did it look like? What was the prettiest part?" I gasped, my smile unhindered as I played off and amplified his emotions, enjoying the way he bounced around at my reactions.

"It was _so_ pretty! Its cheeks were all pink and blushy and its eyes were so _blue!_ Like the sky!"

"Eh, really? Why didn't you get it then? If you liked it so much, you should have bought it!" I asked, playing with his little hands in mine.

"Obaa-chan said that dolls weren't meant for boys." Lambo huffed, shoulders slouching.

I blinked and thinned my lips, squeezing his hands as I went over his enthusiasm. My eyes were drawn to my closet, the rings in my ears weighing a new heavy as I turned to look back at my boy.

"Go get Miphy's leash, darling. We're going to take him for a walk." I told him softly, brushing back his hair from down cast eyes.

"Okay." He nodded, still not quite out of the dip the topic had brought him to.

Lambo jumped out of my lap and bounded down the stairs, the white mutt following after him like the guardian he was. My smiled weakened until it was a firm line, my hand coming to fiddle with my binder under my shirt until I moved over to my side table and plucked up my phone and wallet.

"Kaa-san, I'm going to take Miphy and Bo-kun out for a walk!" I called.

" _Fine."_

I sighed, she was back to her 'normal' state. Shaking my head, I bowed my lips in an excited manner for my son as he rode atop the poor highlander, the leash used as reigns for his mighty steed. Laughing at his actions, I let him hold onto the strap of leather as Mephisto walked beside my feet, tiny legs moving quick to keep up with my large strides.

When we were a nice enough distance from the bakery, I sent a glance to Mephistopheles and took off in a completely different direction, Lambo letting out a squeal of excitement as he rode the now bounding dog, laughing in glee as he clutched the collar in his little hands. My lips pulled at the corners as I turned a bend, the white pup following easily despite his baggage and smaller stature.

"Haha, Papa, we're gaining on you!" Lambo cheered. "Mush, Miphy!"

I made a noise of offence as the dog blasted the last few metres, using his smaller size to his advantage and bolt through the crowd to finish first, nose high in the air with victory as I came up next to him. The two proceeded to rub their winnings into my face with snarky grins and glinting eyes, making me pout and cross my arms at them.

"Fine!" I sighed, rolling my eyes at them. "Because you won our race, Bo-kun, you can get one thing from this store."

Lambo blinked before rounding in the place we were, a high pitched shriek escaping him when he recognised the toy emporium. His arms flapped in a physical display of barely contained excitement before he dashed off into the store, leaving me to sign for Miphy to stay. The dog rolled his eyes at me before flopping on his front, panting heavily from the dashing he had been put through.

I smiled at the poor thing, before kneeling and running my fingers across the crest of his skull, dropping a soft kiss on his warm ear.

"Good boy, Miphy." I hummed to him, getting a hearty whine. "You'll get a prize when we get back too. Thank you for looking after Bo-kun so much."

A wet tongue proceeded to spread slobber onto my cheek, making me give abrupt laughter and push his snout away, rubbing away the thick saliva with my sleeve in a display of exaggerated disgust.

"A good boy, but a slobbery boy."

He huffed before splaying on his front again, making me hum in humour before following after Lambo into the emporium, finding him easily once I had entered the doll section.

"Is it this one?" I asked, the young Lightning jumping in fright, having been consumed by looking at the familiarly described doll in his view.

It was an old plastic doll, the kind with a soft body and hard limbs and face. It looked like it was based off of the European porcelain dolls that were popular with collectors, a lolita-esque appearance to it with its red ruffle dress and bonnet. Her face, however, didn't delve into the uncanny valley somehow, a pleasant look to her as she smiled sweetly, glass doll eyes gleaming in the light.

He poked his fingers together and nodded, my eyes widening when I realised the reason for his unusually quiet response. Lambo was basing all my possible reactions to his desire on what Kaede had done, and fully expected me to turn it down in the same manner as she did.

The thought made me thin my lips in a bitter emotion before I lifted my son from the floor and held him out to the doll on the high shelf, allowing him to pluck it up into his arms wide with eyes. As I placed him back, he held the pretty little girl doll tightly as if someone would steal it from him should he loosen even a fraction.

"Let's go buy her then, shall we?" I hummed, opening my hand for him to grasp.

The way big green eyes lit up in disbelief made my heart break and a sour taste come to my palette, the way he cuddled the doll not helping my twanging heart. Shaking off the gritting of my teeth, I smiled when he opened his mouth cautiously.

"Can..Can I pay for her? Please?" He asked.

I tilted my head and nodded, opening my wallet and grabbing out the required notes before watching him all but prance up to the counter, carefully handling the doll and the money, hugging his new companion to his chest as the attendant cooed at him and rung it up. Opening my arms, I let him jump up into my hug, our noses bumping as he giggled and cradled the new item.

"So, what her name?" I asked, balancing him on my hip as I took up Mephisto's lead.

"Hm..Mary!" He cheered, the European name rolling off his tongue without so much as an accent.

"Mary, huh?" I smiled, looking down at the dolly. "Welcome to the family, Mary."

His eyes gleamed as he cuddled Mary, and all I could do was soften my gaze at him and kiss the top of his head in affection.

Now, where do I hide it from Kaede?

…

"You gonna be okay sleeping with Mary tonight? Remember, she's a tough woman." I hummed tapping her hard hand with the tip of my finger.

"Uh huh! And she's only hard if you treat her wrong!" Lambo huffed, carefully situating the dolly before laying down and pulling the blankets up.

I laughed before calming my voice, a low hum of a tune leaving me as I helped the small Lighting drift off, his breathing slowly steadying until he was completely gone, tiny hand still gripping the plastic one of Mary.

"You've got your hands full haven't you, Mary?" I breathed softly, leaning against the crib's bars as I watched the little Guardian snooze.

I didn't know how long I stood there for, calming whatever rapids I had thrashing about in my mind by listening to him breathe, something in me settled by knowing he was safe.

"Sleep well, son." I sighed, resting my cheek on my arm.

 _Tap! Tap!_

My body tensed and jolted upright, head pivoting to pin my eyes on the window with wide alert. My hands gripped the side enough to make it groan as I released it to make my way over to the pane, carefully placing myself where I could see from a safe distance.

A head peeking over the pane, and eyes narrowed into crescents of mirth.

"Did I scare you?" Takeshi asked.

"What are you standing on?" I laughed, loosening in a single wave as I walked the final steps and opening the window and helping him up into my room.

"The water pipe, it's just strong enough." He hummed, sliding his arms around my waist and leaning against me.

"Is that so?" I breathed, curling my arm around him, the other coming to gently play with his hair. "Now, while I'm not against this midnight rendezvous, could I ask why you've decided to sneak into my bedroom in the pitch black?"

"I wanted to see you."

"And this couldn't have waited until morning?" I huffed, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope!"

I laughed quietly at his chipper mood, bowing my head to press the tips of our noses together and get a giggle out of him. Tilting myself, I swooped and stole the briefest kiss from him, making the younger whine and try to chase after my lips, missing each attempt.

"Shujin-kun!" He huffed, having another go and only managing to peck my chin as I reared my head back. "Lemme kiss you!"

"Hm, but you already have."

"Longer!"

Fondness curled in my heart as I cradled the very manifestation of my love to my chest, heart singing as he grinned up at me without hold, cheeks flushed from the effort of seeking me out and eyes dazzling as always.

"Okay, okay." I sighed, bending my neck for affection.

Our lips moulded gently and I relished in the feeling of his hum of content buzz against my vermillion border as he grasped my face in his hands to hold me closer. My arms came to drape over his shoulders, wrists crossing behind his head as I tilted my head into the kiss, a breath leaving us as we dove in for more touch.

The parting allowed me to see the hue that had gathered on him, the rise of his cheeks dyed a beautiful shade and the mocha that I had become addicted to, cloudy with sentiment. He smiled in a manner that sank its claws into my heart and dyed it his colour, hands slipping from my cheeks to settle on my hips, thumbing at the band of my night pants.

"Was that satisfactory?" I hummed, playing with his collar absently.

"Hm...For now, I guess." He shrugged, getting a scoff to burst from my lips.

"Oh, you're a wonderful thing, my husband." I laughed, cupping his cheek.

"Of course I am." My other huffed, puffing up his chest like a preening peacock.

My eyebrow came to raise in humour before I kissed the tip of his nose, the cute little thing scrunching up as it always did when such affection was placed upon it and making my mind swirl with fondness.

His smile tapered after a moment, eyes lowering as he seemed to sober abruptly. The beautiful glimmer in his eyes drained away to be swarmed with worry instead, his hold on my waist growing as he finally looked up.

"Daiki-kun-" He said suddenly, making me blink at the sudden tone drop. "Daiki-kun is..."

He pressed his lips together and glanced off, as if unsure of how to go about this. I tiled my head in question and squeezed him for comfort, getting a glance of mocha sent at me.

"Daiki-kun, is something going on here? At home, I mean."

My breath hitched as my lips parted slightly, eyes widening before I could control it otherwise. The Rain latched onto this reaction with sharp eyes, his hands coming up to cup my face and keep me looking at him, reading my expression three times over before I could cover it up.

"Shujin-kun," He breathed, "Why haven't you told me? Anyone?"

"Because there's nothing to tell." I hitched, tensing up as a sharp ringing began in the back of my mind. "Really, everything's fine."

"Please." He pressed, brow furrowing. "Please tell me."

"There's nothing to tell." I repeated, slowly lowering my eyes until they were lidded with apathy.

"No, Daiki-kun, no, don't do that to me." The Rain pleaded quickly, fixing his hold on my face to force me to see him instead of through him.

Mocha eyes pinned me with an unavoidable stare that hacked at my defenses with an unrelenting force, the desire to bow and bend backwards for him grown strong from the years. Instead, however, I sighed and gently took his wrists in my hands, leaning into the warm palm on my cheek as I looked down at him.

"There's really nothing going on, love." I tried, wanting him away from the danger of this topic. "It's just some rocky family business. You know how things can be a bit strained now and then, yes?"

"But, Daiki-kun, never like this." He stressed. "You're getting hurt and losing sleep and-"

"And still here to have you talking at me like I can't handle it." I soothed with a laugh, lowering myself slightly to bump our foreheads together. "I understand that you're worried about me, I'd be worried sick if this were happening to you, too."

"Then you know that I can't leave this alone." Takeshi gritted, following me as I released him and began moving around the room.

"Daiki-kun, you need to talk to me. Something's going on and I need to know." He tried, grabbing my hands before I could busy myself with anything. "Please, Daiki-kun."

I look at him, taking in the furrow of his brow and the desperate gleam in his eye. The downward tilt of his lips and the clutching of his hands.

"...You're not going to tell me...are you?" He breathed finally, seeing the sad softness that saturated my eyes.

"I'm sorry." Was all I could utter, lowering my gaze to where our hands were held. "I just think it's best for you not to get involved."

"I'm going to have to at some point, shujin-kun." Takeshi sighed, stepping closer to rest his head on my clavicle. "I keep thinking the worst is happening."

"I doubt it is as dramatic as you make it, love."

Wrapping my arms back around his form, I squeezed him tight against me and felt his warmth seep into my bones, a rumble of content vibrating in both our chests and playing off each other.

"I love you, Daiki-kun."

"Mm, I know." I sighed, putting my chin atop his head as he crushed me to his chest.

We stayed like that for a while, my Takeshi reigning in and reconciling his emotions and giving me time to craft a mask of thicker material for his eyes, before we separated, and shared a renewed smile.

"Are you staying the night?" I asked, gently petting the fine hairs at the base of his skull.

"I planned on it." He hummed, letting my hands wander and pamper him.

"You hardly look like you have night clothes."

"Well," Takeshi carefully extracted himself from my arms and peered up at me through his lashes. "I was kind of hoping that, well, we could do that thing that we did before."

"Thing." I repeated, humour lacing my tone at the skittish lover I saw before me.

"Do I really have to say it?" He huffed, pouting enough to make me coo into his ear.

The Rain smothered his face into my shoulder before grunting as I called him back out, a smile on my face as I urged him to speak.

"Can we, you know, lay together with less clothes on, like we did before?" He asked.

Glancing over my shoulder, I reached out and pulled the shade that covered the Lightning during his midday naps, pausing when Takeshi came over to quickly croon a soft greeting and the wish of kind dreams. Smiling at his nature, I allowed him to be the one to conceal our chosen son, his hands moving slowly as to cause the least noise possible.

Crossing my arms, I grew a crooked smile as he walked over to stand before me, his hands held behind his back in mock coyness, the grin that took his face too excited to be anything but shy about the situation handed to him. Tilting my head, I softened my gaze in fond affection before opening my arms in a swift motion, mocha eyes widening at the implication of the movement.

"You want me to...Can I?" Takeshi asked, clenching and unclenching his hands in a moment of restlessness.

Instead of answering, I merely smiled further.

"I love you, Takeshi-kun."

My top shirt was removed with an awkward, jarring movement, my help required for the Rain as my new, ginger earrings caught on the material, making me tisk in pain and draw mocha eyed attention.

"When did you…" He breathed, brushing my hair out of the way and gently fingering the golden loop.

"Just today." I answered softly, breath hitching when he pulled a bit too hard.

"Sorry! Sorry." He apologised, trailing off as if distracted by the precious metal puncturing my lobe. "It looks good."

"Thank you, love. I'm glad you like it." I laughed, tucking my hair behind my ear in a subconscious motion.

"I'm going to have to be careful with that now." He sighed, "My Daiki-kun is becoming bedazzled."

I snorted at the sudden statement, my giggle smothered by lips for a moment before excited hands dove for the strings of my pants, tugging them out of their knot and pulling the band free of my hips. His grin was infectious as he helped me step out of the pool of material, kicking it over to the base of my wardrobe before he found my hands on him, doing the same he had done to me.

"Last one, remember!" He laughed, lifting his arms fully to remove the shirt that covered him, exposing his chest for me to spread my hand over, his giggles and sighs a tune I wished I could play on an eternal loop.

"Beautiful," I sighed, "As always."

"Same to you, my beloved." Takeshi smiled, looping his arms around my neck.

Cuddling into him happily, I relished in the warmth that bloomed from where we were pressed flush, before gently pulling back, a careful smile coming to my face as a hue coloured my cheeks. Takeshi raised an eyebrow at me, already interested in what could cause a bashful look to take my expression, prompting me to go ahead.

"Can you turn around?" I asked, tucking in my chin in a show of sheepishness. "I wanna see your back, please."

The Rain laughed softly before doing as I had asked, always one to please my requests.

I honestly didn't know why, I could never give a reason, but Takeshi's back was a thing of hypnotisation for me. The broad and sharp nature of it, wide expanses of muscle rippling as I ghosted my fingers along the dip of his trapezium and outlined the mirroring wings of his shoulder blades.

"You like my back?" He asked with a bit of a chuckle, glancing over his shoulder at the hue on my face.

I nodded wordlessly as I remained focused on a diamond of freckles just below his nape, formed from the time in the sun without protection. My fingers wandered about, mapping out the expanse of tanned skin, imperfections in the sight only manifesting themselves as focal points for affection. My smile wavered, however as I came to the smooth, risen surface of the scar delt by Squalo, hand pausing over it as I winced in sympathy and apology.

"Daiki-kun?" He called carefully, glancing over after moments of no movement.

Bending at the waist, I gently pressed my lips to the marr, painting the damage with praise and devotion. My Takeshi was strong. He could survive a lot.

"I like your back," I breathed after a moment, smiling when I spotted him watching our reflection in the mirror. "Do you have a prefered part?"

"Hm," He hummed in thought, leaning back into my chest. "I can't say, haven't been able to take account of it all yet."

Despite the slightest sting in my chest, I knew that it wasn't meant as a jab. Instead, I smiled a coy little thing as tilted my head, nodding in agreement.

"True, there are parts of you I haven't seen yet either." My hand slipped from his side and fit under the band of his boxers. "We shouldn't choose just yet."

Even as I spoke in a measured tone, I could feel Takeshi stiffen against me, his breath ceasing to exist as mocha eyes widened, lips parting in a jaw drop. He uttered a string of garbled stutterers, cheeks and ears ablaze as earthy coffee orbs darkened with his hues.

"Oh, what's wrong?" I asked, testing the firmness in my palm. "You look a bit off."

'U-um, t-that's- uh."

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.

Takeshi knew Daiki would get him back for the grope in the hall but he didn't expect it to come in the form of a reciprocation, a cool, calloused palm down in the seat of his boxers with the other hand keeping him stationary. His throat had closed in surprise and his mind had short-circuited in the sudden rush of heat to his face, the conniving smile that adorned his husband's face not helping the situation at all, vermillion lips pulled over sharp, white teeth that threatened to eat him.

"Hm...Should I stop?" Daiki asked offhandedly, though, there was weight to the question.

The Rain only managed a wrangled gasp before he pushed back on the hand, pinning it between the hip of his other and the cheek of his own. It was an undoubtable 'no' and managed to get a laugh out of his husband, the sound rich and rippling into his ear.

"Ah, but that's not a definitive answer, my love." The rogue Sun sighed, "I guess I'll have to remove my hand."

A noise of loss escaped the swordsman as Daiki did just that, the hand settling back on his hip and used to turn him around.

Takeshi laughed as Daiki smothered him with affection, the annoyance of the removal soothed by lips and hands, their noses coming to nuzzle together and make his heart swell. His cheek was grasped to press his face against the warm vermillion of his husband's, mocha eyes squeezing closed as he grinned, the faint chill of the room easily ignored for with the heat of love that stoked in his stomach.

"I will always want you." Daiki hummed into his ear, feeling the expanse of the Rain's back.

Want you.

Want all of you.

Takeshi paused, and looked to the Sun's chest for a moment, his brows furrowing. Wasn't there...meant to be something there…?

"What's up, love?" He asked with a laugh, nudging the Rain's temple with his nose.

No, Daiki's never had anything else there.

"Nothing~!" He cooed, acting coy for the heck of it.

A flash went through his mind, a heated room with writhing bodies, so much touch, so much warmth. He felt breathless and heavy from the images digging into his heart, tongue tasting phantom salt.

Eyes scanned over the rogue Sun, the niggling feeling back. There was...definitely something missing from this.

Takeshi lifted his hands and splayed his fingers out across the expanse of his husband's chest, feeling the heartbeat bounce off his palms as they inched around the strong plain.

"Takeshi-kun?"

He looked up in a focused daze, trying to remember. Daiki smiled patiently at him, dragging his nails through the soft hair of the swordsman.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for something." He answered, closing his eyes as a bliss point was sparked.

"And what are you looking for?"

The Rain sighed and allowed himself to be guided back over to Daiki's bed, the sheets pulled aside for the larger to climb into and be followed by him.

"Don't know. Can't remember."

"You can't remember what you're looking for." The rogue Sun huffed in amusement, sitting up against the pillows and headboard, allowing the Rain to crawl into his lap.

"Shush." He pouted, fixing Daiki's shirt so he could run his hands over the slab of flesh as he straddled warm hips, thumbing at a sunken naval.

Daiki purred under his hands, relaxing into the touch and let his eyes fall half-mast, the look invoking shivers from the higher boy. The Yakuza Heir smiled lazily before settling his palms on the bent calves that bracketed his hips, feeling the texture of soft hairs and skin.

The Rain crooned a note at his lover as he trailed his fingers up over the clothed chest before tracing the soft, swirling patterns of the cloud that coloured his husband's left arm.

"If I had to choose a favourite for now," He sighed, "I'd have to pick your arm."

Leaning over, the young swordsman pressed his lips to the beak of the shrieking phoenix, thumb brushing lightly over the needle work with deep seated appreciation.

"Is that so." Daiki breathed, bringing the arm up for him to see, the curling tail feathers twisting with his skin. "I remember you have a thing for tattoos."

Takeshi felt his cheeks burn at the call out, but made no move to disprove the words, instead stealing the wrist from the air and bringing it to his lips for feathering kisses.

"I have a thing for _your_ tattoos."

Daiki smiled at that, enjoying the sentiment, before curling his arms around his other, bumping their noses together in a gentle motion.

"We're going to have to be quiet if you want to do anything else. Bo-kun and kaa-san are both sleeping." He warned softly, kneading the Rain's thigh.

Takeshi's eyes widened before they narrowed out in mirth, his lips curling as he placed his hands down on either side of the rogue Sun's waist, leaning forwards until there was almost no room to spare, their breaths mingling between them.

"And what would you have me do, my Lord?" He purred, watching as amber-earth melted into pure molten gold.

A copper tan hand slunk around until it pressed to the band of his boxers again, vermillion lips pulling into a matching smile of mutual arousal, the elder's tongue coming to swipe his lower lip as the hand dipped in and held soft, warm flesh. Takeshi hummed for the feeling, enjoying the weight, before his chin was grasped and used to bring him more forwards, lips just barely brushing over each other.

"Entertain me, my oiran."

…

Takeshi curled around Daiki when he returned from the bathroom, stomach gone cold from the water splashed on it, clearing away the stain left by the Rain's enthusiasm.

"Shujin-kun." He muttered, pressing his nose into the crook of a dark neck, inhaling caramel and sunshine.

"Was that good?" The Sun asked, brushing the swordsman's fringe from his sweaty forehead. "You seemed to enjoy yourself."

"Very." The Rain sighed, appreciating cool fingers on his brow.

Daiki smiled and brought him closer, enshrouding him in warmth. Takeshi hummed a pleased note at the welcome action, settling his temple on the other's clavicle and relaxing into the body beside his, melting into the frame and moulding it with his. The two drifted, the sounds of Daiki's sleep lulling the Rain, repetitive breaths of equal measure a soothing loop for his mind. His mental eye became submerged in a half reality of dreams, body disconnected to the rest of him as his consciousness slowly gave way.

Then there was the faintest of clicks, like something unlatching, followed by a soft, slow creek.

By this time, Takeshi's whole body had gone stiff, his blood singing hymns of warning as alarms blared white noise in his alert mind. Not moving even the slightest, the Vongola Rain cracked his eyes open, the rise and fall of his husband's chest obscuring him as he slowly made out the door in the darkness.

His breath hitched when he finally saw it. Eyes. Huge, wide, black eyes stared at them from the briefest crack in the door, the tiny slit making the watcher twist their head on its side to allow for both to look in. He didn't know how long he watched it, watch them, frozen in silence, unable to move, but prepared to spring at the slightest approach.

Abruptly, the door clicked shut, and there were quick, scuttled steps. Like someone rapping their fingers against wood in fast succession, and made a cold spike go through his brain.

Thinning his lips, the Rain waited a moment, before quietly getting to his feet and moving over to Lambo's crib, untangling the cover and pulling it aside. Reaching in, Takeshi carefully gathered the young Lightning in his arms before moving back to the bed, softly coaxing Daiki to make room.

"Hm? What?" Daiki asked sluggishly, squirming to make space despite his confused state.

"There was…" He paused and glanced to the door. "I had a bad dream. Can Bo-kun sleep with us?"

The Sun looked up at him with slow blinks, but nodded nonetheless, welcoming the two without a second thought. They were careful with the small body between them, having to renew their positioning to avoid crushing or making the little Lightning uncomfortable. Eventually, they settled themselves again, Lambo tucked into Takeshi's chest while Daiki threw his arm around both of them and kept the two close.

He tried to ignore the eyes he saw in his head, and the breathing still coming through the door.

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

 **|S.R|**

"We're going today."

The Vongola Sun Guardian looked up from his revision notes at the sudden voice, blinking when he saw the three second years of their group standing beside his desk.

"What?" He asked, not quite there yet.

"Yamaguchi Bakery," Gokudera scowled, having to reiterate the Rain's previous sentence. "We're going to the fucking giant's place to talk to his mother!"

Immediately, Ryohei sobered his expression, brow furrowing as he came to attention. Tsuna looked relieved at the mellowing, not needing any more attention drawn to their cause then what they were already risking, having ducked in while Daiki was just out of the classroom.

"Okay." He nodded, looking between the three, seeing the solid set of Takeshi's jaw. "Daiki-kun's due to visit the Watanabe today, he got a call in class."

This made the Rain shift, his furrow growing deeper with worry, another thing on his Daiki's plate.

"That should give us time, then." Tsuna commented, looking over as Gokudera agreed loudly.

"Meet at the gates?" The swordsman asked, his voice strained.

"Gates." He affirmed, a round of nods rippling through their group.

"Don't make me wait." Hibari grunted, walking past the open windows.

…

The group walked in a kind of synchrony as they left the school, Ryohei making a show of seeing off his brother as he did.

"Goodbye, dearly beloved! I will remember you!"

Daiki waved awkwardly as the long car of the Watanabe Yakuza came rolling up, the door opening for him. Everyone present blinked when and unexpected stepped out, her purple hair done up as usual as she clutched her trident piece like a comfort blanket.

"Oh, do you have something to do in Namimori?" Daiki asked Chrome, the girl nodding after giving Tsuna a glance.

"Okay, you have Cooper-san's number, so just call when you want to come home."

"Yes, Daiki-kun, I know." She hummed with a bit of a smile.

The rogue Sun sighed playfully before giving his fiancé a parting kiss for the day and sliding into the vehicle with a last goodbye, Gokudera and Tsuna still not used to the nature of it even as it drove away with tinted windows.

"Shit...He really is a Yakuza." The Storm gaped.

"Well, yes." Chrome muttered, getting the group of boys to round on her.

"Why is the witch here?!"

"Chrome-chan, where have you been?" Tsuna asked, giving her an immediate one over with his eyes.

"I've been staying at the Watanabe Compound with Daiki-kun's cousins. He was kind enough to house Chikusa-kun, Ken-kun and I since the Mist Battle." She explained, shrinking a bit from the intense looks.

"And I asked for her to be brought here." Takeshi chirped, high notes tipped with tension. "She and shujin-kun are close, she should be in the loop as well."

"Fair enough." Tsuna nodded, quieting Gokudera's rage.

Ryohei let out a settling breath, loosening his shoulders and the tension that riddled them, before turning and leading the group on, the Rain matching his pace. There was an undoubtable stress that swarmed their party, the air stale with something strong as it slithered through them in thick sludges. People seemed to make way for them as they walked, their path open to them for the Yamaguchi Bakery to come into view, it's white on green sign a familiar sight for the most of them, and usually a beacon of safety.

"Does...does this place look different?" Tsuna asked, glancing around at his Family.

Gokudera pursed his lips. Takeshi narrowed his eyes. Ryohei balled his fists.

"Yeah, a bit." The Rain answered, a muted nod coming from the Sun.

Hibari huffed at them quietly as he leant by the wall beside the door, regarding them out of the corner of his eyes before joining the Family, just a few steps behind.

Ryohei stepped forwards, having known this domain the longest of them all, and pushed the door aside in a slow, steady motion, the bell ringing clear to alert the place of their entrance.

"Good afternoon, how can I- oh, you lot! You haven't come around in so long!" Kaede chirped, abandoning the register to patter over to the group and grasping the Yamamoto's hands. "How have you been?"

"Good, thanks!" Takeshi hummed, gently taking his hands out of hers in an almost awkward fashion. "What about you?"

"I've been just fine." She smiled, before turning her gaze on the rest of the group. "And the rest of you! I don't think I've met you before!"

"Uh, yeah." Gokudera huffed, looking off balance. "I'm Gokudera Hayato, nice to meet you."

"I'm Dokuro Chrome." The Mist introduced, bowing a little bit.

"Yamaguchi Kaede, Daiki-kun's mother." The matron introduced.

"Kaede-kaa-san," Ryohei interrupted gently, getting the woman to turn to him. "Lately Daiki-kun has been really tired, is something wrong?"

The woman blinked, registering the question, before giving a laugh and waving her hand and she smiled.

"No, no!" She denied, "Daiki-kun's just been going to bed later, and he's got a whole bunch of things going on at once, third year and all."

"And the Watanabe too?" Tsuna tacked on, making her pause and look to him.

"Yes, and the Watanabe Heirship is taking its toll too."

"Then is there something we can do to help?" Takeshi blurted quickly, his tension in the room plain to see. "Even if it's just a little but, we can try and lighten the load."

"Daiki-kun needs to learn to deal with this himself. You all shouldn't get involved."

"Why not? I'm Daiki-kun's fiance, we're meant to share each other's burdens!" The Rain pressed, brow furrowing as his temper knocked on his mind.

"And I'm his brother, I'm not going to leave him to struggle like this!" Ryohei joined, the others nodding in agreement as they struck the woman with their gazes.

Kaede paused and surveyed the group, before her smile turned light with patronisation, as if they didn't know what they were doing, toddling around in a world too big for them.

"Takeshi-kun, Ryohei-kun, all of you," She sighed clasping her hands before her as she poised herself as always, the air in the room shifting. "You must understand that Daiki-kun can only remain what he is to all of you for a short time. Eventually, he will have to move on."

"What do you mean?" Tsuna asked, wincing as sharp black turned on him. "Please."

"Daiki-kun is the Heir to the Watanabe Yakuza, you realise this, meaning he will be required to take up the roles expected of him in the future. For now, he may be able to play with you all, but soon enough, he will have to take the position seriously." Kaede smiled, making eyes narrow around the room, Hibari already catching onto what she was saying.

"Daiki-kun will have to start putting the Watanabe first and foremost in his life, he will have to focus on furthering its reputation and influence in the Yakuza community," She explained further, a cold dread settling in Ryohei's stomach that seemed to seep into the others'. "He will have to cut ties with those who are deemed unworthy, and will, eventually, have to look towards marrying a woman of high enough pedigree to strengthen ties."

This sentence was an almost purposeful dig in the Rain's direction, resulting in the boy bristling visibly, his jaw jump within tanned skin as he tried to hold himself to sense.

"But Yamamoto-kun and Daiki-kun are already engaged," Chrome said, speaking up for the first time, her hands clutching each other in a silent temper. "He's even turned down his concubine because of him."

"Daiki-kun tells me he loves me every chance he gets," Takeshi agreed, forcing a smile to his face. "He doesn't lie about stuff like that."

The Yamaguchi matron hummed a noise, everyone twitching at once, the note reaching a pitch of warning in their minds.

"And Daiki-kun does love you, he does very much, Takeshi-kun." She nodded, "But soon he will have to make a choice. A choice between you," Coal of crackling extremes were dragged over the group, singling them out while also amassing them into an indistinguishable whole. "And the entirety of his family."

This woman. No one could recognise this woman. She wasn't the kind lady who would give Ryohei random, fresh biscuits before school, not the one who let him and Daiki lick the bowl and spoon after she made cakes. He had no idea who this woman was, or why they had let Daiki be exposed to her for so long.

"Then why did you let us happen at all then?" Takeshi finally asked, breaking the silence with a rising temper. " _Any_ of us!?"

"Because," She responded easily, unfaltering at the baring of teeth. "It is fine, so long as Daiki-kun falls into line when needed, and from what I've had seen, he does just that. You've all seen what he does, he obeys when he's expected to, just as he should."

Even Gokudera took in a hissed breath at those words, if only as a sympathy to the recoil that rippled through the group. More than one pair of teeth were exposed to her at this point, and only the connection to Daiki keeping her safe in the room which she had riled, and she knew it. Takeshi looked ready to bite, his usual exterior a shaky mockery of what it once was, his smile gone with a curl of strong dislike, even his soothing Rain doing little to hold him down.

" _You,"_ The Rain took a breath to steady his tone. "You shouldn't yank Daiki-kun around like that. He doesn't deserve it! He gets so tired, and it hurts him!"

"He does as his mother tells him. I know him much better than you do, Takeshi-kun. I know more than you ever could." She said simply.

This caused a beat of silence from the Rain, eyes glancing at each other from around the room.

"What do you mean by that?" Gokudera asked, being the first to step forwards.

"And just because you're his mother, doesn't give you the right to run him into the ground." Takeshi continued.

The woman shook her head at them, a sigh escaping her as if she had given up on trying to convince them of an apparent truth.

"It's late, I think you should all head back to your homes now."

"We came to ask you to take a bit of pressure off of Yamaguchi-san." Tsuna said, his brow dipping into a furrow. "So please, just let him rest."

"He has had enough rest." Kaede denied.

"Then why does he keep crashing?" Ryohei shot out, feeling the tension in the room fuel individual flames.

"If he can't handle this, then it's his own fault!" She snapped, her temper rising.

"How is it his own fault? He's only supposed to be worrying about his exams, but he's got all of this other stuff piling on top of that!" Gokudera joined, finally having enough of the woman before them.

"In the current state he is in, he is useless." Hibari bit out, finally entering the rally as he glared from across the room.

"The Watanabe have been weighing down on him recently because of the Oyabun's health, the only thing that's unnecessary at the moment is any stress _you_ put him under!" Chrome pressed, her usually timid expression replaced with one of cautious vexation.

" _Enough!"_

The group was stunned into silence at the sudden shriek, the woman having lost her decorum in the last moments, her breaths ragged enough to make her shoulders rise and fall with each inhalation.

"You do not come into my home and tell me how to raise my child! He was flawed since the day he was born, but his father and I have done our best to make up for it, and yet you all come in here and-"

The bell rung out in the shop, making the room pause and turn to the sound. Eyes widened and breaths hitched as the figure of Daiki took up the frame, his face passive and shielded as he took in the scene before him.

Ryohei's brother Sun walked into the room with an easy step, but the Vongola counterpart could see a slight, submitting slouch in his walk, his eyes cast low as he rounded the back of his mother to stand behind her, bypassing the Guardians in the place. The large Yakuza sighed and wrapped his arms around her small frame, resting his cheek on the top of her head in a show of affection for his mother, though his face showed no such emotion.

"Why are you home?" Kaede asked, refusing to look at her son.

"The meeting was cancelled, kaa-san." He answered quickly, like he had been trained to respond to any question within a time frame.

The woman made a noise in recognition of the answer, but nothing beyond that.

Daiki let the action settle into him before he tightened his hold on his mother, a kind of cold matte coming to his eyes as they stared at the flooring.

"I'm sorry, everyone." He said after a few moments. "I think you need to leave for tonight. I'll see you all later."

Ryohei jolted at that, glancing between the two Yamaguchi's before him unsurely, wondering if her should force the older teen to come home with him, or even with Takeshi, the thought of leaving him with this woman, a dangerous one.

The Rain seemed to sympathise with him, sending glances to the others in the room to survey the overall consensus.

No one wanted to leave Daiki with Kaede.

But they did.

"Okay," Ryohei breathed, "We're sorry for staying so long, see you later then."

The group filed out slowly, almost as if they were waiting for something more to be sprung on them. As they came out to the darkness of the afternoon, they remained in a stale silence as they looked to each other, unsure of how to progress from here.

" _Go to your room Daiki-kun."_ Kaede said, making the Vongola Guardians turn.

Daiki left, like he was told to.

 **|S.R|**

* * *

I heaved on my floor as I sat up against the wall, trying to steady my breath in the silence as the cold panic in my mind slowly tapered off, Mephisto's persistent lapping at my hands keeping me grounded. My eyes were blurry despite there being no reason, and I made the effort to train my ears on the repetitive sounds of Lambo's laugher down in the living room, his attention enraptured by the television.

"Calm down." I choked, coughing as I tried to clear my airways of their own form. "Calm down, there's nothing to panic about. Easy, Daiki."

Mephisto whined up at me before jumping into my lap, his snout coming to rest on my shoulder in the best replication of a hug he could manage, loud breaths huffing into my ear, allowing me to match the rhythm. My arms came up and I cuddled the fluffy body to me, gently kissing the crest of his skull even as I quivered with a slowly ebbing fright.

"I love them, but they're so fucking nosy." I sighed, relaxing into the wall behind me. "They're worried about me, Miphy."

He snorted at me, as if saying 'you just noticed?', making me smack my lips beside his ear, causing it to twitch.

Tilting my head back, I continued to pet my companion as I tried to spot things to settle myself, pointing out random facts and numbers that connected to the objects in my room.

That photo was taken three years ago. Ryohei and I painted that in year 2. Kyoko made that for me five year ago.

My eyes were drawn to the album that was tucked neatly into my bookshelf beside my head, and I deliberated for a few moments, before reaching for it, and plucking the thick book from the shelf, cracking it open as Mephisto made room to also peer in.

The first image held Ryohei parading around in the crown we had made on the day we first met, though the photo itself was months older than the artefact, Kyoko jumping up behind him in a valiant attempt to knock off the paper hat despite her much smaller form. Their faces were lit up in enjoyment as they shouted happiness at each other, chasing something unseen. I cracked a smile at the image, remembering being there myself, though, off-screen as I was being lifted quite abruptly by one of the teachers.

" _By the end of the EXTREME year, you and I will be EXTREME friends! TO THE EXTREME!"_

Rolling my eyes at the nature of my brother, I flipped the pages until his little glory segment ended and I came upon the captures of a little Takeshi, my fiancé bouncing around with the energy of youth. My head tilted in a fond manner when I spotted him wearing a too big helmet, the bright blue thing nearly consuming his head and causing him to push up the front with his hand as he laughed at the camera, eyes bright with glee, face red with exertion.

" _I'm Yamamoto Takeshi! Do you wanna play baseball with me!?"_

The twitch of my lips melded into a soft smile as I relaxed fully, Mephisto settling beside me and sniffing the depictions of my fiancé, knowing the boy as someone who readily gave him treats. The next face I came upon was that of Hibari's a disgruntled baby face printed for me to snort at as he glared at me from the past. Finding one that sparked my interest the most, I examined it and smiled a little thing when I saw a young Hibari hanging from a tree to glare at the camera, as if offended that he had been found. His fringe and hair was falling to the floor as he hung from his knees, arms crossed stubbornly as gravity pulled his cheeks up and his lips into an unintentional pout.

" _Wao."_

The next part starred Tsuna, with a scattering of Namimori and pre-canon photos covering the pages, each one showcasing his spontaneous calamities. The one I ended up focusing on was a picture taken when we were children, the two of us forced to socialise despite the gaps in our personalities, sitting in the centre of his living room, an automatic train set circling between us. His eyes were lit up in wonder as he watched it go around, mouth contorted into a wide smile of childish glee at our mutual creation.

" _I-I was… Can we…Will you…Can I play with you?"_

Huffing at the picture, I flipped until I found the next segment, raising an eyebrow when I came upon Gokudera's scowling face. Kyoko had somehow managed to wrangle the grumpy Storm into showing up in her gift to me, even though he played no role in my childhood. The fact made me laugh a little as I scanned them, before stopping on one that definitely had no relation to me. In the lower corner, was Gokudera, aged anywhere between five to eight, dressed up in a child's suit and playing a grand piano with the most innocent smile on his face.

" _Little one? You're only a year older than me!"_

By this point, I was coming to the newly updated parts of the album, remembering how Kyoko had stolen the book away so she could riddle it with more memories and moments of our years. Another flip rewarded me with Lambo's face squished to the lense, his exhalant smudging the screen as I-pin giggled in the little background there was. Searching around for a clearer one, I smiled when I saw the quintet, Haru having gathered the three of the Vongola children to her chest as Kyoko hugged them all from behind, all of them smiling as Fuuta waved his arms, flower crowns sitting atop each head.

" _Papa! Reborn's being mean to me again! Make him listen to me!"_

" _Okay, thank you."_

" _You have a very nice smile."_

" _Uh huh! Haru Appreciation Day, it is!"_

" _Daiki-nii-san! Wear this?!"_

Regarding each face, I sighed as I reflected on the little attention I paid each of them, wondering if they thought that I didn't hold them in a high esteem as I actually did. Shaking my head, I gripped the corner and brought the page over, blinking in surprise when I saw the faces of Chrome and Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa sparse, but there nonetheless.

"That girl, Kyoko-chan." I laughed, "How did she manage to get a hold of these?"

Trailing my fingers, I paused when I came to the image that held what most would think was a glitch, but I could see better, having to appreciate the Mists' knack for dramatics. In it, Chrome was seated in the Watanabe relm before the mostly bare vanity, Ken and Chikusa sprawled across her floor in lazy manners as they all regarded the camera as suiting to their character. In the mirror behind Chrome, however, the imprisoned Mist peeked out, his heterochromic eyes showing mirth as he smirked at the lense that captured him.

" _...I'll try to make this as fast as possible- to get you out."_

" _It's become quite pale, actually. I'll be needing to_ _soak up some sun_ _once I'm freed."_

Turning over, I let out a breath as the miscellaneous and group photos began, parties, snowball fights, beach days, pool trips, picnics, the arcade.

I glanced to my phone, then back to the album, tracing the smiling faces of those who I entrusted my heart and fragilities, before giving a high whistle to Mephisto. The highlander leapt off my lap and snatched the phone from my bed, bounding over and dumping it in my palm, sticking me with a look that demanded rewards for his actions. Clicking my tongue in a different manner, the dog shot off, intent on retrieving his treat that he so deserved.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself. They deserved to know. They've stuck by me for years, they're my friends. I trust them. I want them.

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _Hey, I need to talk to you. In person, preferably._

 _From: Favourite Stalker_  
 _Oh my God Daiki, you have the worst_ _timing known to man! It's busy over here, and I've still got work!_

 _To: Favourite Stalker  
Okay, when can we meet up?_

 _From: Favourite Stalker  
I'll talk to you on Monday, is it too urgent?_

 _To: Favourite Stalker  
No, no. It can wait until then._

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _Can't you tell me over the phone? Call? Text?_

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _No, this...this needs to be told to you in person._

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _I owe you that, at least._

There was a step of silence, like Takeshi was taking in the words, trying to find the meaning behind them.

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _Okay, I understand. But tou-san says I can't._

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _I'm so sorry, I really would! I_ _want_ _to! But I_ _can't._

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _It's fine. It's fine, dear. Calm down, it won't do you any good to be stressed._

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _I'm sorry, Daiki. I love you._

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _I love you too, Takeshi._

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _I'll see you Monday then._


	35. Chapter 35

**Word Count: 14,779**

* * *

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself. They deserved to know. They've stuck by me for years, they're my friends. I trust them. I want them.

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _Hey, I need to talk to you. In person, preferably._

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _Oh my God Daiki, you have the_ _worst_ _timing known to man! It's busy over here, and I've still got work!_

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _Okay, when can we meet up?_

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _I'll talk to you on Monday, is it too urgent?_

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _No, no. It can wait until then._

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _Can't you tell me over the phone? Call? Text?_

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _No, this...this needs to be told to you in person._

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _I owe you that, at least._

There was a step of silence, like Takeshi was taking in the words, trying to find the meaning behind them.

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _Okay, I understand. But tou-san says I can't._

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _I'm so sorry, I really would! I_ _want_ _to! But I_ _can't._

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _It's fine. It's fine, dear. Calm down, it won't do you any good to be stressed._

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _I'm sorry, Daiki. I love you._

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _I love you too, Takeshi._

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _I'll see you Monday then._

…

"Hey, Takeshi-kun." I breathed, seeing my love dash over to me with urgency.

"What did you want to talk about?!" He blurted, wrapping his arms around my neck. "Are you okay?! I'm sorry I couldn't come, I really am!"

"It's fine, love." I soothed, placing my hands on his waist. "It's okay, I'm okay."

Takeshi looked up me still, with his brow furrowed in worry and apology, teeth shown as his lips bowed downwards. He didn't relent even when I dipped to press quick kisses on him, apologies broken by lips as I tried to redirect his mind.

"Everything's okay, mine." I sighed, hugging him to me.

"Okay..." He muttered, obviously not convinced. "What did you want to talk about?"

The question made me inhale sharply, which didn't go unnoticed, before I forced the tension from my shoulders, nodding in understanding of the inevitability.

"Come," I urged, taking his hand and leading him to the roof. "I have something that...That you deserve to know."

* * *

"Jesus, how the fuck have you been able to hide it from us that fucking long!?" Gokudera blurted, making Takeshi laugh as he leant up against my back.

I shrugged in my seat, gently fingering the hand on my shoulder, tracing the cold ring that matched mine.

"There were a few close calls." I admitted, sending a look between Takeshi and Ryohei. "I think one involved streaking into my bathroom."

"Oh, shut up to the EXTREME!" Ryohei snapped, his face flushing as eyes went to him. "It was once!"

Tsuna spluttered before his hands came up to hiseyes, as if he was trying to erase the image conjured into his mind. I snorted at his attempts and leant back into my fiancé, smiling as he nuzzled the crest of my head lovingly, making me tilt my head back and allow him to kiss me.

* * *

I fought the rising nervousness as I was called to the stage, a slip of paper in my hand to be spoken aloud to the entirety of Namimori as the highest scoring graduate of my year. Even all these years later, I hated public speaking, it killed me a little each time. Taking a breath, I scanned the crowd quickly and singled out my husband and his friends, my own brother grinning up at me with no little amount of pride in his eyes.

With them in my sights, I began to speak, watching them and only them, keeping myself safe from the eyes of any others in the room. The short speech was over in almost no time, and I bustled myself from the stage in an almost sprint, Ryohei smothering his snickers as I dropped down next to him desperately.

"Shut up, you were in second, they easily could have gotten you up there instead." I hissed, elbowing him in the side.

"Oh, come on, Daiki-chan. There's no way they'd bypass their favourite for the win for me." He huffed.

"Don't sell yourself short brother," I snorted, "You surprised everyone when your grade showed up."

He scoffed but preened at the words, leaning back into his chair with a prideful smirk, closing his eyes and tilting his head in a manner he had learnt hid his eyes from those around him. I raised an eyebrow at him as I felt his Flame stur against mine, as if searching for some kind of comfort.

"Are you getting emotional?" I asked, throwing my arm over his shoulder and tucking him into my side. "Going to miss Nami-chuu?"

"Shove off." He muttered, drilling himself further into my one-armed embrace. "Like you aren't."

"I never said I wouldn't." I hummed, rubbing his arm. "But I think the chaos is going to follow after us soon enough, if those boys have their way."

The two of us sent our gazes over to the trio a couple rows down from us, a laugh coming as they waved with a mixture of excitement-

' _Is that a tear I see, Gokudera-kun?'_

' _Fuck off.'_

I snorted and nuzzled my brother as his shoulders shook with nostalgia, further fueled by the others in our year tearing up in their own groups.

"Namimori will always be open to us, Ryohei-kun. It's our home." I smiled, kissing the top of his head as a sniffled escaped him. "Hibari-san's probably going to drag us back to check on it every other month, anyway."

"True." He laughed, before standing as his name was called. "See you up there, bro."

"See you up there."

* * *

I hummed to myself as I navigated the halls of the high school, already feeling the impending headache of the place as eyes sized me up from all sides, their analytical flashes all too familiar. There were three categories of the families in this school, and you could list them off with the three P's.

Political. Prosperous. Prosecutable.

You could guess where I landed in this mess. Prosecutable. The dark side of the spectrum. Of course, because I can never get a break.

"Watanabe-Yamaguchi Daiki, you're late." The teacher huffed as I walked in, using my whole name as per usual.

"Sorry sensei, the school is a bit larger than what I am used to."

This made the room ripple with scoffs, my small town upbringing a known fact around the school despite my title. This didn't put much of a damper on my position, however, seeing as I was the only official Oyabun in the first or second years, only two others existing in the third year of the high school.

A benefit, if anything that fact was. It let me get away with so much more than any of the other kids would have, and brought me up in the 'scum' of the school.

Shrugging off the glare the teacher stuck me with, I moved to my seat and sat down towards the back of the class, elbowing my snoozing brother. He grunted in annoyance and huffed at me, but slipped his hand into the open to allow me to grasp it, our fingers sliding together platonically as I tuned into the lesson half-heartedly.

"Didn't sleep well last night?" I asked, running my thumb along his knuckles.

"Yeah, Kyoko-chan was freaking out about her assignments." He yawned, snuggling into my arm.

"Mm, I'll take the notes for this lesson. Sleep."

* * *

My eyes snapped open and I jolted up from my bed, breath fast and hectic as realisation washed over me, skin pricking and hair standing on end as I heaved. Glancing around the room, I quickly took in the space of the heir's dorm, long inhales taken in an effort to calm myself.

A shift beside me made me jump and I shot my gaze to it, instantly relaxing when I made out the familiar face curled up at my side. Takeshi made a noise in his sleep when I brushed a piece of his fringe out of his face, completely unaware of the start that had thrown me back into the waking world.

I smiled at him, remembering how he had had a baseball tournament only hours ago and understood his exhaustion, leaning over to gently kiss his upward cheek, careful not to disturb him.

Sighing, I gingerly extracted myself from our bed, knowing that no more sleep would come to me soon. Scooping up the gaslamp, I lit the fuse as I closed the door behind me, gently padding down the hall, listening to my cousins and friends sleep.

I breathed deeply as I came to the kitchen, nerves still on end, and placed down my lamp on the counter, reaching up to light a few of the wall mounted lamps. Leaning my hands on the edge of the counter, I sighed and tilted my head back, attempting to alleviate the tension that had built in my back.

How could I forget? How could I miss it? Did I noticed and just not believe it?

"The Future." I sighed, "What a mess."

" _Daiki-chan?"_

I pause and looked to the voice, smiling softly when I saw the white-garbed shape of Chrome hovering by the doorway.

"Hey baby bird, what are you doing up so late?" I asked softly, gesturing her in.

"I heard someone walking around and though…" She muttered, grasping her hands before her thighs as she dropped her eyes.

I smiled and opened my arm for her to step into, the girl blinking quickly before cuddling up to my front, pausing to rearrange her arms when they dug into the soft mounds of my chest, still getting used to the shift.

"I'm sorry that I woke you." Came my quiet apology, carding her loose hair and smiling as she flushed and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I was going to make some hot chocolate, do you want some?"

Purple eyes watched me unsurely for a moment before the little Mist nodded shyly, scuttling off into the corner to get out of my way, fiddling with her hands awkwardly as I pulled out cocoa powder and put milk in a pot to boil. It only took a little while, and then we found ourselves with cups full of warm delights, a laugh bubbling from me when Chrome yelped.

"Blow on it or be a bit more patient, my dear." I cooed, "It's hot still."

The small girl flushed a faint shade but began to blow soft ripples in the steaming surface, humming when it went down smoother the second time.

"Um, can I ask, why were you awake?" She asked softly, looking at me from over the brim of her cup.

I blinked and looked down at the contents of my own cup, a bitter smile coming to my face as I remembered the shock of realising.

"I remembered something all of a sudden," I breathed, "It wasn't a good thing."

"Really, now." Mukuro hummed, leaning against the counter, swallowing a nice mouthful of hot chocolate. "Does the Watanabe Lord want to talk about it?"

I rolled my eyes as huffed at his attitude, raising an eyebrow when I saw him crack the briefest smile of content into the drink.

"It's not all that important," I shrugged, sipping again. "How have you been, anyway?"

"Fine on my end, the Vindice are still lacklustre with the water temperature though. Honestly, would it kill them to turn it up when Winter's around?" He whined, cradling the cup.

I looked at him for a moment, before sighing and putting down my beverage, reaching across to skim my fingers along his knuckles. Cold.

"We'll get you out soon, I hope." I breathed, pressing my palm against his skin, lacing the flesh with warm sunshine.

The Mist gazed at our hands for a moment before huffing, then he changed hands, making me warm the other as well. Withdrawing eventually, I scooped back my cup and took a scalding gulp, crooning at the taste.

" _Daiki-chan?"_

I blinked before smiling softly at Takeshi as he rubbed his eye, looking at me while squinting, the light too bright for night eyes. He yawned as I waved him over, bumping against my chest as he came to a stop.

"Hello, my love. What are you doing up?" I asked, resting a hand between his shoulder blades as I held my cup off to the side.

"You weren't there so it got cold quickly." He muttered, making me coo softly.

"I'm sorry, darling." I smiled, tilting my head with fondness when he cocked his head back in obvious demand.

Bowing at the waist, I pressed a soft kiss on my other, his arms coming to curl around my waist. He pulled back slowly and smiled up at me languidly, humming as he licked his lips.

"Hm, sweet."

I blinked before laughing, my cheeks gaining a bit of a hue at the comment.

"Yeah, do you want some of my hot chocolate?"

"Yes please." He smiled, taking the cup in his hands and rotating to lean back against my chest.

Mukuro watched the interaction with an amused expression, his beverage hiding half his face from observation.

"Hello, Vongola Rain." The Mist greeted, making Takeshi looked to him.

"Oh, hey, Mukuro-san, how long have you been there?" He laughed, letting me cuddle him to me and nuzzle the crest of his skull.

"A while, but I think I should be going soon anyway." Mukuro sighed, shrugging as he placed down his cup. "Thank you for the chocolate, Daiki-kun, I really needed that tonight."

"You're welcome, even if it was meant for Chrome-chan." I hummed, inclining my head. "I'll talk to you soon, perhaps."

"Perhaps." He repeated, before mists collected and then dispersed.

Chrome was quick to grasp the counter to stop herself from tumbling, a small noise leaving her when she saw the Rain in my grasp, her greeting bordering on awkward.

"Hi, Chrome-san!" Takeshi smiled, waving his free hand, mouth covered by his drink.

"Hello, Takeshi-san, did you wake up because of Daiki-chan too?"

"Haha, yeah." He breathed, leaning back into me more, dropping his temple onto my collarbone. "She left and made the bad all cold."

"I'm sorry." I hummed, kissing the top of his head.

I smiled as I nuzzled his hair, smelling shampoo and his scent of sleep, listening to the small conversation that flitted between the two Guardians, happy that they were getting along so.

The Future, it was coming. And as usual, it wasn't waiting for anyone.

* * *

I stretched myself out with a sigh as the bell rung, Ryohei tapping the desk in a moment of boredom, looking around at our new classroom, though not much different to our first year one.

"How long do you bet it'll take?" He asked, glancing to the clock.

"Hm..." I thought, thinking to the layout of the school and the knowledge of our names. "I'll give them, say, two minutes to figure out the layout."

"Nah, one and a half. Takeshi-kun's freaky when it comes to you." Ryohei denied, shaking his head.

" _Hey! Hey! There's a fight!"_

" _A fight?"_

" _Yeah! Between some first years and a second year!"_

We looked to each other, exasperation mixing with amusement. Leaning forwards, I pinned my brother with a smile, his own matching mine as we shared thoughts easily.

"New bet, you give me lunch if that's them."

"No way, man." He huffed, joining me as I walked from our desk.

We chatted idly as we followed the chaos, listening to the shouts and hollers of people as they egged on the scene with a vicious desire for conflict, as was in their blood. It made me laugh, the sounds of a one-sided yelling match as we happened upon the ring of students, fists raised in approval.

" _Look, kids, I don't know who you think you are, but you can't just fucking waltz up like you own the place. This isn't your territory, and you should show your upperclassmen some respect."_

" _We just bumped into you."_

" _And we apologised."_

" _So fuck off, asshole!"_

Ryohei and I looked to each other, and snorted as we pushed our way into the crowd, people parting for us once they recognised rank. A few of the Watanabe branches bowed their heads as I moved past, and I inclined my own at them in thanks, but was mostly distracted by the scene before me.

"Could you just tell us where Yamaguchi Daiki is? We're in a bit of a rush 'cause of the bell." Takeshi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Why the hell would we tell you where he is? You wanna fight him?" One of my classmates scoffed, his lackeys snickering to each other.

"Dude, you'll flat out die. He's an Oyabun already."

"Oh, I know that." The Rain nodded, getting shrugs from Tsuna and Gokudera who agreed. "So, could you tell us where he is?"

"I'm right here." I announced, voice carrying and silencing the rally.

" _Oh shit, who told him?"_

" _Poor first years, they're gonna get it."_

" _Do you think he'll be nice? I mean, we've never seen otherwise."_

" _No, dude, remember that one guy who pulled a knife on his brother?"_

"Oh, Watanabe-san." My classmate breathed, leaning lazily, though his body was tense. "These kids were looking for a fight with you. I was gonna send em back."

The group rippled with murmurs, ready for whatever happens next.

"Thank you, but that's not necessary. I'll handle them myself."

A new buzz filled the air as he huffed off and I filled the empty space, Ryohei at my side with an amused smirk on his face as he crossed his arms. I scanned over the three before me, seeing the barely contained excitement that bubbled beneath Takeshi's skin as he waited for the sign to go, his calves twitching in preparation.

I curled my lips and extended my hand, the metal that bound my finger gleaming and catching eyes. In an instant, my arms were full of Rain as he wrapped his own around my waist and pressed his face into my shoulder, a happy laugh escaping us as Ryohei scrambled to stop us from falling.

"Daiki-chan! I missed you so much!" He laughed, pulling back to smile up at me warmly.

"I missed you too, love." I sighed, humming as I was kissed gently. "Even if I just saw you on the weekend."

"Shush, let me be." He pouted, before latching on again.

Murmurs and shouts burst forth from the crowd as he continued to hold my tongue hostage for himself, refusing to relinquish his hold on me even as I made a noise of humour. Tightening my arms around my younger lover I carefully weaned him off before kissing his cheek, making him giggle and cuddle into me as I turned my attention to the others of the Vongola trio.

"You guys can never go anywhere without something happening, can you?" I huffed, running my hand along Takeshi's back as I spoke.

"Haha, guessnot." Tsuna admitted, Gokudera scowling from behind him, but not denying it in the least.

* * *

" _Daiki-chan!"_

I released all the air in my lungs as a heavy body landed on me, eyes snapping open and singeing in the bright morning light.

"Happy Birthday, Daiki-chan!" The familiar voice cried again, a mouth sealing over mine.

I gave a muffled groan as my lips were pried open and a tongue delved to massage against mine, hands running up my sides as hips settled within the dip of my own. Closing my eyes, I submitted to the attentions from the younger boy and tempted the idea of sleep, only to jump back awake with a wince as my lower lip was pinched between grinning teeth.

Giving a sigh, I brought a hand off my covers and tangled its fingers in black hair, a sleepy greeting to my invading lover.

"Good morning, Takesh-kuni." I grumbled, rubbing my eyes with my free hand.

"Morning, beautiful." He cooed, soothing my reddened lip with his tongue.

"Mm..." I rumbled, stretching as well as I could under the cage of my fiancé. "What's the time?"

"Ten-thirty, my love."

Tilting my head to the side, I reached for my phone, letting the smaller boy suck and lap at my pulse. Squinting at the screen, I huffed when I saw the influx of texts as well as a reminder.

 _January 21st Reminder: Happy Birthday!_

"Ah, that time of year already?" I hummed, slipping a hand into Takeshi's back jean pocket absently, finding satisfaction in his growl.

Giving airy laughter, I shifted and kissed his temple before sitting myself up against the headboard, fixing the twisted nature of my singlet. The Rain smiled and shuffled forwards to straddle my thighs, feverish kisses planted all over. A snort escaped me as I placed my arms over his shoulders, wrists crossing lazily behind his head as he leant close and slipped his tongue between my teeth, feeling out the sharpness of the calcium.

"My, my," I breathed, pulling back and tracing his vermillion border with the tip of my fingers. "Someone's excited this morning."

Takeshi nodded enthusiastically, his grin wide.

"We've got a big day planned!"

"Aw," I pouted, slipping a hand under his shirt. "I was kinda hoping to just stay in bed with you all day. Maybe do a bit of this, maybe a bit of that."

Mocha eyes clouded for a moment, before he shook himself out of his hormone-induced haze and pouted at me.

"Nope! Things to do and places to go! C'mon Daiki-chan!"

…

" _Lyrics coming at you with supersonic speed, (JJ Fad). Uh, summa lumma dooma lumma you assuming I'm a human, what I gotta do to get it through to you? I'm superhuman. Innovative and I'm made of rubber, so that anything you say is ricocheting off of me and it'll glue to you. I'm devastating more than ever demonstrating how to give a motherfuckin' aud_ -Uh...FUCK!"

I laughed loudly as I watched Ryohei shriek into the microphone, hastily following after the fast moving English rap as best as he could. Earth eyes were wide with panic as the Mafia boy stumbled and skipped words in his karaoke, _Eminem_ proving to be untouchable even by the extreme.

"Gah! I thought I could EXTREMELY get it!" He roared, flopping down next to me with a whine.

"I wouldn't be laughing now, Yamaguchi-chan." Gokudera scoffed, face lit up in a smirk as he pointed to the screen.

My grin dissolved into a look of utter horror as I watched my name float around the screen in fluro bubble writing, Takeshi already pegging the mic at me with his finger hovering over shuffle.

"Dear God, save me." I breathed, Ryohei quick to kick me off the couch and into the centre of the dimly lit room.

"You can do it!" Tsuna laughed, smiling over his fizzy drink.

I grimaced as the bright pink writing took over the wall mounted screen, my feet taking me over to the table that held a vast arrange of drinks- some that really shouldn't be there for a party of mostly minors.

"I'm gonna need some alcohol for this."

Takeshi and Gokudera cackled at my misfortune as _Bad Romance_ started shaking the floorboards, scotch burning my throat and warming my belly as I downed more than was arguably healthy. With Dutch courage scalding my insides, I turned around and jumped into the song mid-lyric, quickly gathering lost points as Ryohei howled behind me.

I felt my cheeks heat but ignored it for the splitting grin as a devious idea bloomed in my mind. Taking a turn about the room to spend the time, I stopped before my seated husband and smiled down at him, offering my hand to him as the chorus kicked up.

" _I want your love and I want your revenge, you and me could write a bad romance!"_

Mocha eyes widened as he gazed up at me, a strange sort of reverence taking his expression as he took my hand and allowed himself to be pulled up to press flush against me.

" _I want your love and all your lover's revenge, you and me could write a bad romance!"_

I missed the next lyric as I leant closer, hovering dangerously in his space, my target obvious. His eyes were wide and flashing with the neon of the room as I stepped back and got back into the song, laughter in my voice. Releasing his Takeshi's hand, I turned and focused on the screen, reading the quickly colouring font.

…

"It's your birthday Daiki-chan, so today's your day." Takeshi laughed, bumping me gently as we sat across from each other on his bed. "Go on, ask for anything!"

"Anything?" I blinked, very unsure with the idea blooming in my mind.

"Mhm!" He smiled, rocking forwards and crawling up to me, his face darkening to a rather tempting nature. "Anything you want, I'll do."

An unexpected pang of heat went off in my lower stomach, my eyes widening as he flashed sharp calcium at me, a hand coming to press against my chest, tracing the binder line. I bit my tongue as I danced around an idea, unsure of how well it would be received, the plan having the potential to become awkward quickly. He seemed to see my hesitation and pressed an urging kiss to my shoulder, breathing a loud sigh as he burrowed his nose into my clavicle.

"I love you so much, Daiki-chan. I'd for anything for you."

I hummed low and brought my hand to the back of his head, gently kissing the shell of his ear. Biting my lip, I felt eyes on me, before I gathered courage.

"I want you to pleasure me...Please?"

* * *

Takeshi huffed as he dropped the last box on the floor, Tsuna panting as he laid strewn across the floor alongside Gokudera and Ryohei. I rolled my eyes at them as I pushed around heavy furniture, trying to find space for everything.

"Thanks for helping me get all my shit from the house." I sighed, coming to sit beside them, Takeshi laying across my lap dramatically.

"No problem." Tsuna smiled, still heaving and red.

Leaning back, I laid down on the ground and opened my arm for the Rain to fit himself into my side, more work to be done on the Oyabun dorm, but that could be completed later. I turned my head and hummed as my nose was kissed, making me smile and bring my Takeshi closer to cuddle.

The peace of the moment was ruined with a startle, however, as Ryohei's monstrous snores shook the floors, and made us jump at the sudden nature of it. We all looked to each other, before quickly smothering our laughs, my mirth pressed into the Rain's chest as he tried to shush me, not wanting to disturb his recording of the Sun.

"Ah, blackmail." Reborn hummed from the window. "I've trained them well."

* * *

"Daiki-kun!" Kaede laughed, sweeping into the scene with open arms.

"Hey, kaa-san, how have you been?" I asked, wrapping her up in my arms and letting her kiss at my cheeks.

"Good, good! The Watanabe been treating you well?" She hummed, looking my suited form over.

"They've been giving me enough paperwork to fill Tasmania." I huffed, gently directing her into the building. "But other than that, I've been doing just fine."

My mother smiled at me before gazing about the place, her eyes heavy with nostalgia despite the many times she had been welcomed back into the Compound. She took my arm and hugged into my side with glee as I took her through the place, updates on the bakery and the Yakuza being traded between us lightly and through smiles.

"Oh, Lambo-kun must be back from school by now, yes? He's in his 3rd year of Elementary school now, right?"

"Mhm." I nodded, pride swelling in my chest. "He's just in the living quarters. He _should_ be doing his homework."

"Oh, be nice to him, Daiki-kun, you were hardly someone to go straight to the desk either!" She chided. "You much prefered to catch the afternoon anime."

"But I got to it eventually!" Came my defense, huffing as she giggled at me.

I guided her to my living space, deep within the labyrinth of the Watanabe Compound and smiled when her eyes lit up with recognition and glee, excited to see her grandson after we had moved out.

"Lambo-kun!" She cried, opening her arms to the boy as we came upon him before the television.

The little Mafia boy stared at his grandmother for a moment, before his eyes narrowed in a mixture of fear and anger. He gripped the remote in his hands with a new strength and glared full force at my mother, his teeth coming to bare as he snapped them at her.

"Why is _she_ here?!" He shouted, recoiling when she tried to reach for him, her face falling when she realised the denial.

"Bo-kun." I warned, "Don't be rude to your grandmother."

"Why is she here!? You remember what she did to you! She shouldn't be allowed within a 10-metre radius of you after what she did!"

"Yamamoto Lambo, you watch what you say." I breathed, "That happened a long time ago."

"Not long enough!" Lambo snapped, getting to his feet and throwing the remote. "Get out of here!"

Catching the controller before it could hit Kaede, I winced when he shouted an Italian curse at the woman before slamming the door behind him, the words ' _cazzo di puttana!_ ' ringing in my ears and translating over quickly. I sighed as his footsteps faded down the hall, before looking to my wide-eyed mother.

"Sorry about that, kaa-san." I apologised gently, shutting off the television and setting down the remote. "He's not...He's not quite over it yet."

…

I waved after my mother as Cooper drove her out of the compound and back to Namimori, before glancing over my shoulder, my hand falling to my side.

Lambo had not come out since he had fled from my mother, refusing the summons of Jun for dinner and remaining stubborn even when coerced with sweets and dessert. Though he used to, the boy now held no affection for his grandmother, the emotion having withered up after he had learnt of her nature.

I came to a stop before the Lightning's door and knocked gently, sighing when there was no response.

"Bo-kun?" I called through, hand pressed to the panel. "Bo-kun, please answer me."

Still none.

" _I'm not in there."_

I blinked, before looking to the door of my own room, breathing out in a low laugh as I slid it aside and stepped in, smiling softly at the lump in my sheets. Walking over, I slowly lowered myself until I sat on the edge of the low frame, elbows coming to rest on my knees as I clasped my hands, wrist watch flashing in the gas lamp light.

"Bo-kun, are you still mad?" I asked, watching the lump coil further into a fetal form.

"A bit."

The response was muffled by the sheets, thick to keep out the winter chill, making me hum softly.

"Why do you forgive her so easily, Papa?" He breathed, covers creasing as he clutched them from beneath.

"She's my mother, Bo-kun." I sighed.

The sheets were pushed as Lambo sat up suddenly, his brows creased in a mixture of worry and aggravation as he stared up at me with large green eyes.

"But she did so many cruel things to you though! I know what she did, I saw what she did and I don't forgive her, so how could you?" He cried.

I thinned my lips and thumbed the knuckle of its opposite, marital band catching the light for a moment.

"I don't know, honestly. I know I should, by all means, hate her after all she's done but...I just can't. As a matter of fact, the worse she is to me, the more I worry about her." I sighed, looking to my son as he pinched his lips between his teeth.

"But that doesn't make sense! She's terrible!"

"Maybe," I admitted, "But she's still my mother. If I'm not there for her, who will be?"

A laugh escaped me after a moment, my eyes closing in fond memory as I recalled the expression of my husband.

"Your father, he thinks I'm being foolish as well for caring for her still."

"I agree with Daddy." He huffed, but crawled over to my side.

I smiled as he pushed my arms, making room for him to scurry into my lap and cradle himself to my chest, a grumble coming from him as I kissed the top of his head.

"Are you hungry? You missed dinner."

"Yeah." He nodded, pouting a bit as he rubbed his stomach.

"Okay, we've got your portion leftover and theicecream is still in the freezer." I hummed, lifting him up onto my hip as we exited the room, his giggle more subdued than usual, but mood rising nonetheless.

* * *

I crooned and nuzzled into my blankets as Takeshi hummed into my back, his graduation certificate still on my desk, yet to be hung up next to my own. His hands wandered along my stomach absently as we slowly roused ourselves, bodies aching in certain parts from a rather enthusiastic christening of the bed.

"Morning, Takeshi-kun." I huffed, glancing over my shoulder as he refused to wake. "Takeshi-kun."

"No! No…" He whined, hiding himself in my back valiantly.

A gentle laugh fell from me as I rolled myself in his arms so I could collect him to my chest, kissing the top of his head as he inhaled my clavicle. I made quiet clicking noises into his ear in affection as he snuggled into me as well as he could, cooing soft whines.

"Do you want to sleep for longer?" I sighed, combing his hair from his eyes.

The Rain in my arms nodded and tightened his hold on me, making me hum and hold him closer, pulling up the blankets to cover our bare bodies better.

"Sleep, sleep then. We have all the time in the world, love."

* * *

I gripped the Rain's hands as the boarding call went off through the airport, his eye still holding the faintness of reds as he attempted to break the bones in my fingers with his hold. His hand luggage was at his feet along with his suit jacket, abandoned in the warm weather as people bustled around the place.

Tsuna looked on with a thick layer of sadness and apology as he huddled with the others near us, Ryohei crossing his arms stubbornly as he huffed at Hibari, demanding a hug from the stoic Skylark. Chrome was huddled into his side in a kind of awkward embrace, the Cloud having too much of a soft spot to kick her away like he did the Sun.

"Daiki-chan." Takeshi muttered, stepping forwards to smother his face into my shoulder. "I don't wanna leave you here."

"I have to stay, love." I sighed, cradling his head as I kissed at his temple. "I have the Watanabe to deal with, and you have the Vongola."

"But I'll be all the way in Italy. I won't get to hug you, or kiss you, or wake up to you everyday."

I thinned my lips and clutched him to me, thankful that Reborn was keeping his mouth shut for once in his life.

"I'll call you every night, and we'll talk so much that it'll feel like I'm right there with you. I'll send you photos of Bo-kun and Hibari-san everyday, so you can see them grow. You'll be right here with me. And I'll be right there with you." I breathed, hearing him sniffle, a reminder that Lambo was staying with me.

"Every school holiday, I'll visit you both every school holiday and every other chance I get. I don't care if I'm coming back from a hit or something, I'll come and stay for a week at least." He promised, pressing his lips to my jugular.

"And we'll come to see you whenever Bo-kun can be taken from school." I smiled, cupping his cheek as he leant back to peer up at me.

"I love you, Daiki-chan." He sighed, choking a bit on the end.

"I love you too, Takeshi-kun."

"God damn you!" Gokudera snapped, stuffing his eyes with his handkerchief. "You're all making me sympathy cry!"

I breathed a small laugh before opening my arm to the Storm, allowing him to begrudgingly shuffle into it and let me hug him warmly. Resting my cheek atop his head, I hummed his piano piece at him, making his breath steady as he relaxed.

"You'll look after them for me, won't you?" I asked, rubbing his back.

"Of course," He huffed, "I'm the Boss' Right Hand."

' _Final boarding call...'_

"Come here Sawada-san, you too." I chuckled, laughing when the gap of my front was filled and the Vongola trio crushed me between them all.

A yelp escaped me as Ryohei joined in and bound us with iron arms, Chrome squeaking as her feet were lifted from the floor, Hibari flailing his legs to try and escape.

"Be safe, all of you." I smiled, allowing myself to be surrounded.

* * *

I sighed as the little tram brought me through a long, underground tunnel, the place relatively new and decorated with plastic plant life to liven and make the travel more pleasant. Reclining in the seat, I watched passively as lights flashed by, moving at an easy 70km/h, making the distance a quick one to cover, especially when it was a straight line practically, save for the one bend in the centre.

I tapped the polished wood armrest in thought as I came to such a corner, a file in my lap that I had already exhausted of information, memories in my own mind and ready to be handed off to the next person. The slowing of the tram pod made me look up, and I nodded my head in greeting as I was received by Kusakabe, the man stick rocking his pompadour and weed as he helped me step onto the risen platform.

"Morning, Kusakabe-san." I hummed, smiling at the fellow Nami graduate.

"Good morning, Daiki-san. Kyo-san is waiting for you, he asks that you change before you enter, however." He responded, closing the tram behind me.

"Asks, or demands?" I laughed, before brushing past him without a care for the answer, already far used to ignoring the Skylark's rules of his abode, as he did mine.

"Hello birdy."

The Vongola Cloud narrowed his eyes at my casual dress, a simple set of pants and a solid shirt cladding my body rather than my suit, or even traditional yukata. He tisked in distaste, but didn't comment further, gesturing to the tea prepared with a delicate whirl of his hands.

"Handler, you're later than agreed." He huffed, watching me out of the corner of his eye as I sat myself down at his side.

"Yeah, the triplets wanted to marathon the Shrek movies, so I didn't get to sleep until late." I sighed, taking my cup and sipping at herbal tea. "What about you? You look rather tired."

That was a lie, he didn't look tired in the least, but I could tell he was.

"There has been some activity in Italy," He started, taking the file from me as he did. "Some sort of upstart group trying to make their mark on history. More of a headache than they're worth."

I paused my drink, thinking, before making a noise of understanding.

"Do you think this will go anywhere?" I asked, the sound echoing in my cup.

"No, they'll be burnt out before the year's end."

I thinned my lips and leant back on my palm, narrowing my eyes off at the far wall.

"I don't think I can agree with you there, friend."

* * *

I rolled onto my side and stared out the window of my traditionally lavish room, the sky dark with deep night, most of the lanterns around the Compound put out for the day, even the night owls in their beds. My lips pressed against each other as I reached out and touched the empty space beside me, sheets cooled with winter.

A sigh left me as I bundled the sheet in my hand before pushing myself up, yukata loose around my chest as I stood and opened a well disguised compartment, gently pulling free a soft form. Bill looked up at me through mismatched button eyes, his tail holding a patch of I-pin's blanket and his spine holding the work of the Sasagawa daughter, the Vongola names stitched into the seam.

Returning to my futon, I sat with crossed legs and turned my platypus around to see the brightly coloured kanji, tracing the names carefully with the tip of my finger, pausing when I came to the blue hued thread. Pressing the doll to my chest, I fell onto my side and coiled around him, soft body contorting to fit me.

"I miss you," I breathed, burying my nose into the faded material. "Shujin-kun."

* * *

"So," I crooned, draping my arm over Ryohei's shoulders as we sat in the Oyabun living space. "A little birdy told me that someone's got a girlfriend."

Earth eyes widened and a screech sounded within the confines of the Sun's throat, his breath loud as he tried to bolt from my embrace. Arms came and locked around his neck, the shrieking phenix branded into my arm holding his throat securely and my other hand came to poke and prod his sensitive side in an act of revenge.

"How dare you!? Why did I find out through _Hibari-san_ of all fucking people!?" I shouted, hearing his choked apologies and pleads. "You've hurt my trust beyond repair, bro!"

"I'm sorry!" He whined, pawing at the restricting arm. "I was gonna tell, but Hana-chan wanted to organise a day out!"

"Then why did Hibari-san and Chrome-chan both know?! Why did my little birdies both know rather than your own brother?" I hissed, crawling over him and sitting on his stomach, stuffing his face with pillows as he flailed.

* * *

Saitou grumbled as he sat next to me, looking ready to shoot the next person who tried to shake his hand. Matsuyoshi hummed in sympathy, but could only grit a smile as he inclined his head in greeting to an heiress, the girl fluttering spidery eyelashes up at him.

"Kill me now." He whispered into my ear before he was tugged off by the Yakuza girl, my best wishes sent to him through eye contact.

"It's times like these, I'm happy I'll never get the Oyabun seat." The Yukimura second huffed, downing a shot.

"Yeah, well, fuck you." I muttered, before grimacing into my cup as a woman strolled up and tucked herself into my side, her perfume strong enough to make me dizzy and want to sneeze.

* * *

I smiled down at the screen, curled up in my doona as I listened to Takeshi grumble and whine about his most recent 'client', his face expressive as he ranted with a pout. The sun was still shining where he was, one of the American states, either California or Ohio this time, and it cast him in a wonderfully honeyed light, his features sharp with maturity.

"He sounds like a right ass." I agreed, getting a loud approval from the Japanese Mafia.

" _But enough about that,"_ He sighed finally, dropping his arms from their cross and leaning forwards on the hotel bed. " _What's going on in Japan?_ "

"Nothing too amazing, I was called for another party." I hummed, the audio crackling as he shifted to lay out on his stomach, chin resting on his arms as he listened. "It was mostly posing and political kisses, but I had Furuichi-dono and Yukimura-dono there with me, so it wasn't too terrible."

" _Did people bother you again?"_ He asked, the lag only slightly jarring his sentence.

"There was one woman who kept on trying to get a bit cosy with me, I tried to ward her off by wearing my ring, but it didn't seem to deter her all that much." I hummed, pulling my blanket cocoon tighter.

A laugh escaped me when I saw the souring of the Rain's expression, the narrow of his eyes and the sharp twist of his smile making me coo at his nature.

"Calm down, beloved, she made no headway." I chuckled, "You know I only have you."

" _And Bo-kun, and Ryohei-kun, and Chrome-chan, and-"_ Takeshi started, making me laugh loudly and hush him with a dismissing wave of my hand, looking more like a flipper from underneath my blanket.

"I get it, I get it! I only have you in that part of my heart. A place reserved for you." I smiled, seeing him smother his grin into his hands as he flushed red.

We snickered at each other for a few more moments, before slowly sobering, smiles remaining as I tilted my head and examined my other's face from beyond the screen. He had grown so handsome, so strong and so loveable.

My smile turned bitter-sweet as I watched his arm shift, reaching out to touch his screen, the action showing how he traced my image with his fingers.

" _I want to hold you."_ Takeshi murmured, looking forlorn.

"I do too, I miss how warm you are." I hummed, looking off screen and grasping Bill, dragging him over to cuddle the yellow platypus within the confines of my blankets. "I just miss you in general."

" _Me too."_ He sighed, closing his eyes after a moment, before reopening them to hold my gaze through the screen.

" _It's late,"_ Takeshi said after a while of static silence, both of us solemn with the mood. " _You should get to sleep."_

"But I don't want you to go yet." I pleaded softly, sitting up a bit in alarm. "Please? Stay with me for a while longer?"

He paused at my insistence, before sighing, his resistance non-existent as he grabbed the computer so he could lay propped up against the headboard, the device on his stomach. The Rain fumbled with his cables for a moment before humming when he plugged his charger into the computer's side, giving him more time.

" _Okay, Daiki-chan, I'm here."_ He smiled softly. " _Lay down, get ready for sleep. I'll stay until you fall asleep."_

I blinked before bowing my lips in happiness, cuddling into Bill more as I muttered a quiet 'thank you' to the Mafia man, his eyes shining with fondness. Bringing my little laptop with me, I placed it down less than an arm's length away, situating myself under my sheets and cosy with my platypus hugged to my chest.

I smiled sleepily as I listened to Takeshi talk in a hushed tone, brightness of my screen turned down to second to the minimum, allowing my eyes to slowly drift shut, my love's voice washing over me in comforting waves.

" _Goodnight, Daiki-chan. I love you."_

* * *

Honda chuckled as she played with the tiny hands of her newborn daughter, Moriko gurgling giggles as it smiled up at her mother, baring a strong resemblance to her. Our cousins flocked to her side and cooed at the baby, shaking rattles and dazzling the child with colours and attention.

Lambo cuddled into my side and played with Tobari, the young toddler cradled in my lap as he stared at his mother, wanting her attention and pouting at his new sister.

"Oji-sama, I don't want a sister." He huffed, looking up at me. "You take her."

I blinked before laughing, hand coming to card through his hair and make him coo, relaxing back into my chest.

"Tobi-kun, Moriko-chan's your little sister! She'll look up to you for protection and guidance! She'll need you." I hummed, catching his rubber ball before it rolled too far away.

The boy pouted and snuggled into me more, adamantly refusing to acknowledge the newborn as he took back his ball, gently tossing it over to Lambo who bounced it back.

* * *

"Papa!"

"Hey!" I laughed, wrapping my arms around my son, and lifting him up off the ground. "How was your day at school?"

"Boring." Lambo huffed, clutching at my tie. "I wanted to just go home already, I missed you."

My smile was unhindered as it came to my face, and I reared up to kiss his cheek lovingly, a squeal coming from the eleven year old as I lowered him back down and took his hand in mine. He grinned up at me as we came to the car, jumping in and discarding his backpack as he sprawled across the seats.

"Hi, Cooper-oji!" He cheered, getting a laugh from his uncle.

"Hello, Bo-dono, have a good day at school?" The chaperone asked, his wedding ring flashing as he pulled out of the parking zone.

"Bleh, it was boring!"

I gave a small laugh at the child's actions before urging him to buckle up, a smile coming to my face as I leant back and gazed at my son. He looked up at me carefully, a pout of suspicion coming to his face as his eyes narrowed dramatically.

"What's with that look, Papa?" He asked, pointing at me, his nail silver with lead pencil.

"Did you colour in your nails in class?" I sighed, taking his little hand in mine and looking over the texta and lead staining his skin. "My Elementary teacher dragged kids to the sink and scrubbed the pen off. I wonder how you got by that?"

"I'mma sneaky ninja." He huffed, "You're changing the subject, Papa, what're you plannin'?"

I shrugged and snickered as he crossed his arms and harrumphed at me, whining in attempts to crack my seal. Shaking my head, I continued to deny him with a playful smile, waving off all of his pleads and laughing as he threw himself across the large seats and kicked his legs in frustration.

"C'mon, Papa, please?!"

"I'm not telling you anything, dearest." I giggled, raising an eyebrow in challenge as he groaned.

The little hitman sat up suddenly before standing on his seat with a grin of victory, his eyes bright with conspiracy as he leant over the seats to talk at the fondly chuckling chaperone.

"Cooper-oji! Tell me what Papa's planning! Please?!"

"Sorry, Bo-dono, I couldn't say. Your father is a sneaky one." Cooper hummed, before gently urging him to sit back down.

"Just wait until we get home, Bo-kun." I sighed with a smile, finding joy in his puffing cheeks.

…

"Do you have everything? Your toothbrush?"

"Yeah! Mary too!" Lambo giggled, clasping my hand as his little companion peeked out from his backpack.

"I hope Mary likes planes more than I do." I hummed, through a dread settled in my stomach.

"Is Papa going to be okay on the plane? You always get so airsick." He asked worriedly, not stopping even as I lifted the child onto my hip.

"I'll be fine, honey, it's only a 12 hours...30 minute...flight." I groaned, wondering if I packed enough gum and pills for this adventure.

…

"Oh, thank God." I heaved, thankful for solid land under my feet as I stepped down from the Vongola jet. "It's over."

"Yay! You managed to not throw up this time!" Lambo cheered, dropping down next to me, carefully combing Mary's hair. "Even Mary's happy for you!"

"That's wonderful, Bo-kun." I sighed, taking my bag from an attendant who cooed a goodbye to the small boy, his Elementary uniform making him double the usual dosage of cute. "Let's get going then."

"I can't wait to see Daddy!" He laughed, clutching Mary in glee as he took off ahead of me.

"Bo-kun! Bo-kun, hang on, wait for Papa!" I called after him, chasing the young child as he disappeared into the moving mass, my legs still unstable from the air.

"Shit." I cursed, snapping my gaze around to try and find a flash of Namimori green or Mary's red, but only coming up short.

Surging onwards, I called out for the boy with a rising worry, shoving my way through the crowd and using my height to impose a path for myself. The roar grated on my nerves as I tried to find my son, scanning the crows for his energetic form, before stalling when I heard a high pitched scream.

Whipping around, I exhaled when I saw Lambo being tossed high by his father, a clearing granted by the crowd for the two as they nuzzled and grinned at each other. My heart swelled with relief and affection as I watched Takeshi pepper Lambo's face with kisses, hugging him like it had been years, rather than two months. Sighing and loosening my shoulders, I walked over to them with fond exasperation, smiling when I saw my husband's face light up upon seeing me emerge from the crowd.

"Bo-kun, you gave me a heart attack!" I scolded, pinching his cheek before he hid away in his father's shoulder. "It's easy to lose you here, you've got to be careful."

"Sorry, Papa." He giggled.

"Daiki-chan." Takeshi breathed, drawing my attention.

I smiled as he gazed up at me with affection filled eyes, crooning as I cupped his cheek and pressed a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Hello again, Takeshi-kun. How have you been?" I asked softly, tucking stray hair behind his ear.

"Good, and you?"

"Fine as well. Now," I perked, straightening and taking the bag that Lambo had dropped along with my own dragging luggage. "Let's get our bags and go home, yeah? I need to wash off the stink of the plane."

"I'm guessing you don't want food then." Takeshi laughed, hiking Lambo up further as the boy climbed onto his back, a far cry from when he used to be able to balance on a single shoulder.

"Ugh, God no." I wretched playfully, getting a laugh out of the Mafia man as he bumped my hip.

…

I sighed as my lap was pinched in a straddle by strong legs, Takeshi cooing at me from above as he pushed me further into the couch. The room was dark with the night, fire in the hearth and candles around the room the only sources of light in the living room.

"Bro, how's Japan doing?" Ryohei asked, sucking on a scotch glass from another couch.

"Japan's fine, brother. Hibari-san's due to arrive in three days, yes?" I hummed, letting my hands roam up my lover's back through his dress shirt, feeling shoulder blades shift as he stretched with the touch.

"Missed you." He crooned at me, voice low as the other Vongola talked amongst themselves, Lambo and I-pin already put to bed.

"Missed you too." I reciprocated, giving a note of satisfaction as he gently bit at my shoulder. "And what you do."

"Guys, not in the living room." Gokudera groaned, standing behind the bar as he went around trying to find his reserved alcohol. "Where's the brandy?"

"Oh, was that yours?" Mukuro chuckled, an empty bottle beside him, Chrome smiling minutely into her cup.

"Asshole!"

"Gentle, Gokudera-kun, the kids are sleeping now." Tsuna soothed with a smile, making the Storm huff and settle for scotch with the Sun.

I hummed at them with fondness as the Guardian gathered in contentment, cuddling my fiancé to my chest as I surveyed my friends.

"Ah, I just remembered." I perked, looking to Takeshi and disturbing his mouthing of my jugular. "The arrangements are just about done, yes? You've had Kyoko-chan and Haru-chan to help out."

"Oh, yeah!" Tsuna sat up, smiling. "The wedding!"

* * *

I laughed softly as I was embraced from behind, hands threading with mine and rings, old and new, catching the morning light. Takeshi hummed and kissed at my cheek as he watched our fingers, left displaying our wedding rings, the right still holding his parent's, neither of us wanting to replace our original pair, the rings having too much of our own history attached to them as well.

"Morning, you." I greeted, bringing his hands up to kiss his palms. "Did you get Bo-kun up? He's going to his tutor at eleven."

"Yeah, he's just trying to wake up I-pin-chan now too." He responded.

"Uh-oh," I huffed, gently removing myself from my newly official husband's arms. "Better get the ice-pack ready then, she'll kick him again, no doubt."

Takeshi snickered a sound and clapped the high back of my thigh enough to sting as he walked past, making me yelp and glare at his back, gently petting the abused skin.

* * *

"Bro!" I shouted, landing from my jump, basketball bouncing at my feet, the hoop shaking from impact. "What kind of guard was that?"

"Shut up!" He scowled, catching the rubber sphere with a pout. "I haven't played with you for a while! I've gotten rusty!"

"Oh please, you've had Takeshi-kun here with you." I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Come on, 5-1, you can catch up."

Ryohei huffed at me before taking off, the ball bouncing loudly against the street court floor as I chased after him with a grin, slamming my feet down and putting up a screen to stop him in his tracks. Our eyes widened as he failed to stop and barreled full speed into my gut, bowling us over man sending our bodies sprawling.

I groaned as I laid strewn on my back, the heavy body of my brother weighing on top, a similar sound escaping his throat.

"You okay there, sunshine?" I coughed, patting his back.

"Yeah, you?"

"Just dandy, bro."

"Ow." He whined, pulling himself up and sitting cross legged beside me.

"Same." I agreed, sitting up and mimicking his position, rubbing the back of my head.

We looked to each other in silence, pursing out lips in a moment of mutual contemplation. Before proceeding to burst into peals of laughter, leaning against the other for support.

* * *

"How'd it go?" I asked, looking to Tsuna as he dropped down on the couch beside me, utterly drained.

"We got the deal, but God, they pushed it." He whined, slumping against my shoulder.

I hummed and wrapped my arm around him in a show of sympathy, the Vongola Boss huffing as he squirmed to coil against my side.

"You should have an early night then. You had to wake up pretty darn early this morning to prepare for this meeting."

"I can't," He sighed, glancing up as his Guardians filed into the room. "I still have so much paperwork to do."

I thinned my lips down at him, making a noise of greeting as Takeshi grazed the back of my neck with his fingers, the hand coming around to cup my jaw and tilt my head back. A soft, tired kiss was planted on me and I sighed in worry for these boy, the sounds of drinks being poured coming afterwards.

"Ask Gokudera-kun for help, he'd be more than happy to lend a hand." I breathed, before looking around at the rest of the Vongola Family. "You should all rest soon. Sleep for as long as you can."

"We can't, bro." Ryohei sighed, rubbing his eyes. "There's too much work to be done."

"That's not what Colonnello-san taught you." I rebutted, looking to each worn Guardian. "How does having you lot running on fumes make you any more productive than a couple less hours with you at full throttle?"

"But-" Chrome started, Mukuro petting her hair as she yawned.

"God so help me, I will bind you all to your beds." I gritted, before slumping. "Just please, _one_ day. Give yourselves one day of rest."

They looked to each other, unsure, before glancing back to the Sky tucked into my side and making noises of defeat, the young Vongola already fast asleep against my chest. I sighed and gently raked my nails against his scalp, little noises escaping him as he cuddled into warmth, Takeshi leaning against me with weary bones.

"Please. If not for yourselves, then for each other. And for me too."

As one, the Guardians deflated, knowing they had lost this battle. Chrome and Mukuro were the first to go, their worry for each other working as a promoter for the bidding. They gave soft farewells before sweeping up the stairs and down the halls to the chambers of the Mist. The rest followed their example, and I scooped up the slumbering Sky in my arms and cradled him as I bent to kiss my husband's lips as he rubbed his eyes.

"Go to bed, I'll join you once I'm sure everyone is in their place." I hushed, kissing him again before heading off, Gokudera vigilantly at my side.

"What's got you all so pent up?" I asked, climbing the stairs. "You're all usually so good at keeping an eye on each other."

"It's just some up-start making a mess." He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "It's been giving us a whole lot more paperwork than we usually have."

I paused at the door, Gokudera reaching around me to open it, and thinned my lips as I looked down at the sleeping face of the Sky.

"Be careful, okay? Your healths are important."

"Yeah." He sighed, helping me disrobe Tsuna as well as we could before tucking him into his bed.

I walked with the Storm until we came to his room, the Guardian grumbling a goodnight before crawling into bed, leaving me to shut off his lights and close his door, a fond smile on my face.

Ryohei had to be chased away from his desk when I came around to his, a whined plea escaping him as I bound him up in his blankets, crossing my arms down at him as he pouted at me from his pillow. I raised an eyebrow at him and bid my brother goodnight, gently carding his hair until he drifted into a solid sleep.

Mukuro and Chrome had left their lamp on with their fatigue, and I shook my head as I fixed their slipping blankets and pushed the male away from the edge of their bed, knowing the Mist to be a sleep tosser, and prone to falling from the frame on many occasion. Chrome's arms came around his frame and tucked him to her chest, his breaths beating onto her shoulder.

Closing the door behind me, I followed the path until I came upon the children's door, a peek inside allowing my to see Lambo and I-pin long asleep, the door connecting to Fuuta's room slightly illuminated. Opening the room, I spooked the boy with a sharp rap to the wall, his torch falling from his hands in fright.

"Ki-nee! You scared me!" He hissed in a hushed tone.

"And you should be asleep." I huffed, before ushering him away from his manga and placing his torch on his desk.

"You can read more Sailor Moon in the morning."

"It's not Sailor Moon," He pouted, coiling in his blankets. "It's Mew Mew."

"Oh, I'm sorry. You can read more Mew Mew in the morning, my dear." I amended with a smile, "Goodnight, Fuuta-kun."

"Goodnight, Ki-nee."

Continuing down the halls, I sighed and yawed, the place dark with night, all the staff having completed their tasks for the day and having turned in their uniforms. Haru's and Kyoko's doors were pitch as the rest of the hall, and told me that they were already asleep, allowing me to carry on until I came the familiar doors to the chambers of the Rain.

I thought about knocking, but forwent it for just pushing the door open, sighing when I saw Takeshi fighting to stay awake, sat up against the headboard.

"You should be sleeping." I chided gently, closing the door behind me and removing the layers of my suit and tugging off the binder.

"I wanted to wait for you." He breathed, blinking languidly up at me. "How is everyone else?"

"They're all sleeping now. Caught Fuuta-kun reading manga, though." I hummed, pulling on a nightgown slip and shuffling over to the sheets, the Rain pulling them to help me in.

He made a noise of content as I curled my arms around my husband and drew him down to tuck his head into my shoulder, his arm tossed across my stomach as he buried his nose in the crook of my neck, peppering the place with kisses. He crooned a tune into my ear as I pecked the top of his head warmly, tracing a swirling pattern along his shoulder as I lulled him.

"You're going back to Japan tomorrow." Takeshi breathed, making me pause, and cradle him tighter.

"Yeah. But the school holidays are just a couple weeks away. We'll be back in no time at all." I sighed, bundling my husband to my chest.

"I know," He murmured, playing with the light material which clad the swell of my breast. "I'll miss you both though."

"Mhm." I nodded, empathising intensely. "Sleep, beloved. I may leave tomorrow, but I'll be here when you wake."

* * *

I pinched the bridge of my nose as an explosion rung out in the building, the lack of alarms telling me just who had detonated the non-lethal bomb on the Compound grounds.

"Jun-kun?" I breathed, still massaging the growing migraine. "Go and get Bo-kun for me, please."

"Of course, my Lord." He sighed, pausing his filing to fetch the destructive lad.

Shaking my head, I looked to the picture frame on the corner of my desk, Takeshi's' glee radiating through the image and calming my mind a bit. He had missed his last agreed visit, and Lambo had been restless since, throwing a tantrum with petty property destruction and miscellaneous disturbances. I couldn't blame him for his feelings, I had been upset about the postponing too, but I couldn't allow for the behaviour to continue.

" _It's not my fault!"_

" _Bo-sama, please, calm down. Your father wants to talk to you."_ Jun hushed, herding the teen to my office.

"But it wasn't my fault!" He snapped again, thirteen years of the boy being gently shoved into the room before Jun closed the door for us.

Green eyes locked onto me before looking away stubbornly, his cheek-bone slapped with a band-aid and his knees scuffed with dirt, making me raise an eyebrow at him.

"Was that another explosion, Bo-kun?" I asked, putting down my pen to focus on him.

"It wasn't my fault." He huffed, glaring off at the eastern wall.

"Then what happened?"

"I dunno." Lambo shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Can I go now?"

"No, not yet." I sighed, before beckoning him over.

The teen thinned his lips before coming forth, chest height to the desk. I tilted my head and placed my chin on my hand, looking over my growing son with a small hum.

Lambo's hair had lost its puffy, natural appearance, and instead had grown thicker into curls, though it still kept much of its untamable. He had also begun to wear a semblance of the TYL version's clothes, the summer season forcing him to fall to black shorts, however, a white singlet his top don.

"Bo-kun, look at me please." I called, making him huff and turn his head. "Both eyes, please."

He grit his teeth at me before opening his right eye, both kaleidoscopes of green and mint coming to view me with a huffy attitude. His angst wavered, however, when all I did was smile at him fondly, and though he was trying, the grip on his anger was slipping.

"I know you miss Daddy, but he's busy, my darling." I cooed, dropping my hands to clasp them on the desk before me. "He misses you too, he was so upset when he couldn't come."

"Then why didn't he?" Lambo grunted, the jump of his biceps showing the clench of his fists. "He promised he would when he first left!"

"And he's been making good on that promise for years." I breathed, before urging him around the table.

Lambo tsked but climbed up into my lap, allowing himself to be cradled to me as I spun my chair to face the window, carding my hand through his hair.

"He nearly cried when I told him about how upset he made you. Your father loves you, Bo-kun."

"I know." He muttered, curling in my arms. "But I wanted to show him my baseball trophy, and how dumb my assignments are, and..."

I sighed and kissed his temple, patting his back as he breathed heavily. Lambo remained curled in my lap when I had to get back to my work, rubbing his arm as I read document after document.

"Love you, Papa."

"Love you too, Bo-kun."

* * *

Saitou grumbled as he splayed out across my desk, the Yukimura and Furuichi Clans over at the Watanabe compound for a self-called meeting.

"You all don't need to worry about this," I sighed, glancing to Matsuyoshi as he fanned himself with documents, complaining how 'old fashioned' the building was. "This is personal conflict."

"And you're our personal friend." Saitou scoffed, crunching ice between his teeth.

"So this our personal conflict too." Matsuyoshi huffed, pinning me with a look.

I thinned my lips, before deflating and giving a breath of defeat, a soft smile coming to my face as I looked to my fellow Yakuza high bloods.

"Thanks."

"You can thank us by getting some fucking air con in this place." The Yukimura second groaned, sagging when the Furuichi Oyabun began to fan him.

"I'll get onto that immediately then." I laughed.

* * *

Tsuna watched me through the screen as I absorbed the information, my mind reeling outwardly, but settled well within as I sorted faded memories that I had long left to collect dust.

"Almost the entire Eastern service?" I repeated, getting a nod from the Vongola.

"Okay...What's the name of this group?"

Gokudera shifted beside his Boss, and pulled out a file with a familiar insignia printed upon its cover.

"They call themselves ' _Millefiore'_...? A shitty name if you ask me."

"...We are literally 'clams', Gokudera-kun."

" _The clammiest clams, Boss. The clammiest, calmest clams._ " He retorted in flawless English, complete with the Royal British Accent.

Tsuna groaned into his paperwork. Why was this joke still alive? Why can't it just _die_? His English improved!

* * *

I grit my teeth and raked my hand through my hair, trying to find sense in the printed words as my mind reeled with too much information, stress piling in my system.

"Daiki-chan." Takeshi breathed, walking into my office with a soft look of worry, a tray with two cups in his hands.

"Darling," I greeted, "You should be sleeping now, it's late."

"I could say the same to you, but you've always been a hypocrite, my love." He spoke softly, placing the tray down on the corner of my desk, steam wafting up from the brims. "I brought you hot chocolate, I know how much you hate coffee."

I couldn't help but smile as I took the cup from him, before standing and ushering the Mafia Rain over to the couch in the corner of the room, our bodies coming to be cuddled close as we sipped away at the warm drink.

"I need to have these papers finalised by tomorrow morning," I hummed after a mouthful. "I've only managed to get half-way. There's so much fine-print."

"I'll help." He cooed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and tucking my frame into his side, kissing the top of my head. "I know how to do it too, so we'll get through it quickly."

"Mm." I smiled and cuddled into him, enjoying the lips on my brow.

"I'll help you with your paperwork tomorrow too, you need it done before you go back to Italy, yeah?"

"Thank you, beloved." Takeshi crooned, playing with my earring.

"Thank you too, my darling."

* * *

Chrome's gone missing.

"Why has Chrome-nee gone missing?!" Lambo shouted, his eyes wide.

I thinned my lips and pulled my son into my arms, crooning at him for calm as he clutched Mary to his chest. His frame shook with tension, as he curled into mine, eyes whipping around before pegging to his father.

Takeshi's face was stricken with worry before he came to us quickly, taking the teen to him and carding his hair as I turned my gaze on a broken and tired Tsuna.

"Sawada-san," I breathed, crossing the distance and kneeling before his chair, making him look to me. "Why did Chrome-chan go missing?"

"She was meeting with someone and then just dropped out and-"

I frowned when he choked, before bundling the Sky to my chest, letting him crack into my shoulder.

…

"I'm sorry, Kimiko-chan." I sighed, holding the woman as she sobbed loudly, her frame shaking as she mourned.

"Why did she go there? I knew Italy was unsafe for her! She should have stayed here, with us! With _me!"_

My brow pinched and I squeezed with oiran to my chest, letting her weep until she fell into a restless slumber.

* * *

Millefiore. Millefiore. Millefiore.

Everything just been Millefiore after Millefiore. Never a break, never a time for rest with those damned flower-crowns swooping in every chance they could get.

I grit my teeth as another document was slapped down on my desk.

Another casualty count.

* * *

"Why did you do that?! How could you!?" Takeshi snapped, pushing me and making my weak frame stumble back into the wall.

"Take-" I started, my eyes still lowered to the floor.

"No!" He shouted, cutting me off. "Why!? Why the hell- How could you do that?!"

"Takeshi-kun, please." I breathed, still feeling the dig of the heels of his hands. "Please."

"Why!? Why!? _Why!?"_

The others must have been hearing this from around the Vongola Wing, but had the courtesy to turn a blind eye to it.

"Please?" I croaked, reaching out weakly, hand shaking with strain. "Please..."

"You- You!" He raged, stuttering as his mind reeled.

"Takeshi-kun..."

"Why, Daiki-chan?!" He snapped, grabbing me by my shirt and slamming me back into the wall again. "Why would you do that?!"

His eyes were cloudy with emotion as he glared at me, mocha swimming with an edge hysteria as his teeth bared to grit.

"Why did you save tou-san instead of your own mother!?"

I paused, before biting my lip and choking slow inhales an attempt to settle myself.

"Takeshi-kun," I coughed, hand coming up. "Please, just...Please."

My husband looked at me, before heaving me into his arms, crushing my form to his chest as he smothered me from all sides.

"Your father," I managed out, grasping the back of his jacket. "He was closer. Faster to get to."

Takeshi didn't respond to my claim and simply continued to meld our bodies together,

"Never once have you driven past my house to get to the Watanabe Compound, Daiki-chan." He sighed, both of us defeated.

* * *

Tsuyoshi smiled at his son and I from behind the screen, the young Yamamoto tucked safely in my lap as he thanked his father for being alive. He clutched my hands when I wrapped my arms around him and pressed kisses to his nape, wanting to ease his state.

"Tou-san." He choked, smile wet and teary. "Thank God."

" _Your wife gave me a fright when she suddenly kicked in the door, I thought she was one of the suits."_ Tsuyoshi laughed softly,

"Nearly took off my head with a sushi knife." I pouted, murmuring a noise as my jaw was cupped softly.

" _Oh hush, you took another ten years off my life._ " The old man scowled, before looking off screen.

" _Is there anything I can get for you, Yamamoto-dono?"_ Jun asked, getting an awkward laugh as his response.

" _No, no thank you Jun-san, I'm just fine."_

"How's the Watanabe Yakuza? Are they treating you nicely? Are they feeding you well? Do you like the place? Daiki-chan can talk to them if they're being rude." Takeshi asked, rapidfire questions being shot from his throat as he fussed over his father.

"Calm down, my love." I laughed, kissing at his cheek. "The Watanabe know of his position and will treat him with the same respect they do me, have no worry of that."

* * *

I thinned my lips as the Vongola paraded out of the meeting room, Lambo sticking close to my side and Ryohei on my other, Takeshi closer to Tsuna, as per his usual positioning. My eyes glanced around, nerves on end as I sighed, gently petting at my son's head before thumping my brother on the back, trying to up their moods after the tension.

Millefiore, what an annoying group.

I had to bite my tongue and remain still at in the far corner, only there as moral support for the Mafia Family, myself being a mostly unrelated party to this all. There were bruises forming beneath my sleeves, no doubt, from the amount of pressure I had forced my blunt fingertips into my biceps with. My teeth had been in a permanent grit as I had listened, glaring at the far wall as I ignored the looks I had received for being there, uninvited for the most part.

"Papa?" Lambo asked, glancing up at me as I fixed his shirt lapels.

"Yes?" I hummed.

"What're you doing?"

I paused, before sighing and petting his hair, a small smile coming to my face as I gazed at him, seeing the suspicious puff of his cheek and narrow of his eye. I hoped Lambo would keep that suspicion, it would save him a lot of trouble in the future.

Standing straight, I turned before calling at Tsuna, a laugh leaving him, shoulders tense with the meeting. Waltzing over, I opened my arms in a welcoming manner, Takeshi giving a chuckle as Gokudera waved his fist at me.

"Come on, Sawada-san, you deserve it after that." I laughed, letting the little Boss come up and curl himself into my front. "You did good, little fish, the Millefiore might be more civil after this."

It hurt to lie through my teeth at them, knowing what was coming next, but I did it anyway. I hummed a note and dragged my fingers through his hair, listening to the ear splitting bang that ripped through the air and sent everyone scrambling. I felt Tsuna tighten his grip on me as my knees buckled, nerves screeching a loud siren as a warmth bloomed around my chest, shirt sticking to me with the newly introduced liquid.

"Papa!?"

"What the-!?"

Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to straighten and turn, arms shaking with weakness as I raised it up and pointed out the stumbling sniper, eyes pinched in a glare as he fell on his ass, fearful as Vongola men closed in on him.

"It takes more than that to kill the Vongola!" I roared, before choking, tasting blood on my tongue as I wobbled.

"Daiki-chan!"

Takeshi wrapped his arms around me before I could hit the floor, pressing me to his chest as he lowered us carefully, trying to get a good look at the bullet hole in my chest. I hummed brokenly and smiled at him as he fussed, trying to calm his frantic nature as he shouted for aid.

"Calm down, love." I soothed, getting him to snap around.

"Calm _down!?"_ He gaped, grasping my shoulder. "You got _shot_ you bloody idiot!"

In the background, I could hear Ryohei and Hibari dragging the sniper through hell, gunfire and weapons of both Flame and manual brandished for the fight. Lambo had long been taken from the field, Tsuna quick to direct the youngest out of the way of harm before entering the tussle himself.

"You should help them." I coughed, hating how numb my fingers were getting.

"Fuck, fuck, you're cold." The Rain hissed, grasping my hand.

"My hands are always cold." I laughed, tilting my head into his chest, rathering his warmth to my own depleting state.

"Yeah, but never this bad. Not during the Summer, at least." He snapped, pressing his hand to my wound. "You dumb woman. You utter, and complete-"

Ah, this is familiar. The encroaching darkness, the bone deep exhaustion. No one could ever forget something like this...Dying tended to be a well-polished memory.

"Takeshi-kun," I interrupted softly, getting dangerously drowsy. "Smile for me?"

The Rain gaped at me in confusion, his mind reeling as he tried to process my words.

"What- why?" He blurted, fumbling when I winced.

"Please?" I urged, placing my hand over his.

Keep awake, just a little longer, keep awake, don't you dare Daiki.

He couldn't make sense of me, but tilted his head and forced a smile on, the thing weak, but still enough to provoke one of my own. Takeshi wasn't going to forgive me for this, nor would Lambo, nor would Ryohei, but it was how this was going to go.

They needed this, in order to be strong enough for the next phase.

"There," I smiled, clutching the hand a bit tighter. "Feeling better…" C'mon Daiki. "...Already."

Sorry, love. Sorry friends. You're on your own from here on out…

I loved every minute of it. Thank you, you idiots.

* * *

I snarled and raged, chains rattling as they fought my strength to bind my limbs to the arms and legs of the chair, eyes narrowed and cruel as I picked out the white-clad figures bustling around me, their coats and gloves painted red, sleeves catching the colour and showing the falsity of their appearance.

The speakers crackled, and the knives cut through the air into skin, a harsh breath leaving me as I choked on dried bile and blood.

" _C'mon, Daiki-chan, don't look at me like that."_

My eyes narrowed in personal affront at the mounted camera before me, before gritting my teeth, refusing to screech as more flesh was removed, hands coming to take the slab away and place it with the rest, the bastard humming a tune as he did.

" _Daiki-chan, you know I don't like it when you glare at me."_

I hissed a spray of blood and saliva at the people before me, watching as my jaw was blown to the side by heavy fists, a deep crack resonating in my ears as another blade prodded at the skin high on my chest, segregating the layer to reveal the reddened white of my sternum.

I prepared to spew a curse, before pausing, the people around me ceasing their sick activity as my throat crackled with laughter, relief washing over me.

Finally, fucking _finally_.

One of the white clad people rooted through the bag on one of the metal tables, pushing aside my items, stolen from my pockets, before pulling out the source of my sudden uplifting. My phone, black and sleek, crooned a gentle melody, despite the service having been turned off.

" _What is that?"_

"An alarm." The man responded, silencing it. "Untitled."

I could feel the glares, the anger, the confusion, the fear of me as I continued into hysteria, before sighing, a smile coming to my face.

" _Why are you laughing, Daiki-chan? Did I finally manage to get through to you? Or was it that alarm?"_

"Oh nothing, it's just," I breathed, sitting straight and smiling, the action too sharp to be friendly. "I love it when things come together… Don't you, Byakuran-san?"

* * *

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself. They deserved to know. They've stuck by me for years, they're my friends. I trust them. I want them.

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _Hey, I need to talk to you. In person, preferably._

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _Oh my God Daiki, you have the worst_ _timing known to man! It's busy over here, and I've still got work!_

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _Okay, when can we meet up?_

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _I'll talk to you on Monday, is it too urgent?_

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _No, no. It can wait until then._

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _Can't you tell me over the phone? Call? Text?_

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _No, this...this needs to be told to you in person._

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _I owe you that, at least._

There was a step of silence, like Takeshi was taking in the words, trying to find the meaning behind them.

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _Okay, I understand. But tou-san says I can't._

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _I'm so sorry, I really would! I_ _want_ _to! But I_ _can't._

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _It's fine. It's fine, dear. Calm down, it won't do you any good to be stressed._

 _From: Favourite Stalker_

 _I'm sorry, Daiki. I love you._

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _I love you too, Takeshi._

 _To: Favourite Stalker_

 _I'll see you Monday then._

I exhaled and looked up, counting the rays of light that streaked the ceiling to settle and organise my thoughts. Getting to my feet I took measured breaths and descended the stairs, broadening my shoulders as I steeled myself.

"Kaa-san?" I called, stepping into the living room where she sat.

Kaede glanced at me out of the corner of her eye before turning back to the television, a rerun playing on the screen. The disregard made me sigh, but didn't make me stop, instead, I thinned my lips and continued.

"I'm going to tell them."

She finally looked to me, confusion mixing with the barest of fears.

"I'm going to tell my friends that I am female." I reiterated. "With, or without your support."

"Daiki-kun," She breathed, standing slowly. "You and I both know how that will end."

"Maybe we do," I agreed, shrugging. "And maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe they deserve to know. Maybe the pain it will bring us is the price we will pay."

"You don't deserve that Daiki-kun, just don't. You know kaa-san doesn't want to see you get hurt."

I held back the narrow of my eyes, hating how she turned the words to lay at her side.

"You're right, I didn't deserve this." I shot back. "But now I'll reap it for us both."

Her body lurched and my feet twisted to send me bolting up the stairs, her garbled, piercing and convulsing shouts reverberating through the walls of our doll house. I pressed my lips together in tension as the pounding of feet followed me until I slammed my weight against my door, the scratching of nails grating my ears from the other side. I fumbled behind me until I found the lock, sliding it in place and clicking it shut, my breathing still erratic.

Pushing off the door, I tossed aside my pillow and grabbed my discarded phone, quickly tapping in numbers and bringing it to my ear, the banging of my door still bruising my mind.

' _What do you- What is that noise?'_ Shamal asked, cutting his lazy, drunkard voice halfway through.

"Shamal-sensei, I need you to take Lambo-kun, can you do that for me?" I breathed, already moving around my room to gather things for my waking son.

"Papa? What's going on?"

I spun and heaved when Lambo staring at me with wide, teary eyes from his cradle. Big green orbs glanced between me and the door, his hands clutching Mary to his chest for comfort as he shivered with each shriek.

"It's fine, my darling." I cooed, coming over and taking his hand, looming near the bars.

" _Yamaguchi-chan, what's going on? I'm coming now, but you need to tell me what's happening. Why am I taking Lambo-kun? What about you?"_

"I'll be fine, it's Bo-kun who's more important. I'd ask Takeshi-kun but-"

" _It's Kaede-chan, isn't it?"_ He breathed, the sounds of a horn and cars reaching me.

"Yeah, she's not happy in the least." I gritted, shaking my head.

The little Lightning sniffled before he let out a wail, indistinguishable whines mingling with my mother's hysteria as he pulled at his hair, making me fumble to try and settle him. My eyes widened when the purple barrel of his bazooka tapped me on the nose, before he lurched forwards, and I was engulfed with an ear splitting bang.

"Fuck! Fuck!"

" _Yamaguchi-chan!?"_

…

" _Oh, would you look at that!"_ A chipper voice spoke, crackling as if on the other end of a sound system. " _Welcome to the Millefiore Base, Daiki-chan! I do hope you enjoy your stay with us!"_


	36. Chapter 36

**Hello, hello, hello! We have news here from The Baker's Daughter HQ!**

 **FANART! WE HAVE MORE FANART!  
** **The lovely lady** _Rolling-id_ **on TUMßLR has created two amazing pieces of fanart for The Baker's Daughter! So, if you want to see our strong little bread bun all dressed up and pretty, head over to her blog! She has also created a cute as all _fuck_ Daiki x Takeshi fanart for Daiki's brithday, honestly, I screamed.**

 **HAPPY (BELATED) BIRTHDAY DAIKI!  
** ** _21st January, 2018  
_** **(I'm a terrible mother.)**

* * *

 _ **Chapter Warning: Gore/Torture**_

 _ **All Daiki's interludes contain MATURE CONTENT!  
Skip if you believe yourself easily unsettled!**_

* * *

 **Word Count: 10,266**

* * *

 **|SHAMAL|**

Poor Doctor Shamal didn't sign up for this bullshit.

When he had first picked up on the Yamaguchi child's situation, his mind had immediately flown to the plethora of erotica that had followed such a storyline. He just wanted some good time messing around with the Sun's ego and temper - and maybe give them some help along the way. Because really, being a doctor gave him the visual perks too.

And also, he may, kinda, not really, only a little bit, just the teeny-tiniest bit, be fond of the brat now. Maybe. Probably. Possibly.

"Oi! Pervy! Why're you taking Lambo-san!" The little Lightning whined, hitting his tiny fists on his back.

Mephistopheles snapped and snarled at the doctor's ankles as he hauled the child into his car, free seat at the back taken up by the bag packed by Yamaguchi before whatever the fuck happened to them. The pup had blown its metaphorical top when Shamal had injected Kaede with a light tranquiliser, her volatile behaviour requiring sedation or risking endangering herself and those around her.

"'Guchi-chan better be ready to pay me back for this." He muttered, belting himself in as he winced, feeling the bite marks in his achilles as he pushed down on the accelerator.

The woman was bound to wake up within the hour, and if the effects of the serum within the needle kicked in correctly with her disposition, she would have forgotten his involvement in the incident, new memories written over of Yamaguchi escaping with Lambo to an unknown location.

"Where are you taking Lambo-san!?" The child shrieked again, making the doctor groan and slump in traffic. "To Reborn's house."

"Ah! An ally for the cause of Lambo-san's rule!"

The Nami nurse sighed and thanked every scripture that he never was dumb enough to screw without a sleeve.

"Ugh," He groaned, looking towards the clock on his dashboard. "They better be alright."

 **|SHAMAL|**

* * *

I was not alright. With any of this.

I grit my teeth as people in lab coats and medical masks gazed down at me as if I were a phenomenon, their hands and sleeves bloodied and grime covered, scalpels and straight up butcher's knives wielded in some.

"Um..." I breathed, preparing to stand and get the actual hell out of there.

A curse spouted from me as hands grabbed me from behind, at least seven pairs dragging me back down as Italian shouts echoed in the metal and concrete room, more people dashing forwards to heave thick, heavy chains over to bind me to the metal chair that groaned with the added weight.

"He- Fuck!" I roared, thrashing as I tried to fight my way out of the hold, before crying out as a thin little blade was rammed between the ball joint of my shoulder to contain me.

"Calm down young one." A woman cooed from behind, her dry, gravelly voice going right into my ear and sending an involuntary shiver up my spine.

Just as she finished 'calming' me, the blade was clumsily ripped from my shoulder in two, blood curdling movements, both purposeful and incredibly painful, laughter bursting forth from a select few when they saw my teeth grit against it.

The camera before me whirred as the focus and zoom changed, a crackled laughter coming through the speakers.

 _"Look at that! A brand new canvas for you all!"_

My eyes widened as I slowly placed the voice, tapping around in my mind as I raced through a dusty catalogue. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no-

Byakuran's people bustled with renewed excitement, high pitched giggles and low chuckles escaping those around me, gleams flashing in their eyes as they examined me.

I snarled and yanked at the obscene layering of chains, wondering just how jacked my future self had become to condone a good 6 inches of metal upon metal for each fucking arm. The links bit into my skin and sent my arms up in goosebumps with the cold.

 _"Daiki-chan! I must say, you gave me a surprise there!"_ The man laughed through the camera, _"You came right on time! Your current- well, future, self was just about at the end of her thread! Seven days of intense infection, tetanus and blood loss does that to people. Of course, her lung being shot didn't help much, must say."_

I blinked at him, jaw slack in shock as an undeniable cold, coil of dread settled in the bottom of my stomach and spread from the back of my skull.

People swayed on their feet, knives, needles, chains, tables and trays catching the light and gleaming with metal, dry and wet blood caking the surfaces and making them tacky with their wielders. Smiles and grimaces pulled the medical masks taut as they looked at me through crescented eyes, ready and waiting for their signal to go.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit- I wasn't going to come out of this unscathed. Not in the least. I couldn't get around this like I did the others, I couldn't watch from the side lines. I was right in it, right there.

I was scared. Oh God, I was scared.

 _"Daiki-chan? C'mon, talk to me!"_

But like fuck was I going to give him the pleasure of seeing that.

"Seven days?" I breathed, relaxing back into the uncomfortable chair, planting my feet deeper into the floor to hide the quiver of my legs. "Damn, I can't wait for that power up."

 _"Haha! Yeah, you become a darn hard thing to take down!_ " Byakuran giggled, the sounds of a packet opening reaching me through the com.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone tap their foot irritably, impatient. Their sole made a sticky sound against the concrete floor, and I didn't want to ask what was the cause of said stickiness.

 _"Oh, but I have a question!"_ The Millefiore Boss chirped quickly, catching my attention back _. "Do you have a Vongola Ring with you, by any chance?"_

I thinned my lips, but found relief in the question, not needing to lie and dodge it. It was a simple answer, one I could spill without having to materialise half of it.

"Nope," I answered, shaking my head. "Not with me, sorry. I'm not a Guardian."

"Ah, thought not." He sighed, pout audible in the voice. "Your future self said the same thing. Said it was 'with her gut'."

"Gut." I repeated, thinking over the word. "You mean Ryohei-kun?"

 _"Yup! But that was before! So now, as a precaution, you'll have to excuse us."_ Byakuran hummed, before a 'bing!' came from a computer off the to side.

One of the people dashed over, the others shifting, a murmur falling over the crowd and crawling up my arms, tension rising in my shoulders.

"Okay. Understood, Byakuran-sama." The man at the table declared, before turning back to me. "Our orders are to 'open her up'!"

The room absolutely rippled with excitement at the declaration, people in medical garb dashing over to tables and pulling free scissors and blades, my eyes widening at the chaos and cackles filled the air, cooes and chuckles making my skin pebble. I shouted as a cloth was forced between my teeth and used like a horse's mouthpiece to pull my head back.

"Can't have you biting any more fingers off," A man chuckled, showing me a gnarly, torn up hand, blackening and wet. "Already lost too many to your nibblers."

Someone with scissors walked up to me with too large a smile and made a show of snipping the air before my nose, the blades loud and stained with fluids I didn't want to know the origin of. I watched as they fell downwards, before biting into my clothes and ripping upwards, the buttons of my school shirt lost in the mess of the room as my singlet as attacked next, the thin material torn apart by metal.

I bundled my fists and jerked my arms and legs, trying to undo inches of metal to escape the horror show, nausea from iron tainted air and vomit off to the side making me dizzy, adrenaline and panic flooding my system in spasming waves. My breath quickened around the gag as they worked their way through the material of my binder, the snipping slow and jagged, blades getting caught in the fibres from overexcitement and an unsteady hand.

"Oh, get out of the way!" A young sounding woman snapped, pushing the scissor person off before grabbing the two sides of my binder and ripping it apart, material giving out under the rough handling.

I grit my teeth and glared murderously as she grinned at the display before her, pushing my clothes further away before taking a pen out of her pocket. She leant forwards and drew three dotted lines across my abdomen, humming after a moment and giving a nod.

"Cut on the dotted lines, everyone!" She giggled, before getting out of the way as blades and needles descended on me.

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

The Rain thinned his lips as he ran his thumb over the material of the black and red jacket of his other, the 'no.5' resting under his palm, the pillow stuffed within acted as a pseudo chest for him to rest his head on, curling around it as he thrummed with worry.

"Tou-san! I need to go!"

"Look, Takeshi-kun, Kaede-chan called me before you got home. I don't think it's a good idea for you to go barging in there again tonight." Tsuyoshi sighed, shaking his head as he helped the diner rush of orders.

"But Daiki-kun-"

"Not now," He warned, trying to concentrate on several things at once. "He said it wasn't urgent, right? Then it can wait."

Takeshi's brow furrowed in helplessness as he grit his teeth, a harsh nod coming after a while of simpering under his father's gaze.

"Good, now help out in the front."

The swordsman couldn't contain his anxiousness since, pacing around the store when his mind couldn't be quelled by customers or odd jobs dictated by the old chef. The restlessness had apparently disturbed the peaceful eating of the patrons, so the Rain had found himself banished to his room for the rest of the night, the worry boiling over with no distraction or filter.

Takeshi grit his teeth and clung to the substitute, inhaling sunshine and caramel as he buried his nose into the makeshift shoulder, the scent settling him slightly as he closed his eyes. Hiking his leg up, the Rain curled around the pillow body and let out a quiet coo as he relaxed, absently touching at the soft chest-

 _"It's my-, silly Takeshi-kun."_

 _"You wanna feel under it?"_

What was 'it'?

The Rain sat up with a new alert and pressed and pushed at the recreation, a frown on his lips as he tried to spark more memories, the blur of alcohol frustrating him as they continued to come up blank or horrendously disfigured.

 _Takeshi paused, and looked to the Sun's chest for a moment, his brows furrowing. Wasn't there...meant to be something there…?_

 _"What's up, love?" He asked with a laugh, nudging the Rain's temple with his nose._

 _No, Daiki's never had anything else there._

The swordsman shook his head, Daiki definitely had something there. Something he couldn't remember.

Biting his lip in agitation, the Rain pulled himself up against his headboard to sit up properly and hiked the pillow substitute into his lap, mimicking how he recalled Daiki straddling him in a warm room. He curled his arms around the waist of the replica and gazed up at the lolling hood, trying to put together a vague outline of his other, running his hands over the expanse of the back.

"Daiki-kun..." He muttered, lowering his eyes down the front of the figure, flashes of a melting kaleidoscope of golds, cobalts, coppers, earths and ebony making him dizzy and warm.

Giving a growl of agitation, the Rain tossed the substitute back onto the bed and dropped his head on it with a huff of annoyance, eyes narrowed in concentration as he tried to piece it all together. It was something he couldn't remember clearly, so it was definitely something that Daiki didn't show him often or at all.

The Vongola swordsman could recall everything he had seen of Daiki, he could easily recite facts and tales, comments and topics of discussion. They had all been committed to memory and stored in a safe box to be valued and protected. He loved Daiki too much to bear to let anything slip, want anything and everything to be forever branded into his mind, the sound, taste, sight, smell, touch. So having something about his Daiki, that he couldn't remember was…

Takeshi sighed and curled closer to the pillow, tracing the 5 absently as he cuddled it to ease his state, wishing that there was a weight and a warmth to the form. Looking up, the Rain imagined a flash of amber-earth, saturated with affection gazing down at him and making his heart swell with comfort.

"Kiss?" He asked quietly, before pressing his lips to the heart of the jacket. "I love you..."

He'd talk to Daiki on Monday. Then he'd get answers.

He can wait two days.

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

It hurt.

It hurt so badly.

I wanted to cry, I wanted to throw up. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to sleep, and never have to wake up, never have to remember how much it hurt.

My hands had stopped shaking at this point, they just hung limply over the edges of the armrests, swaying if anyone jostled me too hard or bumped them. There was a little flower carved into the back of one, a young boy having absently traced it into the thin flesh with a scalpel as another rooted through the hollow of my torso, trying to 'find' something.

 _"Aw, I guess you were telling the truth, Daiki-chan!"_ Byakuran whined, tuning back in. _"Sorry 'bout that!"_

A drop of saliva left the gag, saturated with it as I breathed in long, deep breaths. Someone unhooked it from me, the material falling into my lap, joining the scraps of flesh.

"You..."

 _"Yes? Me?"_

"You know what I realised?" I coughed, a dribble of metallic tang coming from the corner of my lips.

 _"What did you realise, Daiki-chan?"_ He asked, sounding amused, voice losing its high giggle and mellowing into a thicker tone.

"When someone's telling you to 'hold your horses', they're telling you to be stable." Came my comment, eyes shining with mirth as I forced a smirk onto my lips. "Isn't that just bats?"

 _"You know what I realised?"_

"Hm?" I breathed, refusing to acknowledge the apron-clad man approaching.

 _"Today's the day you would have let your little secret out~! Shame it didn't work out this time, eh?"_

* * *

 **|JUN|**

Hayashi Jun scampered through the halls with a hum of worry, big eyes glancing between teens as he tried to locate his Lord, but finding himself coming up short. His feet moved fast to make up for a limited stride as he moved quickly, finding the sign for 2-A quickly and gently sliding the door open, peeking in shyly.

"U-um, I'm looking for Yamamoto Takeshi?" He whimpered to a girl who walked up upon seeing him. "Is he here?"

"Oh, aren't you just adorable." She cooed, before looking over her shoulder and calling out for the boy. "Yamamoto-kun!"

The Lord Yamamoto looked up with a bit too much alertness, and Jun could already feel the dread in his stomach as eyes settled on him, the hope in them quelling his own. The boy came over and gently urged the girl away, quick to sick the mouse with questions.

"Where's Daiki-kun? He wanted to talk to me today, but I can't find him."

"Oh no." Was all Jun uttered, and they both knew something was terribly wrong.

 **|JUN|**

* * *

I groaned as someone carved random designs into my bicep, cross-hatch and geometric lines dribbling crimson sluggishly as the sting and swell of infection settled into new wounds.

A needle had been inserted into my vein at some point, maybe an hour ago, when they had realised that I might just be on my way to dying of blood loss. It was meant to supply me with something, but I was too out of it to remember clearly. Whatever it was, I wasn't sure if I was thankful or if I just wanted it all gone.

"Do you like my art?" Someone whispered, touching my shoulders gently. "I made these designs just for you. I do hope you like them."

I jolted as their fingers dug into the open wound under my collarbone, choking on a dry heave as they scratched at the exposed nerve ends and gathered flesh and blood under their nails.

"I'm gonna make you so pretty. Thank you for replacing yourself, it gives me so much more room to draw."

* * *

 **|S.R|**

Sasagawa Ryohei was absolutely vibrating with anxiety and unspent restlessness.

His hands were bundled beneath his desk, and his shoulders as tense as anything, his jaw set and his eyes dark with fire. It made those sitting near him unsettled and twitchy, not even the teacher free from the permeating aura he exuded.

Absences.

Earthy eyes flashed to the empty chair beside him.

Absences from Daiki was a bad thing.

A leg bounced irritably under the desk, heel tapping the ground in a grating rhythm.

Absences from Daiki after that run in with Kaede was a dangerous thing.

The class shifted immediately as the bell rung out for lunch, people bustling to get away from the ball of nerves that was the Vongola Sun, instinctual, gut feelings telling the to stray away from his domain.

Ryohei bit into his own teeth as he pulled out his phone and snapped it open, lips thin and frowned as he checked for any sort of response to his barrage of texts, finding none. The boxer growled deep in his throat and got from the table, feet carrying him out of the classroom and towards the roof as he clicked onto call, bringing the device to his ear and listening to it ring, perking when the tone finished.

 _"Hello-"_

"Daiki-kun! The EXTREME hell are-"

 _"Sorry I can't come to the phone right now. You can leave me a message, and I can try and call you back later. Goodbye."_

Ryohei exhaled slowly when he heard the dial go off, pinching the bridge of his nose with rising stress.

"Daiki-kun, you EXTREMELY stale piece of bread, call me back when you get this! You're freaking me out here, bro!" He roared into the receiver, before clicking the hang up button and ending the connection.

 _"Ryohei-kun!"_

 _"Onii-san!"_

 _"Turf top!"_

The Sun whipped around as the second years came running up to him, the door to the roof closing behind them and providing privacy for their plight.

"Hey, why're you guys up here TO THE EXTREME?!" Ryohei bellowed, putting a smile on his face.

"'Cause the fucking giant's skipped town." Gokudera grit out, earthy eyes jumping to how the Rain bristled quietly at the words, unseen by his peers.

"He didn't 'skip town', Gokudera-kun," Takeshi insisted, somehow keeping his voice a steady optimistic, "He had something to tell me. He said he was going to come"

"What did he want to talk to you about?" Tsuna asked, looking up at the taller boy.

The baseballer opened his mouth to respond, before pausing, and slowly pressed his lips thin.

"I don't know. He said it had to be in person, face to face. Something about me deserving that."

"Huh?" The Storm scoffed, scrunching his nose in a rough manner. "And you passed up a chance to snuggle with your 'shujin-kun'?"

"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna breathed, making the Italian flinch, before looking to the side.

"Sorry. I guess it's getting to me too..." He apologised shortly and through grit teeth.

Ryohei wasn't sure if it was because the Vongola Storm didn't want to apologise, or because he didn't want to admit that he was worried too. Either way, he didn't have long to ponder on it as the Rain shook his head, a shaky smile coming across his face, which he directed at the pale boy.

"It's fine, I get it. Honestly, I wouldn't have said no, but tou-san just wasn't letting me out. Kaede-san-" Ryohei blinked, hearing the dissociative suffix, wondering just when the rogue's partner had dropped the 'kaa-san' part. "-She apparently called him and told him that we were annoying her."

"She cut us off." The Sun breathed, crossing his arms. "Kaa-san and tou-san came down on me Saturday morning as well."

"Actually, kaa-san talked to me about that on Friday too, gave me an earful about being impolite!" Tsuna joined.

"My landlord gave me the stink eye but that's about it on my end." Gokudera shrugged, tapping his fingers together, Ryohei's mind bringing up that it was a piano exercise.

"She's trying to seclude him." Takeshi grit, lips nearly pale with tension. "Do you think she has him locked in his room or something? That's why he didn't come today?!"

The group felt a chill go through them, the idea making their bones heave with preparation, but was quickly extinguished when a loud denial came through the air.

"Yamaguchi Daiki is not at the Yamaguchi residence. He hasn't been sighted there since Friday night." Sawada's tiny baby friend stated, walking up to them firmly. "I can tell you who was there Friday night, however."

"Ah, who?!" Tsuna yelped, paling at the ominous wording.

"Dr Shamal. He was witnessed arriving in his car at the house at exactly 10:34 pm and leaving at exactly 10:41 pm, with an infant and a dog."

They looked at each other, before collectively bolting to the door, the Rain wrenching it open and leading the group in a dead sprint through the halls and throwing open the infirmary door. Shamal shrieked and slammed a drawer shut quickly, his finger catching in his haste and making him curse in a twisting European language.

"You lot again!" He scowled, blowing on his poor fingers and nursing them to his chest. "Whaddya want?"

"Daiki-kun!" Takeshi blurted out. "What happened?!"

In an instant, the hazy, lazy nature of the man was stripped from his self, and he straightened. The Nami nurse looked at them through strict eyes, and urged them into the room, gesturing for the door to be closed and locked behind them.

"So you've all finally realised, hey?" He huffed, making them still. "But, first things first, you, tall one, this thing is yours too, yeah?"

The Vongola team jolted when Shamal pulled the curtains aside on a medical cot and revealed Lambo napping on it, the fluffy, white form of Mephistopheles curling around him protectively. Tsuna whimpered when he saw teeth become bared at them, ears flattening against his skull as the dog growled.

"Miphy!" Takeshi yelped, closing the distance and touching the mutt.

Mephistopheles snapped at the hand that fell on his back, making the Rain draw back quickly.

"Miphy! Miphy, it's me, c'mon boy. Calm down." He hushed, lowering himself until he was closer to the pup's level.

"That's it, there we go. You recognise me, yeah?" The Rain hummed, letting the creature sniff his hand before gently running his fingers across the soft scalp. "Am I allowed to climb on? I promise that I'm not going to hurt Bo-kun. You know I won't."

Tsuna gulped audibly as he watched his Rain climb onto the cot, fearing for the boy's life as the dog watched and analysed his every move. It shifted unsurely at the Guardian when he gingerly drew Lambo into his chest, making the others of the Vongola raise an eyebrow.

"Finally, that mutt's been trying to bite out my ankles for the entire weekend." Shamal groaned as the pup settled down, jaw resting on his paws, ears up and alert.

"He's anxious. Something's spooked him." Ryohei breathed, coming up and reintroducing himself to the canine gently, slowly allowing himself to pet at the nape.

"Kaede-chan, no doubt." The nurse sighed, tapping his desk.

"What did she do?" Tsuna asked.

"I'm not sure of the extent of the problem, but I do know that 'Guchi-chan needed the kid out of the house because of it." He muttered, before clicking at his computer, at least fourteen different password tabs coming up before a set of files took up the screen. "Here, listen to this."

 _"What do you- What is that noise?"_

 _"Shamal-sensei, I need you to take Lambo-kun, can you do that for me?"_

 **|S.R|**

* * *

I cooed a song down at Takeshi as I cradled him to my chest, a soft smile on his lips as he listened quietly, pleased by the warmth and the affection I was lavishing him with. His fingers languidly curled and played with the short hairs at the base of my skull, the sensation soothing me and making my eyes heavy. He smiled at me lovingly and nuzzled his nose into my collar, inhaling deeply, before giggling when I moved to croon directly into his ear, breath washing over his nape.

"I love you, my darling." I sighed out, grazing my fingertips along the rise of his cheekbone, tucking a piece of stray hair behind his ear.

Takeshi grinned a brilliant radiance before pulling me down for him to kiss, lips moulding together warmly as he hummed into my mouth, happy hues taking our faces as I tightened my hold on him.

"I love y-"

A bucket of water and an electric current were my designated alarm clock for that day.

* * *

 **|REBORN|**

Oh. Oh, this wasn't good.

Reborn hummed into his coffee as he looked over the missing person's report that had been filed by the Yamamoto's, the details of Yamaguchi Daiki sprawled all over it. The baby didn't know where he could have gone, in all honesty, the facts didn't add up.

Shamal claimed that he had been hit by the TYL Bazooka, but that had been long ago. The bazooka was meant to replace them for five minutes, not five days. Nonetheless, it had caused quite a stir in the Sawada house and greater community, and that would not do at all.

Tsuna and the others had been tripping over themselves to try and go after Yamaguchi, despite the fact that they didn't even know where he went, and now that Tsuyoshi man had filed a report. Not to mention, the Bakery was officially closed until Kaede was fit for work again. Everything just wasn't working out for the poor hitman.

After some time, the baby had managed to quieten the Vongola generation, assuring them that he must have just wandered off or been called away, reminding them of his regular disappearances through the school year. It had worked for the most part, but he could tell they were all on higher alert than usual, Yamamoto Takeshi not buying his story in the least. Tsuna seemed reluctant to swallow the pill as well, and Gokudera followed by example.

Reborn sighed and called for Leon, the creature scuttling over and transforming into a mobile for him without command, allowing the baby to lift it to his ear and call in some contacts. The civilian police would be of no help in this situation, they'd only be an inconvenience.

First things first, calling off the search for Yamaguchi Daiki.

 **|REBORN|**

* * *

I couldn't help the spill of bile and blood that poured from my mouth as a foot buried itself almost directly into the organ of my stomach, eyes and nosing burning as I puked the acidic contents onto the floor between my feet. With my senses blown, I was unable to contain the cry that followed, cuts on my feet screeching with the stinging liquid that was pooling beneath them.

"Stop moving!" Someone shouted, grabbing a handful of my hair and yanking me backwards, stretching my neck and causing the cuts along it to open more and scabs to pull taut.

They released me and I slumped forwards again, feeling their scalpel etch careful and deep designs into my shoulder blades, tsking when a muscle spasmed on its own.

I closed my eyes and focused on my breath, counting the seconds between each in and out, trying to drag my mind and attention away from the spiderwebs of pain that spread along my nerves at any given moment.

One...Two...Three...Four...Fi-

 _"I'm back~! How y'all doing?"_ Byakuran cheered.

A scream tore through me as a knife came down out of nowhere, the blade piercing between my radius and ulna, pinning my forearm to the armrest and making blood bubble up around the blade.

 _"Ah, what an enthusiastic greeting, Daiki-chan!"_

Biting my lip, I pinched my eyes shut to stop the water from welling up, tears being the last thing I needed in this situation. Gritting my teeth, I bared them at the camera and snarled around the gag, teeth red and outlined by not only my own blood, but that of those who let themselves stray too close, too casually without the gag in place.

" _Anyway, so what was I up to before I had to go deal with that boring stuff? Oh yeah!"_ He chirped, the crackle of a marshmallow bag coming yet again. _"So, I really hate it when they put on re-run's rather than new episodes when they're, like, seven seasons in because a) that doesn't make sense timeline-wise and b) it's boring! Not to mention filler episodes! Gawd!"_

My finger twitched as a scalpel sliced my ear down to the cartilage, creating little lacerations down the back of the shell, my lips coming to press together as I quieted myself.

I just had to wait for a little longer…

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Sawada Tsunayoshi was ready to pull his hair out in stress.

First Yamaguchi, then Reborn! They had both poofed off the map! Just gone! Literal poof!

Since the rogue Sun had vanished, everyone had been noticing Yamamoto becoming increasingly snappy - well, as snappy as someone like Yamamoto could get. As well as the raw and bloodied state of his knuckles.

People had thought he had been fighting, throwing punches to blow off steam and calm his stress, but it just didn't settle right with the Sky. Then he and Gokudera had found him curled up in the bathroom, gnawing on his knuckles as he clicked through text messages, eyes flying though the pixelated kanji erratically, reading the coos and devotion the Sun had sent him. Yamamoto always came back to the same text, however, the same message that made him sink his teeth into the flesh of his hand and choke on his own tongue whenever he punished himself with it.

 _From: Shujin-kun_  
 _I'll see you Monday then._

It had gotten to the point where his father had taken his phone away from him, unable to see his son cradle the phone like it was his lifeline in bloodied hands. The Rain was driving himself up the wall with worry, and perhaps he was only just managing to keep a fraction of himself for the little Lambo who was peacefully oblivious to the drama of his world.

They had thought it best to keep Lambo at the Sawada house, I-pin, Fuuta and Bianchi doing wonders on his attention span and distracting him from the absence of his pseudo father, though, now and again he'd look out the window and ask where he was, making Reborn lower the rim of his hat. Yamamoto came over more often due to the child's dwellings, sometimes to 'play' and sometimes just to curl up on the couch with Lambo settled to nap on his stomach, staying perhaps longer than was usually polite - but Nana didn't mind, found it endearing. Each time with varying stages of damage on his knuckles.

It made Tsuna's head and heart throb with guilt and ache, the young Sky always one to blame himself and really believe it.

Yamaguchi had never asked to be a part of this Vongola madness, and had even gone out of his way to avoid the whole thing. And yet, there he was, gone in a flash off to some hellish place because of the world Tsuna had dragged him into, kicking and screaming.

The Vongola Sky shook his head before slapping himself in the softness of his cheeks, bringing himself back to the present as he rounded the corner and spotted his home, bursting through the door and just barely responding to his mother as he made a death sprint up the stairs, near stumbling on the last one before grabbing the railing. He panted as he kicked his bedroom door open, shouting upon seeing the little calf strewn across his floor, mucus dripping from his nose lazily.

"Hey, Lambo-kun! Quick, use the Ten Year Bazooka and become an adult! Well, teen, but still- _bazooka!"_

"Huh?" Lambo grunted, rolling onto his side and squinting at the Sky, pulling a random object from his hammer-space of a head and fiddling it with idly. "Dunno anything 'bout a bazooka."

"It's poking out of your hair!" Tsuna stressed, before grabbing hold of it and dragging it free.

"No! Boss said no one should use it!" The Lightning shrieked, fighting the pull with all his kiddy might.

"You're already using it all over the place! Give it over!"

"You can't!"

His eyes widened when he saw the child's hand slip down the barrel and catch on the trigger, both of them realising what had happened at the same time, catching each other's expressions of stun just as the bullet was released and the ear splitting _'bang!'_ tore through the air.

 **|S.T|**

* * *

Lambo whined as I pulled the hairbrush through his hair, carefully trying to get the knots out of his locks, plastered to his scalp by the bathwater.

"Papa! Stoooop!" He huffed, splashing the water with tiny fists.

"You shouldn't have played with I-pin-chan in the mud then, you know she'd be able to pin you." I chided gently, using my fingers to unravel a tangle before running the brush through it.

"I would'a won."

A soft laugh came from me as I dropped the comb as carded his locks with my fingertips, the young Lightning giggling as he shivered and preened. Lambo turned and streatched up, making me smile before dropping a light kiss to the damp crest of his skull.

"Okay, let's rinse you off." I cooed, pulling the plug of the bath, quickly taking the child from under his arms and lifting him out of the tub. "Does that still scare you, sweetheart?"

"No." He pouted, glancing at the loudly sucking whirlpool, before grabbing onto my shirt. "A little..."

"Oh, love." I sighed, setting him down on the bathmat before splashing the bath's muddy layer away with a plastic bowl and filling it back up with warm water, Lambo shrieking in delight as I grabbed the mint scented bubble mix. "In we go!"

The little Lightning giggled as I mixed the water and soap with my hands, bubbles arising from the violent action and creating a foaming surface for my small son to play with. I smiled and rested my chin on my arm as I watched him create mounds of suds, before pausing when his attention was caught by something behind me.

"Shujin-kun," Takeshi hummed, curling his arms around me from behind as he came to settle on the floor with me. "I was wondering where you were."

I laughed softly and leant back into his chest, exhaling happily as the Rain nuzzled and kissed at my shoulder.

"Hello, my darling."

Lambo splashed and made me jump, a light rain of soapy water coming to my face and making me splutter, arms coming to protect myself.

"Bo-kun, don't make a mess!" I yelped, quickly collecting his hands.

"If you get water on the floor someone can hurt themselves." Takeshi chided softly, reaching around to pinch the Lightning's nose.

The little calf pouted and whined to get away from the tender attack, batting his father's hand away before going back to a milder entertainment, allowing me to thread my fingers with the Rain's as he cuddled into my back.

"So, what've you been doin all thi-"

...

 _"You've passed out again!"_

I jolted awake before groaning as my body rejected the sudden movement, neck and back cramped from keeping me upright for so long, the rest of me simply thrumming a perpetual pain.

It was quiet. That was the first thing I noticed. Painfully, irritably, soullessly quiet in the metal and concrete room, full of browning blood stains and iron pungent air.

 _"C'mon Daiki-chan, you've gotta build up your resilience! This is the second time this week!"_ Byakuran chided from beyond the device, camera lense shifting to zoom as I grit my teeth against the pulsing of my back.

My muscles were quivering as pain bombarded my senses with waves at every other second, the wet, slippery dribble of infection making my tattered clothes stick to my wounds. The places I could see were dangerously red, and the disgusting mucus that drooled from each made my head dizzy beyond the definite concussion, breaths laboured through split lips.

 _"Well, I guess you are, technically, just a kid. So I'll let it slide."_ He huffed, shifting in his chair, wherever he was. _"But c'mon, Daiki-chan, you gotta tell me what that Tsunayoshi-kun's got in store! None of you ever tell me!"_

I thinned my lips and remained stubbornly silent, feeling them crack and pull taut with dryness.

 _"Ugh! Please~!?"_

"How should I know?" I sighed, "I've never talked to the man."

 _"Uh-uh!"_ The Millefiore White Boss tutted, making me raise an eyebrow. _"You rare spawns always know what's going on!"_

I blinked and narrowed my eyes.

"Rare spawn?"

 _"Yeah! Rare spawn! Daiki-chan, you only appear in certain dimensions- and not always as a lady, might I say. Gosh, those are always the most fun to pull apart, they always put up the best fights."_ He sighed in an almost fond manner. _"But none of them ever let anything slip! All of you act like you all have a zipper mouth!"_

Byakuran huffed through the speakers after a moment, before the doors opened with a loud beep.

 _"Ah, lunch is over then."_

My eyes widened as the stress in my system rose, lips pressing taut as the people walked in, blood matted medical get up clad as always. I couldn't even listen to the dimension-jumper's words as hands descended upon me in masses, people pulling the flaps of my abdominal skin open again and pegging it aside to allow fingers and blunt instruments to poke and prod internal organs, the white of my cracked rib cage and collar bone on display, shiny with bloods and fluids.

I snapped and bit at wrists and arms before the gag was hooked into my mouth and I was tugged back, the material tied off and placed on a hook to keep my spine straight for my back to be worked on by someone, their scalpel slashing at the crudely infected skin yet again. My growls reverberated in my space as someone flashed a light at me, pupils retracting at the bright and brows furrowing against it.

Someone giggled off to the side and poked the pre-existing scar across my temple, holding a knife close to it, before seeming to rethink their approach and deciding against it, muttering to themselves as they walked off, dumping the heavy blade onto a table and causing the other instruments to jump.

 _"Please, Daiki-chan? You gotta tell me what's gonna go down!"_

The person perked before grabbing a small jar from a metallic drawer, all but prancing over as they grinned from behind the medical mask.

I clenched my teeth as they opened the container and upturned it, spilling the contents into a kidney tray, construction nails spilling out and making me blink before wincing, a tut of annoyance coming from the person behind me. My attention was drawn back when my hand was lifted from its slump, eyes widening as the tips of nails were lined with my palm.

The person whooped before slamming my hand down, a muffled scream breaching the gag in my mouth as the nails came out the other side of my flesh, skin and blood clinging to the iron as fire ripped up my arm and pooled in my tarsals. My eyes watered when my wrist was twisted to bring my palm upwards and bashed into the arm of the chair, forcing the nails back out, jolting and shifting them between my bones.

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Takeshi breathed a deep, sharp breath as he lurched forwards out of bed, heart racing in his chest as his eyes slowly cleansed themselves of the scene he had imagined. He panted loudly, mind askew, before scrubbing his face with his hand, the other reaching to turn on the light and chase away the darkness.

The Rain couldn't sleep after that, after the twisted dream he had conjured.

"Daiki-kun." He croaked quietly, touching the substitute that filled the space beside him. "Daiki-kun."

Taking a breath, the Rain leant over the edge of his bed and grabbed up his laptop from where it was charging on the floor, settling it on his lap before curling his arms around the jacket-clad pillow. He tapped at his documents before plugging in his headphones, mindful of his father, and opened a playlist of video files, settling back with his companion, nose buried deep in the caramel scent.

 _"Haha, what're you doing?" Daiki laughed, waving his hand to shoo away the camera when he looked up from his work._

 _"Recording you." Takeshi hummed, zooming in from a safe distance._

 _"Oh, are you? And how does that relate to your financial mathematics homework, my darling?" He huffed, raising his split eyebrow._

 _"It'll help me remember if I record you explaining it!"_

 _His husband laughed softly as the Rain placed down the camera and scuttled over to his side, sitting close and cuddling the older boy._

Takeshi smiled as he watched himself bow under kisses and attention, the warmth of the scene making him clutch the red and black tighter. His hand came out and lightly traced the image of the Sun, before pausing when the next clip began to play.

 _"Look at 'im!" Came the hushed insistence of the Rain, camera focused on the sleeping face of the blue haired boy._

 _The screen shook as he ran forwards quietly, scrambling onto the bed and fixing the focus to show a more defined sight of the Sun, soft breaths coming through the audio as Daiki dreamt soundly._

 _"Look at 'im! He's too bloody beautiful!" He stressed, hand coming into the frame to lightly brush cobalt locks._

 _Amber-earth cracked open at the touch, a sleepy groan coming from Daiki as he slowly pieced together the sight, a deep, heavy laugh falling from his lips as he stared at the camera in languid amusement._

 _"Good morning to you too, I guess." He hummed, smiling softly as young sun cast him in a bright halo._

 _There was a long breath off screen, before a whimper followed, the third year giving a huff of humour as he brought the hand from his hair to his lips, kissing the knuckles softly._

 _"I love you, Daiki-kun." Takeshi confessed, making amber-earth warm lovingly._

 _"I love you too, Takeshi-kun."_

Takeshi felt his heart squeeze.

 _"One more time for the camera?"_

 _Daiki laughed and rubbed at his eye before rolling onto his back, stretching out his spine even as the scene followed to look down at his splayed form._

 _"Okay, okay." He chuckled._

 _Daiki sighed before reaching his arms up as if to offer the warmest hug, his smile unchallenged and illuminated by early light, devotion clear and affection overflowing._

 _"I love you, my Takeshi-kun. With all my heart."_

Takeshi choked and crushed his substitute to his chest, pressing frenzied kisses to the shoulders as he heaved quietly, laptop rattling as his form shook.

"Please be safe, Daiki-kun. Please. Please, please, please."

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

 **|S.T|**

This was utter madness! Complete and utter, freaking, _madness!_

Tsuna heaved as he was forced to sprint through the foliage in order to keep up with the cloaked woman, identified as Lal Mirch, Gokudera muttering curses under his breath beside him. It was a bit of a dig for the Sky, that the Storm was able to speak at all, his own state an ode to his horrible stamina- and thought it was leaps better than before Reborn's mayhem, still was barely enough to wave a stick at.

Not that the little hell baby didn't try, just replace a stick with a mullet. Possibly spiked.

"Hey, woman! Stop a minute!" Gokudera roared, making the little Mafia stumble and flail in surprise.

Tsuna regained his balance and attempted to quieten his Guardian, something in his gut telling him that being loud around here was not the best idea. He was only able to utter the older's name before the Italian born was distracted and began tugging the smaller along, the cheer of a river on his tongue. The Sky only vaguely registered the slightest of clicks that came to his ears, but disregarded it as he swallowed mouthful after refreshing mouthful, his breath calming from the near death-sprints that he had been forced through to get here.

"How long do we have to keep moving?" Gokudera snapped irritably, getting to his feet, bristling like a wronged cat at the Mafia woman. "We still haven't even reached the base!"

"We're camping out here for the night." Lal Mirch stated simply, not at all affected by the teen's attitude. "You guys can't see in the dark and it's too dangerous. Honestly, it's really annoying."

"Bitch- Don't you think you're pushing it!?"

Tsuna barely withheld his volume as the woman raised her arm, the firearm that was settled atop it pointing at them warningly as she kept her face and voice flat.

"I believe that's my line." She scowled, holding them at gunpoint for a few more moments, before lowering the weapon and tucking it back under her cloak. "I'm feeding myself tonight, and that's it."

"Gah! So we gotta get our own food out here!?" Tsuna gaped,

They received no verbal answer, but the message was clear.

"Shitty bitch," mumbled Gokudera under his breath. "Who does she think she is."

"Anyway," Tsuna yelped, tugging the Storm away before perhaps their only chance of survival decided to ditch them. "Let's see if we can find some food!"

…

The two Vongola robotically chewed on the skewers fish that had been caught for them, both adamantly refusing to look up from the point of dirt that they had drilled their gazes into for safety, flashes of the female physique of Lal Mirch surfacing now and again and making them choke.

"All I know about you guys is from the photos I've seen," She started, making them jump. "But thanks to the Ten Year Bazooka, I recognised you."

She chucked her empty skewer into the fire and let it burn down with the rest of it, crossing her arms atop her knees as she launched into a recount of the events leading up to their arrival, the boys wincing and listening.

"The Vongola Headquarters, fell two days ago and was destroyed."

The two Vongola lapsed into silence. A heavy weight in the air as the fact settled on their minds like a thick layer of dust.

"I knew it! She's talking bullshit! How could the Vongola be destroyed?!" Gokudera roared, and Tsuna wasn't sure if he was in denial or not.

Something told Tsuna that, despite how he knew the Vongola was something that was undoubtedly powerful, near unshakable, the woman before them was not lying about its fall. The Vongola Mafia was gone, in this time.

And it was _terrifying_.

The Heir listened through a kind of buffer as Lal Mirch continued to spew information, Gokudera responding as per his character, Tsuna clouded to it all, still reeling.

The Mafia woman paused mid-sentence, the widening of her eyes making the two Vongola stiffen. She flew to her feet and stomped out the fire they had built, cloak coming to be wrapped around her shoulders as the Storm hissed for an explanation.

"Enemies!" Lal Mirch shouted, getting them on their feet. "If they find us it'll be bad!"

Tsuna inhaled sharply as he and Gokudera scrambled to redress, their clothes still damp, but running in their underwear wasn't high in their to-do list. The Sky had barely managed to wrestle his head through his shirt by the time his Storm had grabbed him by the wrist and they ran after the Mafia woman, ducking into obscurity upon her instruction, breath held in fear.

The metallic whirring, and the heavy, banging footsteps that shook the Vongola Heir's nerves were all the warning they got before the hulking form of a Gola Mosca stepped out of the treeline, a huff of steam escaping it.

"That's a second generation Gola-shell." Lal Mirch explained quietly, her visor on. "Strau Mosca."

Tsuna muffled his yelp into his hands as the head whipped around, skin prickling as he stared wide eyed.

"The Strau won't find us." Their guiding woman explained. "It's internal sensor is looking for the Ring's power. The Mammon Chains will hide us."

It took a step forwards. Tsuna's stomach sank.

Then it began storming over, locked onto their location with severe intensity.

"Shit! It's coming!" Gokudera swore, stepping back.

"That's impossible! You guys don't have any Rings other than the Vongola ones, right?" She snapped, making the boys flinch.

"No, you've seen everything I have!" The Storm denied.

"Yea- Ah!" Tsuna uttered, pulling a Ring from his pocket. "The Ring Lacia-san gave me!"

"Gah! Why didn't you say anything!?" She hissed, before whipping around and tensing to engage. "Fuck! Even with three people, we'll be annihilated!"

"Huh? Pretty lame." Gokudera huffed, though the Sky could see how he sweated. "Guess your pride in the Ring's power was pretty useless."

"Fighting isn't just about power!" Lal Mirch roared, her patience just about depleted with her wards and their resulting situation. "There has to be affinity!"

Tsuna watched as the woman grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes, and arm coming up to aim the firearm attached.

"That being said, we're still going to make it to the base." She declared.

There was a slash, then the sound of metal snapping, and the Mosca rattled to a halt.

They paused their mayhem and waited in tense silence, unsure of what had just unfolded, before a deep voice came from behind the figure.

 _"Attaco di Squalo."_ It said, with a deadly confidence. "I bet I can get a point off of this guy!"

Eyes widened as a familiar being stepped out from around the Mosca, grin as bright and blinding as always, though a scar threatened to split the lower lip. Yamamoto Takeshi laughed at their baffled expressions, his sword over his shoulder as he greeted them with a simple sentence.

"The pinch hitter has arrived!"

 **|S.T|**

* * *

 _"Daiki-chan! Tell me, do you think I'll ever get a girlfriend? I mean, I haven't tried to, but none of me have ever been in a relationship! I'm a virgin in every realm!"_

I heaved and huffed as the last of my coloured flesh slapped onto the ground, flicked off a blade in a casual manner. The feathers of my phoenix splatted in a bloody mess across the concrete, my arm singing its hatred as the warm sting bloomed everywhere.

That voice. That God damned voice.

If he had planned this, it had worked too fucking well. In the days, or weeks, or hours I had been chained down here, choking on my own blood and bile, Byakuran's voice had been a hovering constant, a side dish to the blinding pain. And now, I had come to affiliate it with the unbearable burn of infection and blades.

His voice made me anxious and his words made my head spin. Whenever he spoke, something else would crawl out of the shadows to slather me with wounds upon the old.

The head of the phoenix splattered at my feet, and all I could think about was how miffed Takeshi was going to be when he found out my tattoo that he so loved was gone.

 _"Ugh, lost cause, I swear. I'll never get married, have kids- but then again, women are loud and annoying. Well, men are too. People in general are just annoying. Anyway, off track again, haha!"_ Byakuran giggled, the rustle of a bag - full of marshmallows, no doubt - coming through as he redirected himself. _"Gimme the deets of what's gonna go down! There's gossip and I want in!"_

I took deep, steadying breaths as he stuffed his mouth like he was taking a shot at the chubby bunny, nausea rocking my head and making me sick. But I held out, and lent back, despite how my muscles begged it to stop.

 _"Plihh? I ahket ngihcy!"_

Opening my eyes slowly, I sighed before parting my lips, cracked and bloodied.

"Byakuran-san," I started, getting a ' _whirr_ ' of focus from the camera. "Don't talk with your mouth full. It's fucking _disgusting_."

There was silence.

The people in medical scrubs didn't move. They remained still, watching me, the camera and the computer. Quietly waiting.

 _"...It seems you are not willing to cooperate."_ Byakuran spoke finally, clear and crisp, no longer playful. _"You will not be needing to talk from now on then."_

The computer binged, and a man raced over, tapping away at the keyboard with bloodied, gloved hands, eyes pinching into a crescent as he nodded erratically.

"Yes, Byakuran-sama. Understood, Byakuran-sama."

He whipped around and grabbed a pair of scissors off the table, surprisingly clean, before grabbing my jaw and prying it open. Hands came and helped him, holding me still as I tried to thrash, jaws locked open and allowing fingers to squirm in and pinch my tongue.

"Our orders are," He smiled, voice high and giggly. "Cut out her tongue!"

 _"If you've not nothing nice to say, Daiki-chan, don't say nothing at all~!"_

The shrill fear that coiled in my stomach and clouded my mind. The heavy ' _shink_ ' of blades. The piercing pain. And then the red that dribbled out like water.

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Yep, this was definitely Yamamoto Takeshi.

Tsuna smiled at the ease that the man brought to his state, feeling the familiar presence of his friend soothe his state.

"Oh yeah! You've been awesome these past ten years, Tsuna-kun!" He grinned, before looking over his shoulder at the brooding Storm. "You too, Gokudera-kun."

Gokudera scowled, and shrugged it off.

"Hey, why aren't we running? Surely we won't make it to the base before morning at this rate!" Lal Mirch asked, making the Rain blink, before snorting.

"Ah, right! I forgot to tell you, the location you got told was a lie! Haha!"

The woman narrowed her eyes.

"Ah, my bad?" He chuckled, taking a wide arch around her. "We're almost there!"

"Keep up and don't lose sight of me!" He called, reaching into his jacket and pulling forth a box.

Tsuna blinked, and glanced at Lal Mirch, remembering her own box.

The Rain clicked in his ring, and the box burst open, an ave spitting itself into the air and swooping circles around its summoner. He huffed as a squall suddenly hit the group, torrential downpour heavy enough to make the Sky bow over to protect himself.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! I can't see a thing!"

"Come on!"

Tsuna cracked open his eyes, before stilling when he saw a passageway that he was sure did not exist before.

"We're going down." Yamamoto hummed.

…

Reborn was alive! Still an abusive, tiny, hell baby - but an alive one!

Tsuna honestly thought he should be more disappointed with this outcome, but found himself smiling anyway as he rubbed the back of his skull.

"How all this happened, us coming to ten years ahead, I don't know." Reborn admitted, still in his weird get-up

There was a ripple from the two young Guardians, a stress rising when they heard that the usually so in-loop Arcobaleno was drawing blanks here.

"Well," He sighed, somehow unaffected by his lack of knowledge. "Let's just be happy were weren't dropped in some strange place."

Tsuna perked at that, a question that had been tapping at his mind for a while finally able to surface with a segway.

"Where are we exactly?"

"You don't know?" Reborn hummed, before turning to the sizable flat screen that was mounted above a cold fireplace. "Can we see on the monitor please."

Tsuna and his Storm came closer to the device as a display of dark video feeds flashed across the screen, each frame panning for a moment before swapping night-veiled locations. When the Heir voiced his inability, the TYL Rain laughed.

"You really should recognise this place."

Then the screen swapped to show a low angled view of the familiar Namimori Middle School gates, and the two time-travellers blanched loudly, jaws dropping in shock.

"We're in Namimori?!"

"Japan!?" Gokudera blurted, obviously expecting the Vongola to have been somewhere in Europe at the very least.

"That's right," Reborn nodded, hands coming behind his back. "And since we can't get to the past, the issues here, become your problem."

"Our problem!?"

"Currently, every base of the Vongola's closest associates have been attacked simultaneously, all over the world." Yamamoto began, drawing the room's attention. "Of course, it's going on here too. The Vongola Hunt has made it even this far."

"Vongola...Hunt?"

"You must have seen it," Reborn huffed. "The coffin with the Vongola crest?"

Tsuna gave a shout as the Storm struck the Rain across his face, head snapping to the side upon the blunt impact of heavy knuckles, no resistance coming from the man.

"What were you _doing!?"_ Gokudera roared, "Why is the Tenth like _that!?"_

Yamamoto remained docile, even as the split in his lips beaded with new blood.

"I'm sorry." He uttered, face twisted in a mixture of fatigue and guilt.

"' _Sorry_ ' won't cut it, assho-!"

"You were here too, Gokudera-san, so stop it." The Arcobaleno butted, making the Italian's jaw grit and clench, a hissed, stuttered curse slipping out as he hung his head.

Tsuna could only listen and feel his stomach fill to the brim with a heavy dread, the stoney faced Rain hashing out the bloodied details of the situation without missing a beat, showing just how much the man had changed over the years, despite what the Sky had thought. Breaths hitched as the man declared the Millefiore desire for the extinction of all Vongola, hands shaking as they were forced into fists.

"Then, there's only one thing left to do." Reborn sighed, turning on the Sky with an unusual gleam in his eye. "You must assemble the six scattered Guardians."

"What!?" He shouted, thinking of the disaster that would occur should he even attempt to collect the patchwork 'Family' he had created.

"All the previous Bosses have done this. When crisis hits the Family, the Sky must gather all six of his Guardians in order to triumph over the predicament."

"But even if all seven of us are here, what could we-"

"You seven are the only people who can fight against them."

"What are you trying to say?" Tsuna breathed, his spine shaking with tension as he gnawed at his inner cheek. "On top of that, you said our acquaintances would also become targets! Does that mean kaa-san and everyone else are mixed up in it?!"

"The Millefiore's killings are constantly expanding, I'm afraid the girls may also have been..." Yamamoto trailed off, souring his expression.

"What do we do!?"

"We're planning a counter attack." Reborn stated.

"When I went to Lal Mirch-san, I-pin-chan and Bo-kun were looking for Kyoko-chan and Haru-chan." Yamamoto offered. "Now we're waiting for them to report."

"Mama went with Iemitsu-san to Italy for a holiday five days ago, but we've lost contact since." Reborn uttered, referring to the Sawada matron.

Tsuna paled as his eyes widened, a cold blooming forth from the back of his mind.

"Bianchi-san and Fuuta-kun are gathering intelligence. Our other allies, however..." The Rain breathed, face a careful passive. "Longchamp and his Family, Mochida-san as well, have been missing for days. Most of the allies and friends we've made over the years have been eliminated."

A ripple went through the room. Reborn stepped forwards, knowing Yamamoto wouldn't continue.

"Including Yamamoto-san's spouse."

Gears ground to a halt. Eyes slowly widened. Breaths stopped.

Tsuna slowly turned his gaze from the hitman to his friend, taking in the tired shade of his eyes the pained clench of his jaw and the hazy, glazed state of his eyes. The swordsman reached up and touched at his neck, drawing eyes to a fang necklace, a sharp canine tooth wrapped in cord hanging free. The Sky didn't know why, but when he saw it, a flash of that white pup appeared in his mind.

Gokudera was only able to breathe an airy curse of shock, neither of them able to fully register that-

"Yamaguchi Daiki was shot, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn uttered, glancing up at the quiet Rain. "He was shot by a bullet meant for _you_."

 **|S.T|**

* * *

 **|SIDEKICK COMMENTARY|**

Okay there hasn't been one a long time, but I think some of you need an edge of the suspense. I for one am very edged with the suspense. So let's share a line of thought I had while reading this and wrote into the chat:

 _"i thought when daiki said "ewgh chew ur food" byak would be like *chewing noise intensifies*_

 _instead he just re-routed it to the angstiest route_

 _amateur_

 _smh"_

Lenori, being the awesome but a teensy-bit insecure about her baby plot (the only reason she needs a beta like me let's all be honest here) went all like: I can change this but then Daiki wouldn't not talk.

And that would be a travesty. (The Byakuran being an amateur at annoying and the plot not plotting parts, I mean.) SO, I pulled out the big guns and messaged ariesweka on Tumblr, my newest friend in all things Lenori.

 _"spoiler warning: byakuran is an amateur in annoying ppl"_ and then went back to the chat all being:

 _"Me: i think i get along well with ariesweka_  
 _also i spoiled someone pls don't let me be a liar_

 _Lenori: Mm_

 _Me: thank you"_

So yeah, please appreciate Byakuran not being very good at annoying people. I had to socialize and actually managed to befriend a friend of a friend. I had an amazing script that worked and was alive for the metaphorical punchline. It wasn't alive for long, but it managed to get me a friendy friend. (w0)b


	37. Chapter 37

**New Summary!**

 **Thanks to the lovely lil'** _ **PlunnyBreeder**_ **, we have a new summary for The Baker's Daughter! She and** _ **Hyakuma **_**got together and made the new summary you see before ya (if you're using your laptop view).**

 **So, thank you to them!**

 **In Memory Of The Old Summary**

 **Hm, how to do this? How do I explain the absolute bull-honkey that is my life at the moment? I had no real plan to begin with, I admit, but I assure you that I DID NOT MEAN TO FUDGE IT UP THIS BAD! I'm just the local baker's daughter!...If you ignore the reincarnation part... SI/OC**

* * *

 **Word Count:** **6,550**

* * *

 **|S.T|**

"Yamaguchi Daiki was shot, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn uttered, glancing up at the quiet Rain. "He was shot by a bullet meant for _you_."

…

Tsuna grit his teeth as he curled up on his side, the thin sheets of the Vongola bunker only barely keeping out the chill as he shuddered against the guilt.

Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi was dead. Because of his dumb future self!

He heaved a breath and glared down at the Ring in his hand, having known all along that only pain followed the bloody item. God damn it! The Sky slowly let out a breath, bone tired and heavy, but the stirring in his stomach refused him rest, eyes glancing around the dark room, the fluorescent lights having shut off for the night in the bunkers.

Gokudera was beneath him in the lower bunk, deadly quiet, but Tsuna knew that he was far from sleep as well. That didn't stop him, however, from dismounting his bed and landing softly on the ground, knowing that his Storm wouldn't follow him tonight.

The Vongola thinned his lips as he padded down the metal, half-baked hall, pieces still in disarray from the hasty construction. The future Rain was in a separate dorm to them, having excused himself from their company soon after the grim revelation, obviously put out by the mention of his husband's death.

"God," Tsuna breathed, putting his head in his hands. "His _husband._ His husband is dead."

There was a flicker, and then a border of light flooded from around a doorframe, the metallic thing sliding aside automatically as the Rain stuck his head out, cheeky grin on his face.

"I thought I heard you!" He laughed, singlet hanging off his frame as his night clothes. "What can I help you with?"

Tsuna paused, slowly buffering the situation through his head before cracking a weak smile.

"U-uh...I was wondering if you were...were okay." He managed out, holding a wince as the man's eyes dimmed less than a hue. "It's just that...well...And I also wanted- wanted to know the situation about, um, Yamaguchi-san. If that's not too much."

This made Yamamoto's face fall completely, his expression stilling into one of stone and steel, before he remedied it quickly with a fragile, worn smile.

"Mm, sure, come on in." He sighed, stepping out of the way.

The Sky nodded slowly before ducking into the room, feeling eyes on his back. He glanced around, before going to sit on a little box, sincerely hoping it wouldn't cave in, watching the Rain stride over to his bed, messied, like the person within had been tossing and turning.

"So, what did you want to know exactly?" Yamamoto asked, voice surprisingly soft.

"Firstly, how are you?" Tsuna asked, before glancing down the Rain's knuckles.

The swordsman followed his gaze, before giving sheepish, huffed laughter, wringing his hands slightly.

"Yeah," He coughed, covering the raw, scabbing state of the skin. "I never really got over that habit."

Tsuna swallowed slowly, before cracking the corner of his lip, attempting to inject humour into the situation.

"What- What did Yamaguchi-san do when he saw you doing that to yourself?"

Yamamoto paused at that, turning mocha eyes on the Sky, a flash of something unclear going through them.

"He..." The Rain started, as if tasting the sound. "He would scold me, and kiss my hands. He'd tell me that it scared him to see me do that to myself. I never want Daiki-kun-" There was stress in the suffix. "To be scared. I promised I'd chase away the scary things."

Tsuna blinked. That was a lot of words - but then again, Yamamoto was always a talker.

"How long ago did he get-" He cut himself off wondering if he was going in too bluntly.

"Shot?" Yamamoto finished, like a volley drop.

"Yeah."

"About...About five weeks ago? I don't know, really," He sighed, an attempt at a chuckle coming out. "It's all been kinda blurry."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Tsuna made a noise of distress in the back of his throat, quiet and minute as he tried to figure out a way to continue the conversation, before looking to the tooth necklace that hung from the Rain's neck, swaying in suspension as the man leant on his knees.

"That necklace, where'd you get it?" He asked.

Yamamoto touched at the tooth, the canine threatening to puncture his thumb as he squeezed it in memory.

"It was Daiki-kun's. Mephistopheles, his dog, was caught up in a raid trying to protect Bo-kun. He was shot, just like his master." The older answered slowly, "Daiki-kun was absolutely gone when that happened, he was probably more distraught about Miphy dying than Kaede-san."

"Yamaguchi-san's mother's dead too!?"

"Yeah, he...Daiki-kun chose between saving my father and his mother." Yamamoto breathed, the faintest quiver of a smile coming to his lips as he continued to thumb at the tooth. "He was always so...Dumb like that. _Wonderfully, lovingly_ dumb."

A laugh came out after a moment, the Rain leaning back as he fiddled with the calcium.

"There was a day, where Miphy must have been hit by the Bazooka in your time, and he showed up in the middle of a CEDEF meeting. Daiki-kun was there as a third party witness, and 'poof!' puppy in the room. I don't- I could nearly never replicate the sheer _happiness_ that had showed on his face when he has realised just what had landed on his chest. I don't think, in that whole 5 minutes, he let go of Miphy once."

Tsuna listened quietly, hearing the happy, melancholy sadness dripping from the man's words, eyes growing a dangerous warm as he watched his friend wither with old-happy. There was a definite, loud sniff from the Rain, before he pushed himself back forwards, shaking his head.

"You two were married. Reborn-san wouldn't' have called him your spouse, if you weren't."

"Yeah. Yeah, we were. For four years. Only four years."

Only.

"Funny thing was, Daiki-kun said once, when I refused to get out of bed, that we had all the time in the world. God, I wish I had just woken up, even if it were just spent spending the whole day with him in bed, just as long as I was awake enough to _remember it_ \- just-"

A hand came and clutched the breast of his singlet, scabs cracking with the strain.

"God, I don't think you get it, Tsuna-san. Daiki-kun takes up so much of my heart it's like there's barely any room for blood!" Tanned shoulders shuddered. "But- but now he's _gone_ and it's _rotting_."

"Yamamoto-kun!" Tsuna yelped, grabbing the man's wrist as teeth ground against raw knuckles. "No! Bad things!"

Bad things?! Was he really in such a panic that he couldn't even form a proper sentence!?

Despite how his ears burnt, it seemed to work something on the Rain, as a laugh of amusement left him, loud and clear, though the pale red lines of blood droplets that slunk between his teeth were off putting when seen so close.

"Haha! You know, Tsuna-san, you shouldn't feel so guilty." He giggled, making Tsuna pause. "I think that Daiki-kun knew what was coming. Somehow."

"Huh?" The Sky blinked. "How could he do that?"

Yamamoto smiled.

"In that weird, Daiki-kun way of his."

 **|S.T|**

* * *

 **|G.H|**

Everything really has gone to hell.

Gokudera groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose, the headache he had been battling still throbbing strong in his cranium, even as they walked through the area of warehouses, on their way to find that 'Hibird'.

People were dead. People were missing. The Vongola were driven underground. The future Boss had dictated that the Rings be destroyed. And now, here they were, scrambling in the undergrowth and shadows, just trying to scrape together a tangible defence.

He sighed and rubbed his face, before smiling as Tsuna glanced over his shoulder.

"You okay, Gokudera-kun?" The Sky asked, getting a glance from the adult Rain.

A widower.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Tenth." He laughed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm just a bit weirded out."

"Hm, same." The younger agreed, slowing his stride until they were side by side.

Gokudera blinked at that, before hiding his smile in his chest, calming at the sense of his Sky beside him. Yamamoto seemed to find this funny, his shoulders jumping with quiet laughter.

"No need to stress, Gokudera-kun!" The Rain cheered, holding his hand in a displaying fist. "I'll train you both like an intensive baseball camp!"

Just as those words were spoken, an almighty ' _boom!'_ rattled the very foundations of the warehouses, the sky going red with fire and smoke as familiar shouts came through and Yamamoto brought his hand to his sword.

" _This way!"_

" _Hurry!"_

"Ah! Those voices are-" Tsuna began, but they all already were on the same understanding, having moved onto the figures with I-pin and Lambo.

" _Kyoko-nee, Haru-nee, leave this to us!"_

" _Run!"_

The Storm gaped as the forms of the TYL I-pin and Lambo took up small spaces in the cloud of smoke, standing out with their clothes as they guided another through the haze. Before a clear image of the girl could be comprehended, a mass of cement tubing crashed to the ground with an ear-bashing crash, making the Sky give a shout of surprise and direct attention to the previously unseen figures treading air above them.

"What the-" Gokudera began, only to be cut off as the Rain surge forwards with a kind of feral viciousness.

"Millefiore Black Spell!" Yamamoto hissed, spitting out the name like it was acidic to his pallet.

Two men, donned in silver and black, and standing upon exhausts of Storm, loomed in the near horizon, weapons of flaming scythes balanced in their hands. They seemed to add a pressure of tension to the atmosphere, and Gokudera could feel his Flames rise in preparation.

The widowed Rain snarled angrily, before shaking his head and reeling himself back in from whatever craze he had let himself slip into for less than a moment, gesturing to them with his hand over his shoulder.

"You guys, take off the Mammon Chains! Unseal the Rings!"

There was less than a second for both sides to hash out orders before the youngest of the Black Spell Storms dived with a kamikaze confidence, red lit scythe already crashing down by the time he had reached shoulder height. The clash of metal rung out, splitting ear as Yamamoto's sword stood the abuse without so much as a flinch, before sending the youth soaring backwards to a safe stance.

"You know this guy, aniki?" He called out, summoning the attention to the one who dawdled by the rooves nonchalantly.

"He might be on the hit list." Was the thoughtless response, the large man not at all invested in the scene. "How should I remember all the people I've got to kill?"

"True! Just to be safe then!" The young sneered with glee, raising his scythe and landing metallic blows again and again.

Gokudera called his Boss back a couple steps and the Rain responded in kind to his attacker, falling into what the Storm believed to be his 8th offensive, moving around in a manner that made him nigh untouchable. The swordsman clicked his tongue as the Black spell retreated with a wet scream of pain, his shirt blooming red as Yamamoto flicked his sword aside with an arced splash of crimson.

"Too shallow."

"Nasaru, get back!" The one who floating above snapped, Italian requiring no suffix.

"Gah!" The youth cried out, clutching at his chest as he seemed to stumble mid-air.

Shallow?!

Gokudera looked at his old classmate with a mixture of wonder and caution. Yamamoto wasn't pulling _any_ punches here.

At some point, an older version of Haru had joined the Boss' side, but the Storm was too thoroughly distracted to completely notice, registering it in passing as his body bristled in begrudging respect and instinct, his fingers checking the condition of bombs and wicks. The young woman giggled, though her voice was tense, like she was trying to lighten the ash-laced mood.

Yamamoto stood with his back to them, hands bringing forth another one of those boxes, which easily neutralised an attack from the other, before turning to them with a fractured smile.

"You guys remember these, yeah? The Rings give them power." He spoke with a kind of misplace ease, vocals contrasting abruptly with his body language.

Despite how his entirety sang to get the hell out of the Rain's sphere of influence, the Storm took in what he was saying, the enemy stunned and momentarily regrouping to debate the situation. Gokudera thinned his lips and grabbed out his own box, looking between his Ring and the item critically. With a few more words of explanation, he plugged the Ring in place, a gruff surge of pride coming as he heard the click.

Tsuna gave a sound of surprise as no more action came, a hum of annoyance leaving the Storm as he blinked at the inactive device.

"Haha," The Rain snickered good naturedly, "There isn't just blood and oxygen running through the human body, there are other things. Things you can't see with the naked eye."

Gokudera blinked as he listened, before uttering a noise of recognition and blurting his realisation.

"Imagine resolution as fire! Like that fucking giant, Yamaguchi-san, does!"

Mocha eyes flashed, before a reminiscent smile touched Yamamoto's lips.

"Yeah, like Daiki-kun did..."

Both the Sky and Storm cringed a bit at the past tense, but had no time to interject as a swallow burst forth from yet another of the Rain's boxes and slashed past the youth, Nosaru, making the Millefiore agents shout and hiss.

"Ugh, this guy, he's the Vongola Rain Guardian!" Growled the older Millefiore man.

The Yamamoto man smirked something sharp and ordered the Sky after the missing Kyoko, before withdrawing two more boxes, blue in colour and theme.

"This will decide it." He stated, before tossing them into the air-

 _Poof!_

 **|G.H|**

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

 _To: Shujin-kun  
Daiki? Please answer!_

 _To: Shujin-kun  
I'm scared, please, Daiki._

 _To: Shujin-kun  
Miphy won't stop growling at people, he bit Gokudera cause he tried to grab Lambo._

 _To: Shujin-kun  
I love you._

 _To: Shujin-kun  
I love you so much._

 _To: Shujin-kun  
Good morning, shujin-kun!_

 _To: Shujin-kun_

 _Baseball's got pretty hard now, the guys are getting better at pitching. Nowhere near as good as you though!_

 _To: Shujin-kun  
Gah, so much homework! I need you to help meeee!_

 _To: Shujin-kun  
Daiki~! You wanna go out soon? There's a movie I wanna watch!_

 _To: Shujin-kun  
Please come home._

 _To: Shujin-kun  
It's hurting._

…

Yamamoto Takeshi weighed the baseball bat in his hand absently as he sat on the bench, the sound of metallic collisions bouncing off his ears numbly. His face was flat and void with thought, mind long gone from the field, phone silent beside him.

" _Batter out!"_

"Hey, Yamamoto-san, you're up!" The coach hollered, making his head snap up.

"U-uh," The Rain started, stowing his device in his bag and donning his helmet. "Coming!"

The Vongola Guardian trotted over to the stand and positioned himself, bat raised as he waited with spry tension. As he gazed on, the ball being retrieved, his thoughts made his eyes glaze over.

Lambo wasn't feeling well today, he ate too much ice cream last night and had puked it all up at the early hours of the morning. It had woken him up from his restless sleep, and he had dashed to the bathroom to help the tearing toddler, holding his de facto son and rubbing his trembling back. The reason he had let the little Lightning consume so much of the sugary treat was to distract him, the boy had asked for Daiki for almost the entire afternoon, and only seemed to fall quiet when he had something in his mouth - and even then, it was usually a loud, mouth sound filled silence.

The result had left Takeshi tenderly rubbing Lambo's stomach as they laid out on his bed, the young boy wanting to stay close to 'daddy', Mephisto curled at their feet.

It still made his heart swell, a kind of paternal seed within him springing up whenever Lambo accepted his affections or referred to him as a father.

It had made Tsuyoshi choke on his drink when he got the label of 'oji-san!', and a stern talking to was drilled into the Rain's ears afterwards.

He loved it nonetheless, and he knew his father was coming around too - though, he seemed to have a little less patience of Lambo's... _quirks_ than either Takeshi or Daiki possessed. Then again, no one could control Lambo like Daiki did, he was a real Papa's Boy, their little Bo-kun.

" _Strike one!"_

" _Oi, wake up! Where's your head!?"_

Takeshi blinked and made a noise of surprise as he whipped around, the ball snugly fit into the mitt of the catcher.

"Haha, sorry, sorry!" The Rain laughed sheepishly, letting plastic humour slip out from between his teeth.

"Pay attention!"

"Yes, yes!"

Turning back around, the batsman tightened his stance before letting the ball crack against the metal of his equipment, sending it flying before he bolted, slamming the first and second bases with his feet before screeching to a halt at the third base, dirt spraying as he grinned up at the baseman who bemoaned the late catch.

"Safe!"

"I'll get you one day, Yamamoto-san." He grumbled, throwing the ball back to the pitcher.

As the players assembled, Takeshi shifted on his feet, making sure to keep one stationed on the white pad even as his mind drifted, eyes anchored to the batter as images of Daiki and Lambo scanted around his vision.

Daiki always held their little Lightning in a manner that he couldn't quite emulate, and he could tell that it was perturbing the young boy after so long. Daiki could sing and coo in rich, smooth basses that would make their hairs stand on end pleasantly and calm them like some sort of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response that could only be sourced from the father and husband's voice.

God, how the Rain worried. How he paced around his room, patting the infant's back as he sang in a croaky tone, glancing out his window, in hopes that eyes of amber-earth would peep up over the edge and shine with giggles.

He wanted Daiki back. He wanted his husband safe. He wanted his love hom-

" _Move! Move!"_

Takeshi yelped as he was shoved from the base and sent toppling, feet automatically finding the ground and leaving him to sprint for the home plate, another batter hot on his heels as the ball was passed from hands to hands. Their feet bashed the home plate just as the white blur whizzed past their heads, making the batter behind the Rain yelp in fear.

"Yamamoto-san!" Roared the coach, bulky form coming up to impose height. "Pull your head in! We can't risk you being so out of it when we have a game coming up!"

The boy thinned his lips, feeling how dry they were.

"I get that you've got a situation going on, but _priorities!_ "

Priorities?

"I'd hate to bench you, but if you can't straighten up and get in gear then-"

Priorities…

"Are you even listening to me?!"

Takeshi's priorities.

"Yamamoto-san!"

"Daiki-kun's gone missing," He began suddenly, making the team cease and quieten. "Bo-kun is sick at home. The others didn't show up to school today. The situation I've got _is_ my priority."

He carefully took off the blue helmet, scratched up but polished lovingly, tucking it under his arm as he nodded his head at the teacher.

"I'll go home early today, coach. Good luck with the rest of practice."

Then he packed up his stuff and booked it home.

Takeshi pushed the door open and was immediately greeted by his little Lambo stumbling up to him, Mary tucked into his pit, arms out for a hug which he gladly dished out as he toed off his shoes. Setting the child on his hip, he kissed the hot forehead with a soft 'hello' before calling out for his father, who stuck his head in from the restaurant extension.

"Eh? You're home early. Did practice get cut short?" Tsuyoshi asked, rubbing his wet hands with a dish towel.

"No, I left halfway through." Takeshi admitted, rubbing Lambo's back as the Lightning cuddled into his chest.

His father blinked.

"Okay, then."

He knew when not to say anything.

There was a resounding bark, before the fluffy blur of white bounded down the hall, Mephistopheles jumping onto his hind legs and balancing against the swordsman's legs as he panted in greeting. The little hitman blinked and lazily reached for the pup, onesie covered hand curling in a grabby motion and Takeshi used his own hand to fill it up, drawing the child back to his chest as the dog dropped and sat with patient tension.

"Lambo-kun's getting better, but I don't think he's going to want to eat much of a dinner tonight. Might be better just to give him a bit of soup and send him to bed." The Yamamoto father recommended, tossing a hand in the boy's direction.

"Papa gives me chicken soup. Lambo-san likes chicken soup." The little Guardian murmured huffily, quieting a little as his cheek was kissed before pressing his nose into the red bonnet of the doll.

"Mhm, chicken soup it is then." The Rain nodded, hiking up his bags. "I'll keep an eye on him until dinner."

The old chef made a gruff noise of understanding before disappearing back into the shop.

Takeshi smiled down at his little Lambo before entering his room, the high pitched tapping of Mephisto following them across the wooden floorboards. The random junk from the Lightning's hammerspace littered the floor alongside his own collection in a rather domestic mess, an empty, circle of a space having been formed beside the door. Mephistopheles' station.

The Rain hummed a rough tune as he dropped his bags and lowered the boy onto the mattress, kicking the emptied bucket beside his bed closer to the frame, before he climbed on and brought Lambo to his chest, rubbing the child's stomach in a soothing motion. The highlander stood in his station for a moment, sniffing the shut door frame nervously, before, hesitantly, he walked over to the bed, leaping up and fitting himself next to the long legs of the athlete.

"Daddy, when's Papa coming back?" His little son grumbled quietly, grabbing the chain that held his rings during baseball practice, Mary safely propped up on the side table, overlooking the interaction.

The Rain paused his petting, and pressed a tense, apologetic kiss to the boy's brow.

"Soon, Bo-kun. Papa will come home soon, just be patient." He shushed, nosing at his crown.

"I miss him."

Takeshi hugged him tighter, feeling how the Lightning's stomach gurgled unsettlingly.

"I miss him too."

Lambo rolled over, before rearing up and pecking him on the cheek, making the Rain blink in surprise. His eyes watered, before he curled around the child, feeling that fire within him step to the Lightning and keep it company.

…

Shrieks of laughter peeled from the Rain's vocals as Daiki fit himself between his legs, keeping them at a restless bay as his hands scanted across the other's stomach and sides, making sun-kissed skin vibrate with hysterical reaction. Takeshi howled in glee as he beat at his shoulders, grabbing at wrists and trying to bind them away, but his defences were weak with laughter, allowing the older to break through easily and descend upon him.

Warm lips pressed against his, firm yet soft, and he wrapped his arms around the grand body of his beloved, feeling a hand cup his jaw as he closed his eyes to enjoy the touch. He crossed his legs over the Sun's thighs, curling around him fully until he could feel every shift of muscle, crooning happily as Daiki allowed it without complaint, cuddling in closer as their mouths moved in a slow, peaceful manner.

Then he was alone.

Takeshi sat up in confusion as the room no longer even resembled that little bedroom in the Yamaguchi house. Though the basic shape was the same, furniture was different and in unnatural orders. The childhood remnants of frog stickers and random piling up of books were gone, and instead a distasteful population of model and toy aeroplanes coloured the space.

Something within him grew tense and fearful, and he shot to his feet and ran to the under stocked desk, grabbing unfamiliar work books and flipping them open with grit teeth. The English handwriting was changed, instead of looping, flowing, natural cursive, there instead stood shaky, printed characters, a beginner's imitation of the Western language.

This wasn't right. No, no, no.

He tossed that book aside with insistence and grabbed at another, reading the swallowed answers and half-hearted notes that would get them no further than perhaps just scraping past. These weren't Daiki's notes.

" _W-What the hell!?"_

Takeshi snapped around and stared at the teen filling the bedroom doorway. He was short and thin, still clad in his pyjamas and carrying a box of something bought online as he took up the frame that the Rain was so used to seeing the Sun lean up against.

"Who are- You're that Yamamoto-san from school! Why're you in my room!?" He blurted, taking a step back just as the swordsman rose.

"Your room?" Takeshi uttered, looking down at the book in his hand, before dropping it, as if it had suddenly grown a fungus.

"U-uh, Yamamo-"

"Where's Daiki-kun?" He snipped quickly, feeling a tension rise through his spine.

"Huh?" The boy blinked, not registering fast enough for the Rain's liking.

"Yamaguchi Daiki, where is he? This is where he lives!"

"Wha- No, this- this is my room?"

The Rain bared his teeth in frustration and grabbed the rambling boy by his collar, heaving him off the floor as the box clattered on the wooden panels.

"Where is Yamaguchi Daiki?! This is the Yamaguchi bakery, he has to be here!"

"No it isn't!" The boy cried, short legs kicking in free air. "This my mum's nail salon!"

" _I've never heard of a Yamaguchi Daiki!"_

…

Takeshi lurched awake with a gasp that turned into coughing, throat stinging with the sudden inhalation of saliva. His heaving subsided after a few moments, hand on his chest as he levelled out his breath and sighed.

"Daiki-kun...Shujin-kun." He murmured, before looking up as Mephisto nipped his jaw. "Hey, boy."

The pup whined softly and nosed around his face, worry obvious in the little canine as the Rain curled his arms around him in a comforting hug.

"Your master is so high maintenance." Takeshi huffed, lifting his jaw for the dog to tuck his head under. "I hope he's safe."

Mephisto let out a keen and shuffled as they laid down again, his tail still.

…

"Takeshi-kun, go run to the store for me, we need more vegetables."

"Eh?" The swordsman whined, lifting his head from the pillow, Lambo completely dead to the world in the crook of his arm.

"It's just a quick thing, don't complain." Tsuyoshi huffed, before leaving the door open as he walked away, making the Yamamoto son groan.

Takeshi looked down at the soundly sleeping Lightning for a moment, watching how a little chest rose and fell, how a little, reddened nose twitched. He smiled and leant forwards, pressing a warm kiss to the child's crown.

"Papa and I love you, Bo-kun." He whispered, grabbing a tissue from his side table and wiping the drool from the child's mouth. "We love you will all our hearts."

Mephisto lifted his head as the Rain began organising himself, and growled softly when he reached for the door handle, as the pup had taken to since Daiki's disappearance.

The swordsman hushed him quickly, before sighing and waving as he walked out. A quick change of clothes had left him in a parody of refreshed as he took the shopping list from the kitchen table and stuffed his feet into his shoes.

"Don't take too long, I've got to start dinner."

"Yup, yup." Takeshi yawned, closing the door behind him as he stretched his arms up, letting his bones groan.

Reading over the list, the Rain grimaced at the mention of kale, his feet colliding softly with the pavement as he walked towards the town.

" _I'm sorry! I have to!"_

Takeshi blinked, before throwing his arms up to cover his face as a plume of smoke swallowed him with a bang. Vertigo over took him as weightlessness registered- then he was on his feet again, the lack of unsteadiness surprising.

"Baseball freak!" Gokudera shouted, making him spin around.

"Gokudera-kun!" He laughed, eyes roaming quickly over the other's body, checking for ailment, but finding none. "Where've you been?"

"Idiot! You have the worst timing!"

' _Woof!'_

The Rain spun around quickly as a flash of white darted between his legs, mocha immediately focusing in on the form of Mephisto as the pup bared his teeth at the sky scape.

"Miphy!"

 _Poof!_

"What the hell!?" Gokudera roared, making the Rain blink and follow his rage to the other cloud of fading smoke.

"Why is everyone back to their past selves!?"

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

 **|REBORN|**

Yamamoto was being unreasonable.

The hitman thinned his lips as the newly arrived members of the Vongola's Tenth Generation stood before him, the Rain Guardian cradling a sleeping Lightning to his chest as he bared his teeth at some unseen enemy.

"What do you mean? Daiki-kun is dead?!" He snapped, getting the girls to flinch as Kyoko bit her lip, eyes watering.

The Yamaguchi's dog snarled, standing fiercely between the group and the Arcobaleno.

"I said that the Yamaguchi Daiki of this time is dead. However, the one you are familiar with is unaccounted for."

The creature in his arms stirred a bit at those words, as if even in sleep, the Lightning could tell something was wrong. Yamamoto quickly calmed him little vocal clicks and cooes, rubbing his back in a practised motion that made Reborn sigh.

"Unaccounted for is better than dead, Yamamoto-san. It allows for hope."

The swordsman glanced away.

"I guess. Yeah."

Reborn narrowed his eyes for a moment. A Rain's job is to wash away the sin and tension of the Family. This Rain is being ineffective.

That Yamaguchi is trouble even when he's absent.

"Moving on," He said, breaking the room out of their thoughts. "Now that you're all caught up to the situation, we should go and check on Dame-Tsuna. He should be awake by now."

Kyoko and Haru both walked out of the room with little hesitance, perhaps hoping Tsuna had answers, perhaps hoping he could merely provide a distraction. Reborn turned his gaze onto the still standing boy, watching quietly as the Lightning Guardian stirred slowly.

"Papa?" The child asked, glancing around at the unfamiliar environment.

"No, Bo-kun, no Papa." Yamamoto sighed.

"I heard people talking about him."

"Mm, I know, we were. Papa's still not found yet. But we'll find him soon."

"Really? Are you sure he's not dead?"

Yamamoto stared. Before he slowly began shaking his head.

"He's not dead, Bo-kun. Don't say that about your father, please."

"Sorry, Daddy."

Reborn watched as they left, locking his eyes to the back of the Rain's head, rather than looking to the green gaze of the Bovino child who nearly _glared_ at him.

 **|REBORN|**

* * *

 **|S.K|**

Sasagawa Kyoko scrunched her nose.

"That's a weird way to cook curry."

"Gwah!" Haru exclaimed, shooting up from her corner of produce boxes. "Your way is weirder! Why would you cut the onions so roughly!?"

"They're going to be soft and melted anyway! What's the point?"

" _Presentation!"_ She wailed indignantly.

Kyoko snickered at the response she had gotten and hiked up a box of basic ingredients.

She was denying it. Denying all of it, and she knew that. She wasn't denying denying, but that's didn't mean she was going to accept. Not right now.

She had seen the state they were all in, Yamamoto, Tsuna, Haru, Gokudera. They were all under so much pressure, anything could break them at this point, anything could lead them into a place that they _really_ did not deserve or need to be in right now.

So she grit her teeth and smile, taking some of the pressure off of their shoulders.

Yamamoto would smile back, but she could see the thin lines of blood in his teeth and the shreds of his knuckles. Gokudera would scowl, but she could see how he touched at his pockets. Tsuna would try, but she could see how his shoulders bunched.

Daiki was missing. She couldn't see anything at all.

Lambo streaked past their room with a screech of joy, I-pin chasing him with texta on her face.

"Ah, to be young again." Haru sighed dramatically.

"Must have been so long ago for you, obaa-chan." Kyoko grinned, before dodging an onion.

 **|S.K|**

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

They were _meant_ to be _cooperating._

As much as the Yamamoto son loved to poke and provoke the bristling Storm, he so wished that Gokudera had the ability to pull his _fucking_ head in when the situation required it. But no, he let his temper and paranoia rule his mind and actions. It made the Rain grit his teeth, wishing he could just punch the logic into the boy's head, maybe hit him repeatedly with the blunt side of his sword, just as long as he finally understood that he was the _Right Hand Man._

The Rain thinned his lips as he listened to the other boy get beaten bloody and bruised by the flying, blonde pool player with a stick, the crackle of electricity snapping against his ears and making his hair stand on end with charge.

"I'm surprised you're being so passive, young Rain Guardian." Gamma hummed, giving the poor Storm a moment to pant, fingers spasming with residue currents. "Especially when the Black Spell's responsible for-"

"Hey! Didn't I say that _I_ was your opponent!" Gokudera roared, firing off another of his Storm Arrows, which the Lightning swerved around easily and responded to with another stroke of thunder.

Takeshi narrowed his eyes at the flying man, but tried not to let his mind dabble on the words that had been tossed at him, knowing they were just there to provoke him. His nose twitched minutely as the smell of burnt cloth and hair reached him along with the almighty boom of connection, a soft groan and the shaky hissing the only signs of life from the half-Italian.

He didn't listen as Gamma continued to ramble, but he understood the basic gist of the conversation, a skill from the classroom. Nonetheless, the grip on Kintoki Shigure tightened before he moved, already knowing that Gokudera wasn't going to be able to disengage from the course of those arcs.

"What are yo-"

Takeshi thinned his lips and crashed the bamboo of his sword across the Storm's shoulder, not denying the slight satisfaction he received from the blunt force connection, nor that he may have applied more strength than was completely necessary.

"I've decided to take a note out of Hibari-san's book," He sent a sharp look to the groaning teen. "And beat that rotten attitude out of you."

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

 **|GAMMA|**

 _These_ were who were to become the revered Vongola Tenth Generation? Gamma had to hold back an untimely guffaw.

These children could barely walk in time, let alone reach the feat of unison that they were so feared for. When Gamma had discovered that he had been met with two of the Guardians, the Rain and Storm no less, he had been ready to charge full voltage and blow them away before that had a chance to find each other.

But then they had stumbled and tripped over their own feet, lashing out at their comrade, even when faced with an immediate enemy.

Gamma had felt the sudden desire to rather promptly facepalm, perhaps if he did it loud enough, they'd shut up and take even a semblance of their future selves.

Oh, it hurt his pride as a Mafia to see the Vongola Guardian quarrelling like children at such a time. The idea of using his pool pole to smack them upside the head until he scrambled their brains back into resettlement, was looking better and better by the moment.

The Lightning sighed and fiddled with the pole as they bickered, absently wondering if he had any gum left in his pocket from Nasaru, before perking when there was silence, and the Rain huffed off to stand in the shade of a tree.

Well...He didn't know whether to be impressed that the Generation had come so far since then, or hang his head to the fact that they were ever seen as gods amongst men.

"This is really embarrassing," He sighed to himself, before announcing a loud: "Did you two just break up?"

From there, God, from there it almost made him feel bad for what he was doing. Dragging the poor kid around by his ears, just watching as he made stupid move after stupid move with underpowered skills. Each strike was met with easy avoidance, though, he did manage a few surprises.

What weird metamorphosis did these children go through to make them into the Vongola Tenth Generation?

The Storm, for no amount of not trying, continued to fail to measure, lashing out at the Rain at every opportunity as if he had some sort of inferiority complex.

He pulled his stick back and prepared to strike, each ball buzzing with lethal currents. The Storm Guardian was in his sights, and floundering as he was, he was still a relatively still target.

It was a shame, really. The Tenth Generation were the greatest examples of Flame Synchrony to have ever been known.

Gamma struck the balls and sent them flying, the familiar thunder crack, and the roasting smell of a human body wafting into the charged air. Then he cast his gaze to the solemnly standing Rain boy, not once had he moved from his station, arms crossed in silent observation.

His lip twitched. The Lightning had seen the Rain Guardian hold the same expression once, hard and blank, but he had seen it crack and flay at the edges when the Yamaguchi had died, shot down in front of his crowd, his Family and family. Oh, that bitch Byakuran had celebrated that day, he had opened a bag of marshmallows and had stuffed himself sick with them, going as far as having his Princess eat one as well, chewing with glazed over eyes.

It was times like those that only reinforced Gamma's belief that Byakuran had done something to her, for Uni was too fond of Yamaguchi to have let that slide. To let the public execution of her friend slide off the table and under the rug.

His eyes went to the Rain again, the to-be widowed Rain. He wondered if he'd be so calm if he knew the gunman bore a black uniform.

 **|GAMMA|**


	38. Buffer Chapter

Hullo, hullo! It's three weeks before Trial Exams start and I'm wasting time again~!

So, I think you've all noticed my near 2-month slump in updating, and you'll have to excuse me for my lack of production, but I've been swamped by my personal issues and a sudden influx of school work. Yeah, this year's been 'fun' - and if that siren can stop blasting outside that would be great (wait does that mean one of my neighbours is dead?)

Anyway, the point is, I've been missing from the face of the earth and you lot have kind of suffered for it. Like, Daiki, wtf is happening to them? Takeshi, wtf is going to happen to him? Everyone? What is going to happen to _everyone?_

That aside, I've also come to announce that my friend and beta Hazumiry has assisted me with creating _**The Baker's Daughter Discord Server!**_ It's a place that hopefully readers will come and get to scream about preferences, thoughts and theories - not always TB'sD based. And it will allow me to be able to vet ideas and gain opinions to better the story, give instant notifications for update schedules and just get to know my readers! Cause you're all so lively!

It was so much fun making The Baker's Daughter Discord Server, and though I don't actually know if anyone will bother joining, I'd be absolutely fucking ecstatic if even just a few of you did! I can't wait to talk to some of you, and maybe answer some sneaky questions too!

 **The invitation code is:** **/cUhdfFD (with the whole 'http', and 'discord . gg'** **bull shit up front)**

With that out of the way, enjoy some fluff to mend your souls until the next official chapter of The Baker's Daughter returns!

* * *

 **Word Count: 1,043**

* * *

I sat up in my bed and glared at the far wall, sheets pinched between my chin and my clavicle as I tried to keep myself safely bundled, but found that even then, shivers would cascade down my body.

It was so fucking _cold!_

"Fuck this." I grunted, tossing the blankets off and getting to my feet, soles stinging from the icy floorboards.

Padding over to my closet, I grumbled as I found the thickest hoodie I possessed and shrugged it on, letting it balloon around me like a kind of flappy caccoon. Cuddling into the slowly rising warmth, I turned and pulled on a pair of socks before shuffling over to Lambo's crib, tapping him softly to wake him.

"Mm?" He murmured, rolling over and blinking up at me.

"Shh, come here." I hushed, scooping the boy into my arms. "The house is a bit on the chilly side, yeah?"

"Mhm." The little Lightning nodded, cuddling up to me as I touched his cold cheek.

"Let's go somewhere I know is warm."

…

Lambo clung to my nape as he secured himself in my hood, using the material as a seat as I geared up my legs and pounced my way up to the familiar window, straining my arms to lift my weight an extra way. My son peered around my head before he reached out and tapped at the glass, knocking it until lights snapped on from behind thick curtains.

A giggle sounded in my ear as Lambo retracted his hand, and waved up at his father as Takeshi pushed aside the draped to gawk down at us.

"Shujin-kun! Bo-kun!" He blurted, wrenching open the window open and taking steps back as I pushed my way in.

"Daddy!" Lambo cheered, bouncing off my shoulders and latching onto the Rain. "Gwah, warm!"

"Mhm," I smiled, closing the chilled door behind me. "Daddy is always very warm, I can never understand it."

Takeshi looked between us, almost as if still baffled that I had actually come all the way here with Lambo in my arms at an ungodly hour of the night in such unholy weather. His expression of stun didn't slip even as I wound my arms around him and followed Lambo's example of cuddling up to the swordsman, pressing the frosty tip of my nose into his neck as I warmed myself with his heat.

An arm slid around my waist and pulled me closer, making a purr spill from my lips. Leaning into him, I smiled as he dropped kisses on the top of my head, leaving patches of heat with his breath. Rearing my head up, I hummed against his lips and let him move them against mine, free hand coming to cup his cheek, feeling him thaw the chilled fingertips.

"Papa! Daddy!" Lambo whined, covering his eyes.

"What?" I laughed, pulling from my other as he snickered. "You want kisses too?"

"Gah!"

The little Lightning squealed and gripped onto the Rain's night shirt as he smothered his face in defiance, making us laugh as I began to scatter quick pecks from the crest of his little skull and down his back, before catching him in the sides and making his scream as I tickled him. Takeshi chuckled as he watched Lambo squirm against my chest, flailing for release as a grin split his face, whining for me to let him go.

"Aw, but I don't wanna." I pouted playfully, squishing the boy to my chest. "I wanna keep my little Bo-kun forever. I love him so much."

The young Guardian slowly turned red, his lower lip slowly making itself prominent as he tried to glare at me to keep his dignity. Takeshi and I laughed as cooed as he launched himself forwards and hid his face in my shoulder, complaining at me as I swayed and rocked him. When he continued to flap and kick, I sighed dramatically before laying him down on his father's bed, the Rain snorting as he watched his son crawl under the blankets and immediately make himself at home.

"Takeshi-kun," I called, opening my free arms and humming happily as he came to curl into my front, lips laying on my cheek and neck. "Do you mind if we intrude here tonight? The bakery is cold."

"Absolutely not, I'd love if you'd stay." He answered softly, touching the line of my back. "Please stay, I've been lonely."

Thumbing at his waist, I bowed and pressed a firm kiss on him, matching vermillion with vermillion as he crooned for me. The Rain dug his fingers into my back through all the layers I had donned, clinging happily as our mouths moved together in a contented fashion. He hummed, before pecking me one final time.

"Let's get to bed then?" Takeshi breathed, making me curl my head in agreement.

"Yeah, let's." I nodded, before turning to Lambo who had smooshed his face into the pillow. "Bo-kun, sleepy time."

"Sleepy time junction." He giggled, allowing me to lift him up after I toed off my shoes and kicked them back to the window.

Making myself comfortable, I let Lambo worm his way to my chest, grabbing a handful of my hoodie as Takeshi followed us in, bringing the blankets up and enshrouding us in such a welcoming warmth. Lambo and I crooned a noise together as the Rain wrapped an arm around us, keeping us close to his heart as he carded my hair and pressed against the Lightning's back.

"Good night, Bo-kun," I cooed, kissing the child on his forehead, making him huff and bury his head in my chest. "Good night, shujin-kun."

Takeshi flushed in happiness, before pecking me on the lips and reaching for the lamp, flicking it off and bringing us into a hazy darkness.

"Goodnight, Bo-kun," He copied, humming against the back of the child's head. "Goodnight, shujin-kun."

I pushed my temple more against his collar when he spoke into my ear, soft and airy, before settling down finally.

It was so warm here. So warm and soft and-

Takeshi began rubbing circles in the base of my skull, making me sigh, skin prickling at the sensation.

Warm, soft and _safe._

"Sleep, Daiki-kun, sleep."

"Mm."


	39. Chapter 38

**Hello, hello! Lenori here! So, how you all been?**

 **Us Aussie's are finally on school holidays, so I managed to bash my face against my keyboard and acquire the assistance of** **Layla** **from the Discord Server to finish this admittedly short chapter. Future Arc is actually so hard to write 'cause so much of it is just people talking to each other or, ugh, fight scenes. Especially without Daiki to help me through it, they make it easier to write, mostly cause I can faff about with 'em more than I can with the others.**

 **It has come to my attention, thank you to** **BlueSeraphos** **for mentioning it, that with my hiatus, many of you may have forgotten the details of the situation. And as such,** **BlueSeraphos** **suggested that I take the liberty of putting together a summary of all that has happened to far. This is only the first part of the chapter, the scheduled story continues further on in this update.**

 **I would also like to take a moment to warn you all, come late August to early November, it is likely that I will go underground again for another hiatus as my HSC Exams will take precedence. There may be updates, or I may just abuse you all with fluff-fillers.**

 **Thank you for putting up with my absence, and enjoy this shit-storm!**

* * *

 **Word Count: 5,346**

* * *

 _ **So far…**_

" _Daiki-chan, did you get it o-" Lussuria choked on his words halfway out, his brow furrowing as he looked at me with worry._

 _I blinked as he stepped forward and wrapped me in a tight embrace, confusion bubbling, until the shudder of my shoulders and stutter of my breath finally made me realise. I was crying._

 _How very dumb._

 _I was crying just because I put a bra on…_

 _My breath hitched and I buried my face into my fellow Flame's shoulder, arms coming to constrict around his torso with too much force and too much desperation as I smothered whines and heaves. My mind was a buzzing, unintelligible mess. I couldn't differentiate sadness from relief, panic from happiness, stockholm from freedom._

" _It's okay, it's okay." Lussuria cooed, carding my hair with thick fingers as he swayed us. "Good girl. You're a good girl, Daiki-chan."_

 _Girl…_

" _I-" I coughed and fixed my throat, the croaky vocals clearing after the fourth try. "Is it okay if...If I try that dress on?"_

" _What do you mean 'is it okay'?" He laughed gently, pulling back to look down at me and clean up my face with an embroidered handkerchief. "Of course it is, lovely!"_

 _ **...**_

" _Daiki-kun, you need to talk to me. Something's going on and I need to know." He tried, grabbing my hands before I could busy myself with anything. "Please, Daiki-kun."_

 _I look at him, taking in the furrow of his brow and the desperate gleam in his eye. The downward tilt of his lips and the clutching of his hands._

" _...You're not going to tell me...are you?" He breathed finally, seeing the sad softness that saturated my eyes._

" _I'm sorry." Was all I could utter, lowering my gaze._

 _ **...**_

 _A flash went through his mind, a heated room with writhing bodies, so much touch, so much warmth. He felt breathless and heavy from the images digging into his heart, tongue tasting phantom salt._

 _Eyes scanned over the rogue Sun, the niggling feeling back. There was...definitely something missing from this._

 _Takeshi lifted his hands and splayed his fingers out across the expanse of his husband's chest, feeling the heartbeat bounce off his palms as they inched around the strong plain._

 _ **...**_

 _This woman. No one could recognise this woman. She wasn't the kind lady who would give Ryohei random, fresh biscuits before school, not the one who let him and Daiki lick the bowl and spoon after she made cakes. He had no idea who this woman was, or why they had let Daiki be exposed to her for so long._

" _Then why did you let us happen at all then?" Takeshi finally asked, breaking the silence with a rising temper. "Any of us!?"_

" _Because," She responded easily, unfaltering at the baring of teeth. "It is fine, so long as Daiki-kun falls into line when needed, and from what I've had seen, he does just that. You've all seen what he does, he obeys when he's expected to, just as he should."_

" _You," The Rain took a breath to steady his tone. "You shouldn't yank Daiki-kun around like that. He doesn't deserve it! He gets so tired, and it hurts him!"_

" _He does as his mother tells him. I know him much better than you do, Takeshi-kun. I know more than you ever could." She said simply._

 _This caused a beat of silence from the Rain, eyes glancing at each other from around the room._

" _What do you mean by that?" Gokudera asked, being the first to step forward._

" _You do not come into my home and tell me how to raise my child! He was flawed since the day he was born, but his father and I have done our best to make up for it, and yet you all come in here and-"_

 _The bell rung out in the shop, making the room pause and turn to the sound. Eyes widened and breaths hitched as the figure of Daiki took up the frame, his face passive and shielded as he took in the scene before him._

 _The woman made a noise in recognition of the answer, but nothing beyond that._

 _Daiki let the action settle into him before he tightened his hold on his mother, a kind of cold matte coming to his eyes as they stared at the flooring._

 _"I'm sorry, everyone." He said after a few moments. "I think you need to leave for tonight. I'll see you all later."_

 _ **...**_

" _Kaa-san?" I called, stepping into the living room where she sat._

 _Kaede glanced at me out of the corner of her eye before turning back to the television, a rerun playing on the screen. The disregard made me sigh, but didn't make me stop, instead, I thinned my lips and continued._

" _I'm going to tell them."_

 _She finally looked to me, confusion mixing with the barest of fears._

" _I'm going to tell my friends that I am female." I reiterated. "With, or without your support."_

" _Daiki-kun," She breathed, standing slowly. "You and I both know how that will end."_

" _Maybe we do," I agreed, shrugging. "And maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe they deserve to know. Maybe the pain it will bring us is the price we will pay."_

" _You don't deserve that Daiki-kun, just don't. You know kaa-san doesn't want to see you get hurt."_

 _I held back the narrow of my eyes, hating how she turned the words to lay at her side._

" _You're right, I didn't deserve this." I shot back. "But now I'll reap it for us both."_

 _ **...**_

" _Shamal-sensei, I need you to take Lambo-kun, can you do that for me?" I breathed, already moving around my room to gather things for my waking son._

" _Papa? What's going on?"_

 _I spun and heaved when Lambo staring at me with wide, teary eyes from his cradle. Big green orbs glanced between me and the door, his hands clutching Mary to his chest for comfort as he shivered with each of Kaede's shrieks._

" _It's fine, my darling." I cooed, coming over and taking his hand, looming near the bars._

" _Yamaguchi-chan, what's going on? I'm coming now, but you need to tell me what's happening. Why am I taking Lambo-kun? What about you?"_

" _I'll be fine, it's Bo-kun who's more important. I'd ask Takeshi-kun but-"_

" _It's Kaede-chan, isn't it?"_ _He breathed, the sounds of a horn and cars reaching me._

 _ **...**_

 _"It's fine, I get it. Honestly, I wouldn't have said no, but tou-san just wasn't letting me out. Kaede-san-" Ryohei blinked, hearing the dissociative suffix, wondering just when the rogue's partner had dropped the 'kaa-san' part. "-She apparently called him and told him that we were annoying her."_

 _"She cut us off." The Sun breathed, crossing his arms. "Kaa-san and tou-san came down on me Saturday morning as well."_

 _"She's trying to seclude him."_

 _The group felt a chill go through them, the idea making their bones heave with preparation, but was quickly extinguished when a loud denial came through the air._

 _"Yamaguchi Daiki is not at the Yamaguchi residence. He hasn't been sighted there since Friday night."_

 _ **...**_

" _Bianchi-san and Fuuta-kun are gathering intelligence. Our other allies, however..." The Rain breathed, face a careful passive. "Longchamp and his Family, Mochida-san as well, have been missing for days. Most of the allies and friends we've made over the years have been eliminated."_

 _A ripple went through the room. Reborn stepped forwards, knowing Yamamoto wouldn't continue._

" _Including Yamamoto-san's spouse."_

 _Gears ground to a halt. Eyes slowly widened. Breaths stopped._

 _Tsuna slowly turned his gaze from the hitman to his friend, taking in the tired shade of his eyes the pained clench of his jaw and the hazy, glazed state of his eyes. The swordsman reached up and touched at his neck, drawing eyes to a fang necklace, a sharp canine tooth wrapped in cord hanging free. The Sky didn't know why, but when he saw it, a flash of that white pup appeared in his mind._

 _Gokudera was only able to breathe an airy curse of shock, neither of them able to fully register that-_

" _Yamaguchi Daiki was shot, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn uttered, glancing up at the quiet Rain. "He was shot by a bullet meant for you."_

 _ **...**_

 _His lip twitched. The Lightning had seen the Rain Guardian hold the same expression once, hard and blank, but he had seen it crack and flay at the edges when the Yamaguchi had died, shot down in front of his crowd, his Family and family. Oh, that bitch Byakuran had celebrated that day, he had opened a bag of marshmallows and had stuffed himself sick with them, going as far as having his Princess eat one as well, chewing with glazed over eyes._

 _It was times like those that only reinforced Gamma's belief that Byakuran had done something to her, for Uni was too fond of Yamaguchi to have let that slide. To let the public execution of her friend slide off the table and under the rug._

 _His eyes went to the Rain again, the to-be widowed Rain. He wondered if he'd be so calm if he knew the gunman bore a black uniform._

 _ **Yup, that's 'bout it...**_

* * *

 **|LAMBO|**

Lambo sat on Takeshi's cot while he waited, quietly combing Mary's hair, the blond locks lifting with static. The scent of his father was pressed into the blankets and surrounded him with comfort as he inhaled it along with the perfumes Daiki had sprayed his doll with, the caramels and sea salts of his carers curling around him as he sat alone.

It had been so long since he had seen his Papa, and he missed him sorely. He knew something was wrong, the way he had departed could mean nothing but, Takeshi's aversion to the topic and Mephistopheles' restlessness only cementing his theory.

Lambo knew that his Papa was missing, now it was just a question of whether or not he was dead.

He thinned his lips at the thought, and cuddled Mary to his chest, crawling to lay under the covers, curled up with anxiety.

" _Somebody's taking the train to Sleepytime Junction."_ The little Lightning murmured, squeezing his eyes shut.

This place was unfamiliar to him. It was always just a touch humid with water pipes and heating running side by side within the hurriedly set walls, pieces and equipment still scattering the place along with exposed machinery which hummed loudly at all hours of the night, rattling now and again and startling the poor lad. He wouldn't admit it, but he was scared of this place.

" _Somebody is so tired he can barely function."_

Takeshi had welcomed him into his bed when Lambo had escaped from the girls' room to settle with him, The Rain had accepted him with warm, open arms, bringing the little Lightning to his chest so he could hear the paternal heartbeat, the soft ' _ba-thump, ba-thump'_ drowning out the mechanical choking of the pipes. It was still discomforting, however, the space and emptiness of it all. Lambo knew that his father could feel it too, the absence that laid with them.

"I miss Papa, Mary." He sniffed, cuddling his companion.

There was tapping, and the jingle of metal, before the panting of a canine reached the child's ears, prompting him to sit up. Mephisto peered up at the boy from the edge of the bunk. Lambo smile slowly, before pulling the blankets aside, patting the surface to urge the pup up, giggling wetly when the highlander did just that, fluffy white body coming to be tucked in beside the cow print.

"Hey, Miphy." Lambo greeted quietly, voice shaky as his nose dripped. "Do you miss Papa too?"

The mutt closed his big black eyes and released a small whine, the little Lightning giving an unsteady breath of agreement.

" _So he's hopping on that train to Sleepytime Junction..."_

 **|LAMBO|**

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Gamma continued to hover over them with mirth, his lips tilted in amusement that made the Rain's temper flair, before he stamped it down and cooled himself. He knew the Lightning man was purposefully ticking them off, and he was doing a pretty damn good job at it - but the young Yamamoto reminded himself to hold himself in check.

His skin tingled with the electricity in the air, and the stench of burnt flesh still wafted off of the two Guardians, clothes singed and nerves frayed as every inhalation brought about pangs of pain in parched throats. He grit his teeth and bared it, holding his disengaged sword stubbornly tight.

"Oh? You're still battling on?" The black-clad man hummed, twisting his billiards pole casually.

Gokudera hissed at the Millefiore in abrasive Italian, before setting his Box Weapon upon him, urging the Rain to follow suit, cyan fire circling around his blade as he shuffled closer. Takeshi thinned his lips as he eyed the Lightning, watching as he drifted around on the wind. He grunted, before taking engaging steps, his blade's tip dipping into the slanted shadow of the Storm.

Gamma's eyes flashed, and he immediately launched himself away, putting a greater distance between the Vongola and himself.

The two Guardians stiffened at the action, confused and on edge as the Lightning crossed himself with his pole, almost as if ready to take the defensive.

"Sincronizzazione Della Fiamma? On me? I'm flattered, really." Gamma chuckled easily, though there was a tension on his brow.

The Vongola looked to each other for a moment, conveying equal confusion, though Takeshi believed that Gokudera at least understood the Italian phrase, even if he didn't comprehend their supposed significance.

"Tch," the Storm huffed, scowling up at him. "Get over yourself, like we'd use Sincronizzazione Della Fiamma on an undeserving asshole like you!"

Takeshi could feel his friend withholding the urge to lean over and whisper his confusion to him mid-battle, but withheld himself for the bluff's sake. He saw Gamma falter for a moment, before a sardonic smirk took his face again, almost pitying in their clueless scampering.

"Oh? So the young Vongola have forgotten Sincronizzazione Della Fiamma as well?" He hummed, arm pulling back to line up a shot. "Well then, this is a chance I can't miss. Best to take you out while you're still floundering."

Gokudera blasted a wave of red Flames at the airborne man, forcing him to slash across the sky where the young Yamamoto had releases a crescent of cobalt, which was just as easily avoided.

"Yes, these attacks of yours are way too weak. You're in no shape to be even thinking about Sincronizzazione Della Fiamma." The Lightning huffed.

"Now, I don't intend to let the Vongola Storm and Rain fall into the hands of our White counterparts. So, you'll just have to die here." The black-clad man hummed, a line of electricity charged balls assembling. "So long."

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

 **|H.K|**

The Cloud watched on from a distance as the Herbivore pups finally found their feet after embarrassing blunder and embarrassing blunder. They were fighting in pathetically predictable patterns, all of their carnivorous skill depleted with the time shift.

Hibari huffed through his nose, before turning his gaze upon their opponent. His eyes narrowed as that damnable black filled his vision. Black. _Black_.

He grit his teeth, fists bundling in their cross as he attempted train himself, a much more difficult task without his handler.

The tenth generations of Vongola Guardians and their companions were a patchwork group, made of haphazard people, and their opinions often slid over one another like water and oil. However, there was one thing that all of the Omnivore's company could agree with, allegiance or no.

The Millefiore Black Spell. They loathed them. They _despised_ them. Every single man, woman or otherwise under the Omnivore's umbrella was ready to chew the throat out of any Black Spell they crossed. Because they had all seen it. They had all seen that blight in the white, Italian sky when the gunshot had rung out, and the elusive Sun had crumbled to the earth. They had been there when the havoc had ripped through the courtyard, and Hibari had bared witness to the brutality of the Sasagawa boy's rage upon that rooftop.

He took a step forward.

"Now, I don't intend to let the Vongola Storm and Rain fall into the hands of our White counterparts. So, you'll just have to die here." The Black Spell hummed, his smile never fading. "So long."

Hibari took another and withdrew his box, ring of Cloud pulsing with Flame as he plugged it in without restraint. A torrent of Cloud Flames ripped from within the box, striking the Black Spell Lightning and forcing him to abandon his attack to flee the brunt of the assault.

"I'll give you just a hint of what you want to know, they come from the past." The Skylark hummed, making his way forwards leisurely, cutting through the smoke as it wisped around. "Though I am not so stupid as to be replaced."

"You know a bunch of stuff, it sounds like." The Black Spell grunted, eyeing his silhouette. "But the rules of the game goes that you've gotta give your name if you want to join."

Hibari's lip twitched, and he reached into his pocket to withdraw another box, the faint flutter of Hibird coming to level with him less of a distraction and more of a comfort.

"There's no need for that, for you see, you've put me in a very _bad_ mood." He growled strictly, stepping out of the haze. " _Kamikorosu_."

 **|H.K|**

* * *

 **|S.T|**

The Vongola generation slowly unwound their tensions as the fluorescent lights of the underground base hummed overhead. Their wounds ached, and the strange salves of a futuristic medicine itched beneath the Rain and Storm's bandages.

Gokudera's frustration was abrasive, but by some miracle that Takeshi smiled at, he managed to reign his attitude to something more cooperative despite his obvious miff. He crossed his arms huffily as he stood amongst the other Vongola, attention turned upon Reborn.

"Sincronizzazione Della Fiamma?" Tsuna blurted, glancing between his two Guardians. "What's that?"

Reborn came crashing down on the young teen's head in an instant, polished black heels digging into the unprotected scalp mercilessly and making the Sky yelp in pain.

"Don't be daft, Dame-Tsuna - as hard as that may be. Sincronizzazione Della Fiamma is exactly as it sounds." He huffed, folding his hands behind his back, before turning his eyes on the Rain-Storm duo. "But the question is: how did you two come across such a term?"

"That Gamma guy," Gokudera grunted, crossing his arms. "He kept on spurting on about it. Trying to mock us because we didn't know what it was."

Yamamoto nodded in agreement, uttering a similar experience, before turning to the tugging of his pants and smiled at Lambo. The little Lightning smiled with stuffed cheeks and demanded the Guardian pick him up, too lazy to walk on his own, a luxury the swordsman granted without hassle.

"So, what is it?" Tsuna asked, looking at the baby on his head.

"Hm, what does it sound like?"

"I don't speak Italian!"

"It means Flame Synchronisation, Boss!" Gokudera grinned, making the Greatest Hitman sigh, a quiet mutter of ' _we'll need to fix that'_ slipping out of the small baby.

"Now that you've had your subordinate spell it out for you," Tsuna blanched in offence. "What do you think it means?"

The Sky pursed in thought, before humming and presenting an unsure answer.

"It sounds like when you match your Dying Will Flames with another person's. But what's so odd about hearing that? Everything here is Flame this and Flame that!"

"See? Not so hard was it?" Reborn smirked, then turned his gaze to the rest of the present group. "Sincronizzazione Della Fiamma isn't a commonly held skill, even amongst strong families. There have been only a handful of groups who could manage such a feat, due to how brittle and complex it is to achieve."

"In order to synchronise Flames, you must be able to do some prior steps. You must first be aware of, not only your own Flames, but those of the person you intend to match with. Along with that, you must be aware of their individual personality, emotions, thoughts, feeling and intentions-"

"That doesn't sound so hard!" Yamamoto laughed, rubbing the back of his scalp. "So, it's like being really close friends, yeah?"

A rubber bullet bounced off his forehead and made him hiss in pain, Lambo too busy with the lollipop in his mouth to pay attention.

"No, it's not. Because not only do you have to be aware of what they are doing, you have to have the capacity to accept and sympathise with their cause. Something which not many people can fully grasp when faced with such opposing opinions." He grunted, Leon slipping back into lizard skin. "Friends do not always match, Yamamoto-san. Friends do not always agree, and that puts a strain on a normal relationship, let alone a Synchronisation."

Yamamoto had the mind to look sheepish, and Gokudera cackled at his expense, making Tsuna sigh at their nature.

The door slid open and allowed entry for Gianni, who tottered in without a care, a happy smile on his face showing how he was making progress on whatever he was working on at the moment. Reborn dragged his eyes over to the little man, pursed his lips for a moment, and then called upon him.

"Gianni-san," He called, making the engineer paused. "What connection does the Vongola Tenth have with Sincronizzazione Della Fiamma?"

Tsuna blinked at that, mildly perturbed and baffled by the hitman's lack of omnipotence, before sighing in realisation. Reborn had only been there for a little longer than them, he couldn't know _everything_ yet.

Gianni lit up and bounced over, hands coming to fold behind his back as he tilted his head to keep the taller boys in perspective.

"Well, the Vongola Tenth and his Guardians were the first in thirty-one years to have accomplished Sincronizzazione Della Fiamma, of course! And, on top of that, they were the first to achieve an _Accumulo_ Di Sincronizzazione Della Fiamma!"

"Accumulo Di Sincronizzazione Della Fiamma?" Reborn repeated, actually looking _impressed_ for once in his life.

"Indeed!" Giannini puffed, flaunting like a proud parent. "It became one of their factors of fame! Such a mass, of not only the traditional eight but _ten_ Flames all engaged at a single moment is a monumental achievement that could not be ignored! Many of the alliances struck were forged through that influence."

"Ten? But there are only eight of us and Chrome-chan!" Takeshi hummed, glancing to the numbers.

"Well, Chrome-sama is the ninth, since she and Mukuro-sama are individual Flames. And Daiki-sama is the tenth!" The engineer smiled.

Lambo's head turned a bit at the name of his self-proclaimed father, before he turned back and pressed his cheek against Takeshi's chest, lolly clacking against his teeth as the Rain bowed to drop a light kiss to his crown.

Tsuna felt a twinge of guilt spring through him at that moment, before he forcefully turned his attention back to Giannani.

"The fucking giant synced up with us?" Gokudera huffed, looking unconvinced. "Why? He doesn't care 'bout the Vongola."

The short little man blinked up at the Storm blankly for a moment, gears visibly creaking in his brain, before he uttered a noise of understanding.

"Daiki-sama and Ryohei-sama were the first to complete Sincronizzazione Della Fiamma. It was after that, did you all learn of it. Then, Daiki-sama and Sawada-sama synchronised."

Tsuna choked on his tongue in his surprise, jaw jumping as he tried to clear his airway. He thumped his chest as it spasmed uncomfortably, Gokudera fussing over him in a panic from the side, before Takeshi struck him in the back and dislodged his own saliva, allowing the frazzled Sky to settle.

"Why would Yamaguchi-san synchronise with _me!?"_

"Why wouldn't he?!" Gokudera snarked, crossing his arms. "It'd be an honour for such a common man like him to synchronise with the Boss! He must have grovelled to you for weeks to get you to finally bestow it up hi-"

"It was an accident," Giannini smiled, "It was pure luck that Daiki-sama's Flames and Sawada-sama's Flames connected at the time. Daiki-sama admitted to it being a fluke."

The Storm bit his tongue in his haste to shut up, leaving him spluttering and the Rain patting his back while laughing in sympathy.

"Daiki-kun can be a bit mean sometimes, don't take it personally." He chuckled. "He likes you, really."

Tsuna gave an unsure noise before turning back to the stoic Hitman baby, who was gazing off as if lost in thought.

* * *

 **|BYAKURAN|**

The Boss of the Millefiore smiled as he reclined in his lush chair, the wheels squeaking under his weight as he spun idly, plastic bag crinkling in his hands as he chewed through its marshmallow contents with a happy grin, cheeks chubby with their sugar.

Things were progressing smoothly, as always, and the added factor of yet another Daiki brought another layer to his enthusiasm for this world.

Byakuran knew this was going to be a good one the second he stretched free in this realm. It absolutely _thrummed_ with a music that the others lacked, the air tasting sulfuric in comparison as he took a breath with new lungs. He couldn't wait to see it all burn again.

A game of Tetris sat on his computer screen, paused just seconds before a single pillar of blocks would touch the pique of the server and lose the game.

On the other side of the unevenly split screen was the paused feed of one Watanabe-Yamaguchi Daiki, whose expression of suffering was frozen and encased in pixels for him to giggle at whenever he found himself rather bored with bothering Shoichi.

Byakuran paused his chewing and looked out his large window, able to see his newly subdued land quiver under the rule of flowers. He glanced to the many buildings, and then to their many windows, seeing reflections flash in each, like a broken mirror's multiple singular images.

He wondered, what would have it been like if that one Daiki many worlds ago had agreed to join him. Instead, she had rolled her eyes and swallowed a bullet from a generous gun.

It was a shame, he had grown fond of that Daiki. He tended to grow fond of the Daiki's, they were always an interesting bunch; their diversity yet consistency was interesting to witness. It wasn't a lie when he said that they put up the best fights, there had been universes where the last beings standing had been incarnations of them both.

There had been a time where he had irreparably decimated a realm, utterly burnt it down to its very foundations, until only they were left to sit in the ashes. He, the Daiki of that reality, had been a rather solemn one, and made no action against him, even as they stood face to face in a valley of soot and fine-dust-rubble. So, instead of fighting a botherless fight, they sat at a broken park bench and talked.

They talked about everything, from the profound to the weather. Transcendence, school work, humanity, health tips, the existence of an Almighty and the possibility that ducks were always watching. It was funny, how he had found himself, the destroyer of worlds, penning down a recipe for brownies beside the only other surviving human in that plane.

Daiki's snort of laughter had echoes in the barren place when he had bashfully admitted to never having eaten the pineapple on Hawaiian pizza, always having picked it off when Shoichi had bought it for them in University.

They carried on as the sun set on the destruction, the last humans on that Earth, with Daiki leaning heavily on Byakuran's shoulder as their giggles slowly faded into only his giggles, the Sunny companion having finally bled out. He had sat there with his friend until the sky had become a pitch canvas for lights beyond them, the dead city giving way for greater things to shine again. Then he had to go, and laid Daiki down on their broken bench, before carrying on.

The door gave a knock, waking the Sky from his own thoughts and making him turn with excitement, knowing what it would bring. A little woman stepped in with a tray, and quickly set it down on his desk, before scuttling away as he shooed her off, more focused on the plate before him, piled high with brownies he had received the recipe for.

 **|BYAKURAN|**

* * *

" _Hey, hey, something's going on out there."_

" _Shut up, you'll cause a panic! I'm sure Shoichi-sama's got things under control - He's Byakuran-sama's most trusted, after all."_

I blinked slowly and looked to the voices as well as I could, the two individuals standing in a shadow curled corner away from the rest of the medical garb people, their words hissed and barely carrying.

Shoichi? Shoichi Irie?

Wincing numbly against a thin incision was nicked along my neck, not really hurting, but stinging irritably. Petty pains.

Millefiore. Millefiore base, that's what Byakuran had said.

' _Daiki-chan! I'm back! How are you feeling?'_ The flowery Boss cheered, staticing into reality.

I thinned my lips, feeling them crack and the pull of dried blood. Someone took up my hand and hummed as they ran the cold side of their chosen blade along my palm, lingering a bit on soft bumps on my veins. For the most part, I paid it no mind, knowing that they at least would keep me alive - even if it was only for their own entertainment.

I wasn't sure if that was a comforting thought or not.

Shaking my head, I turned my gaze on the camera that whirred with focus, a light crackling of plastic packets sounding through the speakers. When I opened my mouth, a spill of dark blood bubbled free from my lips, dripping off my chin and splatting on my school slacks.

 _Where am I?_ , I mouthed, slowly, carefully shaping each word.

' _Ooh! I like this game! Hm, do it again?'_

Fucking God-

 _Where am I?_

' _Where- Where am I! I got it yeah?'_

His happy tone made an ugly aggravation rise in the back of my throat, but I nodded anyway, feeling warm and wet drip down my neck.

' _Ah, answer it too?'_

Another, urging yet begrudged nod.

' _I told you! A Millefiore base!'_

A Millefiore base. _A_ Millefiore base. Singular, one of _many_.

 _Which one? What is the na-_

' _Gwah! Too long! Too long! Shorten it down for me, Daiki-chan, I'm only human!'_ He cried, and I could just imagine him flailing.

Giving a wet sigh, I gathered my patience, before beginning again, hearing him shuffle as if to come forwards, a zoom twisting the lense.

 _The base's name._ I said, almost reflexively shifting my nub of a tongue and wincing when it stung from the stretch.

' _Base. Base, again...The base's name? Oh! You're in the Merone Base!'_

My finger twitched. I recognised that name. I knew where I was.

Byakuran knew that too.

' _Next round! Next round!'_

We continued like that, for what could have been hours. It did nothing to distract or help my situation. If anything, it made me jumpier, the constant need to think of sentences that entertained and challenged the bastard Sky.

He was only doing this to humour me, and perhaps himself. He didn't need to answer any of my questions, but he chose to, because he knew that it wouldn't cost him anything. Even if I knew where I was, even if I knew my location in relation to the rest of my companions, he wouldn't feel the repercussions.

I bit my lip and glanced to where the two were whispering in harsh voices, and despite how everything screamed, I relaxed with their panic.

Those idiots. Those idiots were coming.

I twisted my wrist, and felt the iron of the chains bite into my skin. Painful.

Just a little longer.


	40. Chapter 39

**Hey guys, I graduated from High School! Woohoo! (That also means that I've uploaded this three days before my HSC exams but shhh.) Anyway, just something I'm proud of (honestly, didn't know if I'd make it sometimes) and wanted to share with y'all!**

 **Anyway, enjoy the chapter that I've spent forEVER writing because of all the BATTLE SCENES ARGH!**

* * *

 **Word Count: 8435**

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Things were not progressing as planned, Tsuna thought, biting his lip as he leant against the metal walls of Spanner's workshop, shackles heavy on his wrists. Less than two hours into their operation and they had been separated; squadron fractured across the facility and their plans scrambling to so much as _resemble_ what it used to. It led Tsuna to second guess his ability, but he shook his head; now wasn't the time!

The man, Spanner, was putting together some sort of contraption and had been for what could have been hours, the sparks and smell of hot metal rising the tension in the Sky's body as he tried to strain his ears for the rumble of conflict or the voices of allies.

"Excuse me," Tsuna called out, trying to get his attention. "The others, the ones outside, do you know what happened to them!?"

Spanner glanced up and frowned around the stick of his lollipop, lifting the protective goggles from his eyes as he turned to see over his shoulder.

"Outside?"

"The other intruders! Have you heard any news on them?!" he pressed, his stomach buzzing with some kind of disturbance - one he had learnt only lead to dangers.

"You can't do anything to help them now," the mechanic sighed, "Just focus on perfecting the X-Burner."

"Why do you want me to complete it? Aren't you a Millefiore? Shouldn't you be trying to stop me, not help me?!"

"Don't speak so much at once," Spanner huffed, turning away and fiddling with his gadgets once again. "And I already told you. I want you to perfect the technique because I want to see it."

Tsuna gnawed his lip, tasting a tang of blood on his tongue when he ripped too deep. He could hear his heart in his ears; it wasn't loud and booming, but a consistent background noise that couldn't truly be ignored once noticed and acted as a testament to his anxiety. He felt restless. Flames lapping at the underside of his skin, pawing around for the surety of a Storm or the comfort of a Rain.

Shoichi Irie, Spanner had said, was one who was running this Melone Base. He was close then, the reason for this futuristic disaster.

"I wouldn't rile him if I were you, Vongola," Spanner warned lazily, only half focusing on his words as he screwed another notch into place. "He's always been able to see the bigger picture. He's an incredible guy."

Incredible guy or not, if they were to reach their goal and solve this issue, stepping on that man's toes was going to be unavoidable.

The Vongola Sky touched his shackles, noticing the way his captor glanced at the action from the corner of hooded eyes. He took a breath. He needed to know where they were, his friends, he needed to know their situation - not knowing was going to drive him insane faster than any of Reborn's suicide pop-quizzes.

Tsuna glanced around, hoping to find a monitor or a security camera, but came up with none, surprisingly enough. The fact that this room seemed to be a blind spot in the colossal construction that was the Melone Base buried itself securely in his brain. He tried listening, pressing his ear to the ground and coming up with only the faint, mechanical buzz of the building, leaving him to sigh out his frustration and glare at his hands.

He wished he had the quick problem-solving Yamamoto possessed, or the sheer stubborn power Gokudera carried with him. The brutal physical strength of Ryohei or the seemingly transcendent existence Hibari controlled. The ability to bend reality like Chrome and Mukuro; the aptitude for Flames that Yamaguchi occupied. Anything useful, anything more than - he glanced to the mittens and bottle placed far from his access - than a reliance on _capsules_.

A deep, heavy rumbling took the room as the floor became unstable, breaking the boy from his moment of dark introspection. Tsuna gave a shriek as the room tipped and rocked, the grating sound of walls sliding across each other near deafening.

Spanner reached out and caught a cup from falling off his desk, not the least bit perturbed by the quaking of the Base. The mechanic gave a tsk of annoyance as more things fell from shelves far from his reach, the man sighing out a long breath as he dropped his chin in his palm and waited for the shaking to stop.

When it did, Tsuna let out a shaky breath of relief, looking around at the mess of mechanical parts as his captor crawled around, picking up things with a huff of petty grief.

"Hm...I've lost something important," he grumbled, ducking to look under his desk.

The Sky watched, calming down after the rise of chaos and leant back on his hand - before pausing and glancing over his shoulder, his hand laid upon the pill bottle and accompanying mitts. He gulped and pressed them close to his back, obscuring them with his body.

That was it. His ticket out of here and back to his friends. God, he hoped they were alright - Or, at least, alive.

 **|S.T|**

* * *

 **|S.R|**

Ryohei sighed as he sat at the top of one of the many mountains in the rocky outcrop of Namimori, his backpack roughed up from the near misses of his travels. He scanned the horizon again, trying to pick out the pale caramel colour of Kyoko's hair or the cobalt colouring of Daiki's - or just any of the youths he ran with.

"Namimori mountains," he breathed, pulling forth a map and X-ing out the area. "Not here either."

He scratched his head as he looked at all of the bright red marks that hacked out a good portion of his guide. The only thing he had to show for after three weeks of searching for his friends and sister.

"Where the hell could they have gone?" the Sun spoke gently, his feet aching inside his dirtied joggers. "They completely disappeared..."

 _Bzzt! Bzzt!_

Ryohei winced a bit before pulling his phone to his ear and clearing his throat, already feeling drained as he bolstered himself up and bounced a bit on his feet.

"Hi, kaa-san!" he boomed into the device, hearing his mother withdraw a bit. "I haven't found them yet, but I'm sure I'll spot them EXTREMELY soon!"

"I'm sure I will," he breathed to himself, phone tucked away as he looked at the endless horizon, bleeding red with another empty day. "I have to. They're too important to lose."

 **|S.R|**

* * *

My teeth were grit and my head was hung, face shadowed from the artificial light as I yanked. And yanked, and yanked, and yanked. The chilling, metallic, ' _bang!', 'bang!', 'bang!_ ' ringing out in the frozen silence. My muscles screamed and my skin rebelled, but it was all muted by the roaring rage that spilt over from my being and manifested themselves at the Flames that lapped at my fingers and whispered crackled from my lips, weaving in with the harsh snarls from bared teeth.

Have to get out. Have to get out. Have to get out.

Takeshi.

Lambo.

Ryohei.

Kyoko.

Chrome.

Mephistopheles.

Hibari.

Gokudera.

Tsuna.

Haru.

I-pin.

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_

My skin stretched, cuts tearing and scraps plucking out. Blood bubbled anew and pain sang out a symphony of terror as the people in doctor scrubs backed away, the ' _plick!'_ of metal bonds snapping under the force of my fire and my fury.

I didn't care anymore. Not for the pain, not for the damage, not for the fear.

A familiar needle came at me, and I snarled as I twisted out of the way, leg launching up in a blinding screech of white-hot agony, the way my foot hung as it collided with a splintering jaw not even registering as Sun scrambled down to anchor it back.

It was then that the screaming began, the people finally realising that I wasn't going to be sedated again, that I was finally a _real threat._ They scrambled to get out of the room, dashing to the doors, grabbing up their knives and needles, hands trembling and breath heaved as they watched metal splatter to the bloodied floor, my right arm free.

My fingers latched onto the bonds of the left, teeth flashing as I ripped and clawed viciously at the chain, lacerating iron and melting it with infuriated sunshine.

They're hurting them. They're hurting them. They're hurting them.

The nail on my index finger popped but was quickly replaced with fresh keratin, Sun blowing itself up in a pique of cacophonic _enmity_. With a roar, I ripped my scabbing, reddened arm free, ribbons of skin spider-webbing into life.

My love, my child, my brother, my friends. They were hurting them. They were making them scared.

The last of the chains around my leg lasted nothing more than a moment as I blew them off, perhaps lacerating my shin, perhaps not. My body creaked and shrieked as I stood, abdomen spitting new blood as old fell off in dark crumbs.

I looked down at the gaping maw of the place, and like I was straightening a disgruntled tie, I grabbed up the flayed edge and seared them together with sunshine fire, the stench of melting, charred flesh making my eyes water even as I set them on the people around me.

I stepped forwards, hands lit with furious Will.

The crunch and the crack, the splat and the slap. They were all such satisfying, thrilling noises to my numbed ears, the dig of flesh under my nails and the feeling of bones giving out under my feet. Screams and cries became a wonderful white noise, the phantom rattling of chains followed me through the carnage, egging me on, every sting and screech of my nerve ends demanding a repayment.

Break it. Break them. Break the tables. Break the chairs. Break the spines. Break the trollies. Break the skulls. Break the doors.

Break. All. Their. Shit!

It kept going, and going, and going, and going- until it stopped, and the last of the people in doctor scrubs fell from my hands with a warm ' _shlurp_ '.

A long, metallic creek rung out into the air, and I glared over my shoulder with an almighty rage as the booming of heavy footsteps lurched into the room, the hulking figure of a Gola Mosca loomed over me, devouring the fluorescent light.

Gritting my teeth, I snarled and took steps back, seeing whatever version of the mechanical monster zero in on my visage, guns charging loud in the concrete room. They went off with an ear-splitting bang and I was gone, bare feet pounding against the floor as the mechanical head spun 360° to keep up with me.

The Mosca was rusty and old, metal dull and banged up, making me think beneath my sharpened haze that perhaps this was only a spare; an old toy that Byakuran stationed here without a care. Red dust fell as the right arm lifted, and my eyes were immediately drawn to it, making my lips pull into a sly smile of something less than nice as I changed direction and moved into the Mosca's space. It halted, unable to shoot with its bulky body making my own defence.

Sun roared within me and slithered through my veins, arms playing with fire as I jumped and straddled the machine's head, making it groan with dislike, mechanisms grinding inside. I hooked my fingers into the metal, bared my teeth and tore the head off, sending it flying to the side and then dodging out of the way of an arm.

It tried to bat at me, blinded without its scopes. I ducked under the swipe before wrapping my legs around its arm and twisting violently, metal screeching as weakened joints popped and wires sparked. Unravelling myself from it, I let the limb drop before pouncing across to return to the open throat, not letting the Mosca calculate the new positioning before I shoved my arm shoulder-deep and grabbed a handful of wires, ripping it all out with unrelenting violence, uncaring of how my skin tingles with residue electricity.

The Mosca groaned as it began to slow, the lights that flashed within dying out into darkness until its great body slumped over.

I grunted, before jumping off if it, hearing it topple behind me as I stumbled on the landing. The boom of it hitting the floor signalled the end of the battle, and I rolled my shoulders to loosen them.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, I wiggled the stub of my tongue with a kind of unattached peevishness, before trudging over to the stainless steel table, the wet slap of my soles sounding in the silent room. Something squelched underfoot as I came to a stop, but I didn't bother to look down as I took in the items strewn in a messy organisation.

On the table were two sets of things, some mine, while others perhaps belonging to the future me. I collected my own equipment quickly, tucking them into my pockets, my pants soiled and bloody, but only having received minimal damage. Once I was loaded up with the comforting weight, I grabbed my engagement ring and gingerly slot it in place, sighing as it hugged me cooly. Then, I looked over what had been left behind by the twenty-six-year-old Yamaguchi Daiki.

A cracked smartphone, a brand watch, broken glasses, keys, a wallet and - I blinked, before picking up the yellow box, almost feeling it thrum in my fingers like it recognised me.

Box Weapon.

A dribble of blood spilt from my lips when I unwittingly sighed, leaving me to quickly wipe it away as I turned my attention to the metal bowl, and frowned. Pocketing the box weapon, I grabbed a handkerchief and scooped up my tongue, grimacing as I wrapped it up, before putting it in my breast pocket, a little pulse of Sun sent to try and preserve it.

Looking to the second level of the trolly, I breathed a sound of interest and pulled out a rather pricey looking suit jacket, deciding to shrug it on and cover my bloody, naked top. A crinkle made me pause, and I reached in to find a folded piece of paper.

I raised an eyebrow and opened it, before stalling, my heart jolting as I took in the image of an older Takeshi cuddling Lambo, who was clad in a Namimori Elementary school uniform with Mary tucked under his arm. Mephisto was bouncing around them with excitement, perhaps enjoying their happiness, perhaps not having seen one of them in a while, or perhaps a healthy mixture of both. They looked at the camera with such infectious happiness, that I couldn't help the twitch of my lip, nor the softening of my expression as I touched at the sharp line of the Rain's jaw, suddenly craving the warmth of my lover.

My lover who was in this building, getting his jaw slammed in.

My lips thinned tightly, and I hid the picture back where I had found it, the internal pocket above my heart. Buttoning up the jacket, I turned and glared at the carnage, before glancing to the camera, quiet and inactive.

A thought came to me, and I grinned, blood bubbling out from between my teeth and dripped from my lip.

Ugh, messy. I wonder if future me has another handkerchief.

* * *

 **|LAMBO|**

Lambo cuddled up next to I-pin in Kusakabe's backpack, the Base was more on the chilly side than usual as the pompadoured man chased after the fast-moving Mist girl, Chrome. The young boy laughed loudly as he watched Mephisto run alongside them, white fur plastered back by their haste and teeth bared as the pup growled in dislike at the atmosphere of the Melone.

"Miphy! Miphy run fast!" he cheered, before whining as the Chinese girl bopped him on the head with reprimand.

"Lambo-kun needs to be quiet or we'll be found!" she scolded at him.

Lambo whined and pouted before slumping his chin to sit on the rim of the bag, keeping his eyes on Mephisto to entertain himself, as well as keep his heart from beating out of his chest. His muscles were all tense inside his body and he didn't like how his stomach rolled as the building roared like a black bear.

' _Woof!'_ Mephisto boomed, turning a corner and weaving between legs while Chrome rendered men useless with tilted reality and her pronged trident.

"Hey, weird-hair man," Lambo drawled, making Kusakabe scrunch his nose in offence. "Do you think we'll find Papa here? Daddy says he was shot, so maybe Papa's body is somewhere in here?" he asked off-handedly, almost like he was speaking aloud.

Chrome paused a couple steps ahead and glanced over her shoulder at the words, wringing her hands on her staff with discomfort.

"Lambo-kun," she began, voice quiet but strong, and walked up to the child. "We're going to find Daiki-kun. Don't worry."

Kusakabe blinked as he watched the two Guardian youths stare at each other for a moment, seemingly communicating without word or Flame. Then Lambo smiled, weakly, and rummage in his onesie's pockets, before pulling forth an unwrapped lolly.

"Grape lolly?" he offered gently, getting a startled giggle from the Mist.

"Thank you, Lambo-kun," she hummed quietly, "When we find Daiki-kun, I'll tell him you were very nice to me."

"Good! Then he'll give me _lots_ of lollies!" he cheered, whooping as Mephisto began to bark in agreement - or perhaps telling the child not to get his hopes up.

There was a beat of silence before the boy found the courage to ask a quiet, uncertain question of the girl.

"Will we find Papa soon?"

The Mist forced herself to keep smiling and said, "As soon as we can."

Lambo hoped it was soon enough; he didn't like the foreboding tension in his gut.

 **|LAMBO|**

* * *

 **|Y.T|**

Takeshi shifted Lal on his back, the floor still rumbling beneath his feet as he thinned his lips, a new hall that looked near exactly the same presenting itself. He tongued the back of his teeth and took a step forward, beginning what could have been a long trek to the others.

The position of Lal's arms around his shoulders made the chain around his neck tug against his skin, the marital ring that was tucked safely inside his shirt pressing against his throat and reminding him, with a flash of pain, of his absent spouse. Takeshi bit his lip and shook his head, fixing the woman's sleeping position; they'd find Daiki soon enough, he just had to keep walking.

 **...**

His heart was thumping and his ears rushed with blood as the effort to keep up with the opponent. His opponent. A lanky man with sharp eyes and an enviable ability with a sword that left Takeshi's hand trembling with the strain of keeping a hold on his hilt.

He was seeing things, his balance was all off course and his mind was a complete nut house. Flames were playing a part in this mess, they always were, but he wasn't sure how to combat reality itself!

Genkishi, the one who purposefully lost to Squalo and refers to him as the 'second best'. That's who he was battling.

Takeshi firmed his hands, unable to deny the emotion welling in his stomach blocked and parried one after another, barely seconds between each screech of metal hit the air. The Rain yelped as he hit the ground, concrete pipe cracking against his back and breaking his fall, leaving him to grit his teeth against the spark of pain.

"Fuck...That was clo- My Shigure Kintoki!" he hissed, spider webbing cracks fracturing through the blade as it reflected meekly up at him in the fluorescent light.

"The distance me and you Vongola swordsmen is incomprehensible," Genkishi drawled, back turned to the Rain in a show of insignificance. "Even Squalo-san is no exception to this rule."

Takeshi was scared for his life. And he was thrilled by it. By the danger, by the stakes. His heart beat double time and his body sang with adrenaline.

There was no checklist here; no gradual crawl towards a net completion. There was one goal, and it was simple and clear. It was just as Squalo said:

"I just have to win," he huffed, grinning as he got back on his feet.

Genkishi looked visibly disgusted by his efforts and it made the Rain laugh a bit, the same way he did when he annoyed his classmates back in Namimori. The tone must have irked the Mist, for his frown became more pronounced and his sword jangled slightly in his hand.

Takeshi weighed Shigure Kintoki in his palm, swaying the blade loosely, feeling the air flow over its width and breadth. He smiled.

Water splashed underfoot as the Rain bolted forward, razor edge angled ready and waiting to deliver the blow as he closed in with surety that should not have been present with a broken sword. He took a sharp breath and swung, the sound of metal screaming down that hall as the weapons collided and shards flew, leaving the Yamamoto grinning as Shigure Kintoki held true.

"Another illusion," he huffed.

The Mist glared down at his hands, feeling his nerves buzz and slowly ebb into uselessness.

"Attacco di Squalo. Scary isn't it?" the Rain hummed, stepping back and scratching his nose absently. "You'll be feeling your body dull right about now, yeah? I made the attack a bit more - oh, what's that word? - Potent when I infused my Rain Flames with it," he grinned and tilted his head with a cheery laugh. "Nifty, hey?"

Genkishi scowled before taking several leaps back away from the Rain, his arm hanging beside him. His eyes narrowed at the Yamamoto from a distance, though no other body language was told beyond how he maneuvered his arm carefully.

"Even after all this," the Mist huffed, straightening up his form. "You fight like you don't care."

"Don't care about what!?" Takeshi called out to him thematically, making fun of the fair gap be put between them.

"' _What'_? Surely that Gamma told you; he can never keep a good story to himself," he said, dropping the suffix in European nature.

"Why don't you stop dancing around it and just tell me?" the Vongola laughed, feeling his throat scritch at the forced out notes, trying to smooth his mood back to still water. Speaking of, wow, he was thirsty.

"That I was the one who ordered the man to shoot; despite that Yamaguchi person being in the line of fire," he answered flatly, not at all interested beyond exasperation. "But I suppose you don't care much if you never asked any questions."

A beat of silence.

"...You what?" Takeshi uttered, staring across the hall at the man with wide, affixed eyes. Something was bubbling inside of him. Restless. Awakened. _Angry_.

"Must I repeat myself?" Genishi sighed, unaffected by the low rumbling Rain. "I ordered the bullet into Yamaguchi Daiki's chest."

Rain's were meant to be tranquil, right?

 **|Y.T|**

* * *

 **|H.K|**

When Hibari Kyoya walked into the battle scene, he noticed that both competitors were in quite the state of disarray.

Yamamoto Takeshi of Vongola's past was strewn across the floor motionless; the only proof of life coming from the boy was the gargled groans of pain that slipped out from between bloodied teeth. His opponent seemed to be doing much better on the other side of the field, but as the Cloud approached closer, he noticed a nice, vibrant blooming of red pooling at the Mist's feet.

"I see the Chattering Herbivore's young mate did a number on you," he drawled, stepping down from the rubble of his entrance.

"Blinded by anger," Genkishi scoffed, glaring dispassionately down at the broken boy. "He was easy to fool after that."

Hibari was unaffected by the claim, but the word 'trick' nestled itself in his ears and resounded loudly through his brain. He released a hum and regarded the person with a new light; registering weapons as he withdrew his Cloud Box.

"I see you're a Mist," the Vongola Cloud uttered, inserting the Flames of a proxy Ring into the lock. "Unfortunately for you, I despise illusionists."

 **|H.K|**

* * *

God damn it, just how many people are there here?

I winced and held my side as I stepped over the broken body of another faceless Millefiore Black Spell, my legs wavering in strength for a moment before I pushed on. Air came whistling out of my nose in deep and painful breaths, my mouth pressed firmly shut as a crust of blood formed on the seam of my lips.

" _Here! Another one of the invaders!"_

There were still more!?

My Flame wheezed within me but swarmed my arms and legs with strength as I slammed brass knuckles into flesh, tearing them up and beating them down, moving forward the entire time. I didn't have the freedom to dawdle in a single place for too long; I could feel my fingertips growing cold.

A White Spell came from behind and I bared my teeth with a throaty snarl, bloody splattering from between my teeth and tumbling down my chin as I boxed the man straight in the temple, watching his eyes roll back and his body slump amongst his fellows.

Never ending, I sighed to myself, hissing out a spittle in annoyance before wiping my chin clean and continuing on. This was kind of like the Watanabe trial, I thought, the near infinite waves of men, the days (week?) spent whittling down my strength.

I never thought I'd need the stamina and experience that that hell battle had endowed me with, but lo and behold-

The familiar ' _whirr'_ of a Gola Mosca rung out as it trudged towards me, crushing debris and the fallen under its feet with all the cold apathy of a machine. It's lens shifted and focused onto me followed by the faint beeping of a lock on, and it raised it's canon-arms, barrels illuminating with a generation of heat energy.

My lips pulled into a smile and a red dribble spilt.

 **...**

The ' _tank' 'tank' 'tank'_ of metal kept in time with my lead-footed steps as I made my way down another hall. A piece of Gola Mosca was both my trophy and my walking stick as I slumped heavily against it, gurgling annoyances up at the walls and cameras of the Melone Base.

I swear to God when I see Shoichi next I'm going to beat his ass _so_ hard.

The Base rumbled as the sound of battle slipped through the walls; rooms and sections of Melone sorting themselves like a sliding puzzle to arrange a path. Echoes of battle were rampaging around me; at least two different clashes taking place - one being near on top of me. The closeness urged me to go faster, because whether it was Tsuna, Hibari or anyone else the collateral damage was going to be immense this late into the invasion.

* * *

 **|S.T|**

Skeletal and metallic was the body Tsuna battled against, the fire of his Will burning under his skin and deep in his core as he hovered and swerved. He didn't understand why or how the human Genkishi had morphed into a skeleton warrior, but he pushed aside his confusion and pressed forward; casting aside hesitation and doubt as he crashed his fist across Genkishi's mandible.

Tsuna grit his teeth as a hulking fist impacted against his cheek in return and they parted quickly, putting ground between them as they recuperated and collected their wits.

"I see," he sighed, gazing evenly at the being before him. "Your strength hasn't grown all that much at all."

"What?!" the skeleton Mist hissed.

"You rely on your anger and hate to fuel your actions. Too many movements, too many wasted embellishments; you're not thinking clearly. To put it simply," Tsuna scoffed lowly, "You're not a bit frightening."

"You think _this_ is the full power of a Hell Ring?! I'll show you full power, now!"

The Sky thinned his lips as the exposed teeth of the warrior glowed with coalescing energy, a low rumble beginning in the cavity of a chest before it piqued into a ghastly howl. He tsked in a new caution while white Mist fumbled free from the skeleton's maw and took on the form of human bones, making his muscles tense as it soared towards him.

"Another body?" the Vongola questioned, before hitching his breath as the Mist settled into the solemn face of his Rain. "Yamamoto-kun?!"

Tsuna stared as his brain ground down the unexpected turn, before choking on his breath as the hands of his swordsman clamped down around his neck with a merciless grip. Hands of others followed, Chrome and Gokudera calling out to him as they too began to squeeze the passage of his throat.

I-pin and Lambo bawled openly as they too joined the suffocation, little hands grasping for purchase and squeezing what they could, before Hibari, Kusakabe and Lal Mirch filled in the gaps and eradicated any hope of inhalation.

"Stop! Stop! Everyone let go!" Tsuna gasped breathlessly, wheezing loudly as his head grew hot.

His eyes widened as another, large set clamped down from behind him, pressing him forward into the clutches of his friends and digging their thumbs into the column of his spine in a way that threatened to snap it.

" _Little Fish."_

"Y...Yamaguchi-s-san!" he strained, but something deep in his brain said it didn't add up. This wasn't the Yamaguchi he was familiar with; this was-

" _Little Fish."_

Ten Years Later Yamaguchi Daiki tightened his fingers until Tsuna felt something click in his trachea, the hands of his friends compacting down with the added force of the Sun's oppression.

" _Hahaha!_ How does it feel, Vongola, to be back-stabbed by your own friends and family?! Does it make you want to kill them!?" Genkishi screeched, "I would have loved to have killed them! I want them _dead!"_

"You, Phantom Knight. If I die only you will I never forgive!" Tsuna hissed out, glaring with all the ferocity his numbing flesh could muster.

The skeleton stared at him for a moment before throwing its helmeted head back in hysterics, screeching its amusement to the rafters and shouted, "'no forgiveness', you say!? 'Even if you die', you say!? Take a good, _long_ look at your condition, Vongola; you're about to die at the hands of your family! Do you think your 'forgiveness' matters at this point!?"

A gentle burst of tempered Flame was all it took to achieve, and Tsuna smiled as he grazed the metal fingertips of his gloves along I-pin's scalp with a soft croon.

"I-pin-chan, Lambo-kun, don't cry. Don't cry, you need to keep moving."

The two paused and blinked at him before moving away, their hands frozen over with Break Through.

"Everyone else," Tsuna continued, breathing easy already. "Let go, please."

And all the hands slipped from his throat in a moment, bodies floating just out of reach. The Sky nibbled on his tongue for a moment and in the seconds of Genkishi's confusion, he risked a glance over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of what his friend would grow to be.

Tsuna didn't have long enough and only managed to catch the stretch of lips that were pulled into a smile that he could only describe as proud. It almost looked like he was wearing a soft shade of lipstick.

' _Right Flame Burner pressure increasing...'_ crackled his headset and he was on the move, soaring up with an X-Burner boiling up. ' _230,000...240,000. Pressure increasing; entering Red Zone.'_

Genkishi was moving quickly towards him, sword at the ready, Flame thrashing around him violently.

"Come at me with all you've got, Genkishi-san!"

' _Gauge Symmetry: Standby to fire!_ '

"You bloody Vongola! I'll tear you apart!"

Tsuna grit his teeth as he was overwhelmed by an all-consuming heat that threatened to make the tears that clung to his lashes bubble. Every breath held heat that stung his lungs; the lock of his elbows straining against the compressing force of the X-Burner: Hyper Explosion.

The Sky gave a breath as the last of Genkishi's anger was swallowed by ash, but then was forced to move with speed as Spanner shouted and crumbled in on himself, arms up to defend his head from the falling debris of battle.

''That's Vongola,'' the mechanic muttered, unwinding.

"It would seem that Genkishi used the last of his energy to escape. More than a little worrying, I'd say," Reborn's holographic proxy hummed, getting a side glance from the young Boss at the lack of traditional suffix. "In other news: we've found the white machine."

Tsuna looked over his shoulder and gazed up at the massive device, far larger than he had first predicted.

This was his goal. They had made it.

 **|S.T|**

* * *

My feet were heavy as I slumped against the metal walls for support, fingers numb as I forced myself to continue, the faint buzz of a long dead alarm ringing lowly in my ears. I thinned my lips before spitting out the last mouthful of red and rubbed my lips clear of it; getting straight as the voices chattered and my weak heart swelled in its exhaustion.

"You'd grow stronger when there were people you were desperate to protect!" Shoichi Irie. "We decided that it was a necessity we couldn't avoid!"

The sounds of outrage. Loud, thundering footsteps; but only one pair.

"How could you!? What kind of reason was that?! What if something happened to Kyoko-chan, Haru-chan or the other!?" Tsuna boomed, his voice ricocheting off the metal walls. "And not just them! Before training too, there were chances for Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto-kun and every one to die!"

"If that was the case then...then it couldn't be helped-"

"What the fuck!?" Gokudera.

"' _Couldn't be helped!?_ ' We still haven't found Yamaguchi-san yet!? If we find him dead are you going to tell us that it _couldn't be helped!?"_ the Sky screamed, bordering on hysteric disbelief.

The howl of a dog made me pause and my eyes to widen, I leant against the wall as I heard Mephistopheles growl and snap in aggression, the smart pup knowing I was involved. Perhaps he knew I was nearby too.

"I tried my best to plan it all! If something unexpected happened, or I slipped up, I'd be dead before I could blink! This is a lot more serious than you seem to realise!" Shoichi exclaimed, "Besides! This entire plan was part of the future you's idea, Tsunayoshi-kun!"

A beat of silence. I was leaning against a wall, breathing loudly through my nose as my grip on the slab of Mosca wavered in episodes.

"This plan was the utmost of secrets! Only your future self, the future Hibari Kyoya, the future Yamaguchi Daiki and I knew about it! It wasn't to be revealed to anyone else, under any circumstance!"

I blinked before giving a bubbled groan; how deep did I dig myself? Getting in on secrets like a good co-conspirator. What a mess. What a complete and utter mess.

I let them talk as I tried to hold onto my slipping conscious. My fingers had moved from cold to numb and the muscles in my legs were revolting to respond to brain signals or stimulus.

Not much time left. God, what kind of bullshit level of mystical, shounen healing is it going to take to fix me in time for any of the upcoming battles? All members of the party have to be present - this was not going to be easy.

I grit my teeth and whacked my thigh aggressively, the loud crack reverberating through the hall but unheard by the Vongola party as my flesh stung from the strike.

Work, God damn you!

They were shouting like idiots again - or, as per usual - cheering on the wrathful Flame of the Varia who had reigned supreme in the battle in Italy. Consistently, good.

I paused and let out a breath through my nose as the ' _tap' 'tap' 'tap' 'tap' 'tap' 'tap'_ of Mephisto's claws against the floor approached me fast, along with his excited barks and pants. A smile tugged at my blood crusted lips as the pup whined and bounced around my feet, nearly knocking me over in his enthusiasm, grinning at me with an open maw.

"Eh? Miphy, where are you goin'?" Lambo laughed, bounding after the mutt.

He saw me and froze.

I smiled at my son with all the warmth I could muster and tugged the jacket closer shut, thankful for the pitch black colouring as it hid the slow spreading stain of fresh red. Crimson swooshed in my mouth as I pushed off the wall and approached the cow-printed boy, fondness mixing with guilt as he looked up at me like he wasn't sure if I was real or not.

I couldn't talk, and I couldn't risk hugging him lest I stain him vermillion; so I instead reached out - then paused, gazed at the gore covered hand, and retracted it, only to be forced to stop as Lambo snatched my fingers from the air and clutched onto them for dear life.

"Papa?" he asked, and I nodded. "My Papa?"

' _Your Papa,'_ I signalled gently, feeling his Lightning grow and swell in a visceral delight. ' _I'm so sorry, Bo-kun. You must have been so worried.'_

"Dumb Papa! Dummy, dummy, dummy!" he shouted, crushing my fingers in his hands. "Papa is a dummy!"

' _Bo-kun...'_

My lips pulled tight as I forced myself to bend and pulled the teary child to me, pressing his face into my shoulder but keeping our bodies otherwise apart. The kneeling position I had taken was proving to be painful as the salt of Lambo's tears invaded my cuts, but I didn't try to move, just listened to my son sob as he grabbed handfuls of my jacket.

"Papa. Papa..."

' _Papa's here. Papa's here, my darling. My little Bo-kun, come on, let's go see the others. Go to your father, for me?'_ I hummed, leaning against the wall again before almost crawling my way to my feet.

Lambo grabbed my pants' leg stubbornly and walked beside me despite how slow I travelled, Mephisto keeping pace as well on the other side with sharp eyes and an attentive tail.

I looked at the Vongola party and felt something in me ache. They all looked so banged up; injured, wounded, weak and tired. But of course, Takeshi still had the energy to grit a laugh through his bleeding teeth as he was laid down on one of three stretchers that Kusakabe had pulled out from his backpack.

I huffed through my nose, feeling it gurgle in the back of my throat as I wrapped an arm around my midsection and stumbled into the light. My footsteps thudded heavily and I could feel the strength slip out from between my fingers as I slumped against the broad warmth of Ryohei's back, a low groan rumbling from beneath my throat.

Was Ryohei meant to be here? It seemed too early still...

The Sun snapped around and prepared to box me right in the head, before he was silenced by shock, his mouth moving mutedly as his arms came up and caught me before I fell, head thumping on his shoulder as he took my weight.

"Papa!"

"Holy fuck! Daiki-kun, bro!" the loud exclamation finally choked from his vocals, making the others of the Vongola turn and similar shouts rip from them.

"Yamaguchi-san!" Tsuna yelped, the Storm cursing wildly as he followed.

"Daiki-kun!" Takeshi slurred, not quite able to get his jaw to work. The boy tried to get up, but I gestured for him to stop, my heart aching as he winced from the slightest movement.

"Yamaguchi-san, oh my God, you're so badly injured," the young Vongola wheezed, eyes wide, hands fluttering in restlessness.

I smiled a bit with thin lips, before shaking my head, trying to deny it without speech as I leant into my stiff brother's warmth. His arms were tight as they kept me up, muscles locked in paralysis as his mind tried to sort the sight before him.

My eyes flitted to his and I reached up, freezing just before a blood ridden hand could touch his pale complexion. A huff of apology came before I swapped my outstretched limb and I began to card his hair softly, trying to calm him, wordlessly urging him to ease his breaths.

"Bro...You're...You look like..." he shuddered and clamped down, making me wince before I gently pried his arms off to sway on my own. "Daiki-kun you-"

I paid him no mind and turned to the Guardians that had been through battle, a sigh coming through my nose as I took in their mendings. My fingers tingle to life as I caressed sunshine into the scrapes and gouges of the young Sky, yelps of worry bursting from them all as I let yellow wash over his skin.

"Oi, you should hold onto that, fucker!" Gokudera snapped, yanking my hands off of Tsuna. "Look at you, you're a mess! Heal yourself first, dumbass!"

I blinked, before shaking my head in denial. It was fine, I tried to express, allowing the warmth of suns to spiderweb up the Storm's arms and began to tend to his ailments.

The teen slowly registered what I was doing and withdrew from contact, severing the channel of healing with a shout of reprimand. Chrome stepped away from me on her shaky legs, making it obvious that she would refuse any help from my Sun right now, Hibari doing much the same and leaving me to trudge on towards the Rain.

"Daiki-kun," he coughed, a shiver of pain coming through him at the sudden tension. "Shujin-kun."

Takeshi would have continued to try to talk despite his jaw, but as I lowered myself to sit beside his stretcher I put my hand on his cheeks, gurgling a soft coo at him. He needed to calm down and be still, lest he hug me and find out about the blood that was soaking through the first layer.

Oh, but I wanted him to hug me so badly! But that chance of me slipping on the weak hold of consciousness I had if he were to let me rest with him was a dangerous bet. So instead, I leant forward and pressed my lips to his brow, feeling him go slack against me, a hand crawling around to find mine.

The Rain was shaking for what could have been a range of reasons, and I felt my Sun spark to life and rush towards him, bathing his skin in heat and activity, soothing him of aches and emotional pains. He murmured for me to stop, but I looped my arm around his waist and pulled him closer, giving tight-lipped kisses his scalp and touching his Flame with my own.

' _Takeshi-kun...Takeshi-kun...My shujin-kun, I've missed you.'_

Lambo squirmed into a crevice between us, muttering in a kind of unsteady happiness as he finally had both his parents boxing him in. The little boy curled up on my lap and yawned, making my heart wither and swell in a single moment; he was tired, my poor baby.

' _Our poor Bo-kun,'_ I sighed to the Rain, both of us looking down at out Lightning.

I felt Takeshi still, the chatter of the others faint to my ears as I focused on my love. He tilted his head and kissed me once before he began to tug on my arm, trying to pull me down to lay with them.

' _No, not now,'_ I signalled weakly, no doubt sounding just more than an echo. ' _We have to go soon. I'll lay down when we get back.'_

"Why aren't you speaking?" he asked gently.

' _Too tired,'_ came my response, before I glanced my fingertips along his jaw, brow furrowing in worry as I felt the brief unevenness of a shallow fracture. ' _You shouldn't be speaking either, my love...Let me fix that.'_

"No-" he bit his lip before relaxing his mandible. ' _No, I'll be fine. Fix yourself, first.'_

' _But your bone is fractured.'_

' _Fix yourself,'_ Takeshi scolded shifting so he could watch me. ' _And then you can use a little on the rest of-'_

A telltale crackle of static buzz in the air and made my body tense, pangs of phantom pain making the line of my dissection throb and the nub of my tongue burn. It pulsed with recognition and trauma, Takeshi's eyes narrowing as he watched my frozen form begin to rattle.

" _Oh, no"_ Byakuran grinned. " _This is merely a little break; an intermission if you will. Both the main battle in Italy and that of the Melone Base have been most entertaining."_

My breath hitched as a hand came down on my shoulder, latex gloves stark white against the jacket and making me convulse-

"Bro, Daiki-kun, calm down," Ryohei urged, rubbing my arm to coax me out of psychosis. "Calm down, what's wrong?"

The latex hand was gone, his warm colouring there instead as he tried to keep me stable.

"Dude, dude, look at me."

I shuddered but couldn't raise my eyes, buckling instead to press my face into Takeshi's chest, finding safety there as familiar sea salt and bamboo began to fill my senses. His arms came around my head and hugged it to him, Ryohei's hand rubbing my spine as he felt it coil with tension.

" _This pre-game battle had a very important role, you know! It showed me what true abilities of the Vongola's most powerful squad, see. And of course, Shou-chan's acting debut in trying to lie to lil' old me."_

"Wait - Wait so you-" Shoichi uttered, eyes wide.

" _Yupper, busted~!"_

They could feel it, no doubt. They could feel how my Flame was shaking on its tinder, the pyre reducing itself to a candle to hide from the voice that saturated the air. Sun and Rain swarmed me, and I thought I could taste the faintest of a Storm lingering in the background, watching from across the bridge of a Forge.

' _...iki-kun. Daiki-kun, come on. What's wrong? Talk to us, bro,'_ the Sun prodded gently, settling up against mine until our Flames blended at the tongues.

Listen to them, listen to them. Don't listen to Byakuran; listen to Ryohei, listen to Takeshi.

"Daiki-kun, I love you."

I paused as a hand covered my ear, the other coming to be grazed by breath as I was pulled closer and directed to focus solely upon the soft words.

"My shujin-kun, my husband, so gentle with me. I'm here, Takeshi's here for you, love," Takeshi murmured sweetly, crinkling his fingers to fill my covered ear with white noise. "Daiki-kun. Mine, all mine to love and cherish. So warm, so wonderful."

" _Details on our game of Chance will be informed in 10 days. I won't be making any moves until then, so you should all get some nice and relaxing Z's!"_ he giggled.

"Yeah, we're here for you. You're safe now, relax, okay?" Ryohei hushed, and I deflated under their attention, slowly unwinding as the Rain pecked my cheek.

"Pay attention to me, Daiki-kun. I want your attention. You've been gone for so long," he breathed, nuzzling in closer. "Tighter? Hold me tighter?"

I obeyed quickly and pulled him against me, burying my nose into his neck and breathing shallowly as he continued to drown out the Millefiore Sky.

"Yay," he crooned happily, pressing his cheek to my crown. "Yay, I'm being loved. Daiki-kun loves me so much, doesn't he?"

A shudder ran through me as I nodded against his collar, Ryohei's hand still rubbing my back and urging my muscles to relax.

"Bro, breathe. Breathe, come on, you're gonna pass out if you don't," the Sun scolded gently, coming closer until I could feel the heat of his body pressed against my back. "Breathe. Breathe."

It was only then I noticed my throat had closed, making me wheeze as I tried to control the breath in my lungs. As I let out a lungful of air a horrendously bright light devoured the place, making me cringe and curl to hide Lambo deeper between Takeshi and I - and when we looked up, the Base and Byakuran were gone.

…

The walk back to the safe house was painful and slow - for all of us. But we grit out teeth and trod on, Takeshi and I leaning heavily on Ryohei, who took our weight without complaint. Lambo sat atop Mephisto's spine in his usual saddle position as the pup tramped along with us, breath heavy and loud from exertion of carrying the child after such a run around the Melone Base.

We were joined by the others as we merged with Namimori town, Kyoko grasping a hold of me as soon as she laid eyes. She scolded me through her tears before latching onto her brother, who rumbled down at her comfortingly. Hibari and Kusakabe broke off from us before long, and the remainder of us walked with laboured steps back to the Base.

Once we were safely back in the bare-boned Base of the Vongola, a tension lifted from our shoulders, like a collective relief as we stepped through the doors.

"We have food ready for those who are hungry!" Haru offered, getting a cheer from Lambo and I-pin.

"And we made sure the bed were ready too!" Kyoko continued, looking at all of us with a thick atmosphere of concern.

I smiled and slipped away as they began to talk, Tsuna working to get everyone on the same page as they exchanged their war stories. My lips were thin as I followed the way, feet stumbling now and then before I reached the sign I was looking for.

Infirmary. Perfect.

Opening the door, I was greeted by the uninhabited room and flipped on the light. I stepped in and began to work, fingers numb but mobile as I pulled the tongue from my pocket and placed it down on the table before searching around for a needle and sutures.

There was a tense moment where I stared down at the materials I gathered and felt my hands shake. I didn't notice myself rocking. Nausea overtook me, followed by a weightlessness - I blinked and I was on the floor.

I blinked and there were people crowding the doorway.

I blinked and-

" _Daiki-kun!"_


	41. Chapter 40

**AAAAAAHH! FORTY FUCKING CHAPTERS! OH MY GOD!**

 **YAYY!**

 **Hello everybody, Lenori here! My exams start as of tomorrow so I'm not going to be able to post until sometime in November, so I decided to upload a snappy chappy for you all to stew on until then! Wish me luck! (Please, I'm going to need it.)**

 **FORTY FUCKING CHAPTERS!**

* * *

 **Chapter Warning: Blood'n'Gore**

 **Beware of |T.S| interlude until second page break!**

* * *

 **Word Count: 8484**

* * *

"You know, I really want to say that I'd forgotten how dumb you were, but you're still just as reckless ten years later."

I huffed weakly as the 'silver fox' Dr Shamal pulled a cart up beside my cot, trays lined with cloth to stop the metal from rattling and triggering hysteria. It made me cringe still though, and clamp my hands down on the restraints that had been brought in, old belts from a clothing unit bearing down on my biceps, wrists and thighs.

They had been careful, Bianchi, Fuuta and Giannini, to fix me down in places that I hadn't been before - both to allow the friction burns and humidity rash to heal, and to avoid sparking the horrendous shadows which loomed in the back of my mind even now. The left arm had been hard to bind, however, due to the fact that the whole thing had been quite messily skinned from wrist to shoulder. They had managed to withhold my arm by wrapping my palm and fixing that to the bars of the bed.

Shamal sighed and put a hand on my shoulder, the skin cold from being scrubbed clean. He wasn't wearing his lab coat at the moment, nor was he wearing gloves. It was a small mercy until I would be put under.

"We're going to have to stitch your tongue back in place," the old Mist began, tugging my mouth open gently to peer in between bloodied teeth. "I think I have some Sun and Cloud vials still in my trunk," he looked down at the rest of me and frowned in a way that made the lines on his face deepen. "I'm going to have to use at least seven on you to get you ready. God, only _six days!?"_

Six days is what I had to heal and recuperate. The four others were going to be filled with heavy duty training to try and get my chances of surviving this ordeal as high as possible.

I glanced to the door for a moment and found it just as firmly closed as it had been for the last couple hours, spare Shamal who had been travelling back and forth between the med bay B and wherever he needed to collect his equipment.

"Don't focus on that, Daiki-chan," the doctor grunted, rigging up the oxygen system that had once been used for Chrome. "We're going to need your Flames to be resilient for this. Thinking about unsavoury things will only make it worse."

I blinked before nodding and relaxing into the bed, staring at the blank ceiling. There was a snuff from under the medical cot and my lip twitched upwards as I truly unwound, feeling safer as the metal links of Mephisto's collar jangled as he shook himself out in a place where he wouldn't get in Shamal's way.

"You're lucky I made this serum - though, shit, I never thought I'd have to use so much in one go."

A snort bubbled from within me, a wet apology that got me a roll of the eyes.

"Jeez, this was meant to be used to reverse the effects of physical interrogation victims," he murmured to me, holding up a needle away from my view, though I could hear how he flicked the syringe to check for air bubbles. "It'll help with regrowth of cells - and should be able to assist in reconnecting your tongue after I bond it back. Most of your injuries are external, and those on the inside can be fixed with _relative_ ease. Though, expect to scar; especially on your stomach."

I nodded mutely - not like I had any other choice - before closing my eyes and thinning my lips, hating how my body tensed, ready to tear myself free and break the bones of Shamal who gently inserted the needle and injected general anesthesia into my blood.

"Get some sleep, Daiki-chan," he sighed, putting a hand over my eyes to try and calm my breath which had shallowed with the familiar bite of metal. "Sleep; I'll see you when you wake up."

* * *

 **|S.T|**

They had survived the Merone Base.

"Man, I thought we'd never make it out of there!" Yamamoto laughed, his speech slurred and his cheek swollen.

"Idiot, of course, we would have! Tenth was the one guiding us!" Gokudera snapped, though he too sounded weak with exhaustion.

Tsuna let out an unsure laugh at that, rubbing the back of his head both on sheepishness and discomfort at the amount of trust his friends put in him. Honestly, he didn't think they were going to make it out of there sometimes either!

Fuuta-kun was taking Lal Mirch to Medical Bay A so she could rest, and it left the rest of them to calm down finally.

"Hey guys," Ryohei started looking around them with a worried bend to his brow. "Did anyone see where Daiki-kun walked off to? He's not here any-"

" _I'm very sorry for this interruption!"_ Giannini squealed through their earpieces, the man contacting them from the security room. " _You all need to go to medical ward B! Daiki-sama has collapsed in the doorway! Hurry!"_

Everyone looked to one another with wide eyes and they sprinted, their collective footsteps thundering as they navigated dry-wall halls before screeching to a halt before the doors to the bay. The automatic sliding doors were held open by something in its sensor, so when they screeched to a halt they had no trouble in seeing Yamaguchi strewn across the floor on his side, pale as death.

"Daiki-kun!" Yamamoto screamed, launching himself forward and dropping down beside the Sun, shaking him gently. "Daiki-kun!"

"Bro! Holy- Takeshi-kun, his mouth!" Ryohei yelped, drawing everyone's attention to the slight dribble of red that peered from closed and dry lips.

"He might choke," Gokudera joined, startling Tsuna with his volume. "Open his mouth and turn him on his side to get it to drain!"

Yamamoto quickly did as instructed, rolling the older in a manner that angled him with his arms and legs before opening his jaw. Kyoko gasped and stepped back as Yamaguchi seemed to puke up blood, but the lack of convolution left the dark red to leak out slowly.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! What the hell happened to him!?" Ryohei gagged, on his hands and knees beside his brother as their sister shuddered in the hallway.

Chrome worked to try and keep Haru from falling over, lowering the girl to sit on the ground when her legs failed her in her nausea.

It was then that an object caught Tsuna's eye; a handkerchief folded messily on the table beside a sink. He frowned, his gut telling him to investigate - but also warning him against it somehow. The Sky edged around his frantic friends who were fussing over Yamaguchi, the Rain trying to hold onto his partner while Gokudera worked to clear the boy's mouth enough to see what the hell was going on inside.

" _Eh? Why's everyone here? Where's Papa?"_

"Lambo-kun don't come here! Go with I-pin-chan to your room, now!" Haru commanded, Chrome blocking the two from getting anywhere near the door, looking ready to cast an illusion should she so need to.

Tsuna gulped a thick swallow, tense for some reason, and began to unfold the handkerchief, startled by the creases sticking and tacky with some sort of liquid. He managed to get it unravelled and he stared, not entirely sure what he was looking at, at first, then-

"Guys," he croaked, getting the three on the floor to look at him. His face was stark white, the blood drained from his complexion as if it had attempted to flee. "I-I think I found the problem..."

"What is it-" the Storm asked, getting to his feet and coming over quickly, before yelping and stumbling back just as fast. "Is that a fucking _tongue!?"_

"What?!" Yamamoto exclaimed, before pulling Yamaguchi's head and peering into his mouth. "Oh...God."

"Wh- How!?" Kyoko retched, Haru covering her mouth with both hands as she leant against the wall. "How could this have happened!? He was in the Base with you wasn't he!?"

"We didn't run into him until the end," Ryohei uttered, looking numb and lost. "He...He looked fine - roughed up as shit but not _this_ bad -"

Reborn stepped into the room at that moment and Tsuna zeroed in on the Arcobaleno, desperate for someone to take control of this fucked up situation!

"This looks serious," the baby spoke, "and Yamaguchi-san's wounds extend further than his mouth. Am I correct in believing that?"

"Yeah," the new voice made them all snap around, eyes widening in hope and shock as a greying Doctor Shamal took up the doorway, his face set in concentration as he looked down at the broken body. "Move, let me see 'em."

Yamamoto and Ryohei were hesitant, but they got out of the way once the doctor started examining the Sun. The old doctor checked the boy's pulse and nodded, a breath of mild relief escaping the Vongola crew. Yamaguchi was alive, for now, at least.

Shamal felt around, touching his right arm then his left - he paused there for a moment, Tsuna felt his stomach sink - and then let his hands wander to the rogue's abdomen. The ex-Nami nurse's eyes widened before he cursed a long string of Italian that made Gokudera cringe and began tugging at the suit jacket that Yamaguchi had donned.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Yamamoto asked, sinking his teeth into his knuckles brutally.

"I need to check the abdomen," Shamal responded quickly, sparing them a glance with a look that distilled the Sky's gut. "Daiki-chan's gonna hate me for this."

Why?

The greying man rolled Yamaguchi onto his back and yanked the jacket open without regard, buttons flying onto the linoleum floor of the medical bay and exposing the wound that measured the length of the Sun's stomach. The jacket fell away, and everyone ground to a halt.

"Wo...man?"

The Sky felt the overwhelming pressure of confusion dig at his brain; not able to register what he was seeing nor how it fit with his comprehension of what he thought he knew. Tsuna glanced to Yamamoto and found him to be frozen. He looked to Ryohei and found him to be paralyzed.

"Shit. Looks like she tried to heal it herself," Shamal hissed, still active in his assessment and treatment. "She fell right? It must have split open again on impact."

Reborn was frowning the whole time, and there was a shine in his eye that Tsuna recognised upon the first glance. He didn't know either?

"Would you stop gawking and help me get Daiki-chan on a bed?!" Shamal barked, stunning them awake.

Chrome shoved past and was the first to assist the doctor, hooking her arms under the...girl's legs and lifting as best she could before Bianchi came and took the last of the weight. The poison woman helped get the last of the jacket off from Yamaguchi's arms and let out a hissed curse when she saw how the arm had been thoroughly skinned of all its colour.

Tsuna remembered how that arm used to bloom with irezumi, and to see it now, raw, made his head light.

"What the hell?" Shamal gritted, snapping on a pair of gloves and nudging around the flaps of flesh that were the opening to Yamaguchi's stomach. "These look clean."

"Dissection?" Bianchi asked, helping Chrome disrobe the prone being on the table.

"Torture," the doctor huffed through bared teeth. "Look for other wounds around the body."

The two nodded and called out whenever they found a laceration or damage.

" _Cuts on feet!"_

" _There's a hole in the right hand!"_

" _Cuts on the back too!"_

" _Collarbone!"_

" _Palms!"_

" _Bone feels uneven here!"_

"Shamal," Reborn interrupted, skipping Japanese pleasantries for brutal European, getting the attention of the room. "How long will it take Yamaguchi-san to heal?"

The doctor bit his lip and interrogated the situation, looking over the bare, broken form presented.

"She's exhausted too...I'd say-"

"Whatever it is, make it six days."

"Six day-" he coughed and slipped a crooked smirk onto his face, trying to cover the vague hysteria which existed just under his skin. "Reborn, I know I'm amazing, but give me a break, man!"

"We have ten days and we need Yamaguchi-san caught up and in shape by then. Six days to recover is all we can afford at this point," the hitman stated, not making room for any further debate.

Shamal grit his teeth before thinning his lips and nodded, accepting the limiters put on him. Not like he had any other choice.

Chrome let out a shout of surprise and stumbled back suddenly, causing them to whip around and the doctor to yell a warning as Yamaguchi's hand clamped down on the Mist girl's wrist, the flesh turning white from pressure.

"Daiki-chan! Daiki-chan, let go of Chrome-chan," Shamal called, coming over and wrapping his bloodied, gloved hand around the reddened wrist.

There was a beat of silence, everyone somehow knowing something had gone wrong. Shamal went flying as Yamaguchi's leg lashed out and kicked him away.

"Bianchi, Giannini!" Reborn ordered out, "Restrain Yamaguchi-san, she's not in her right mind!"

The mechanic gulped from his position by the medical trolly and ran over to assist the taller woman, belts and bandages used to bind the Sun down.

"I can't keep her still!" Giannini exclaimed, wrestling with a leg before yelping as he was kicked in the nose and sent tumbling.

Bianchi hissed and stepped back as the Sun struggled, arms yanking at restraints until the beg itself began to jump with the force of the pulling.

Tsuna gulped before dashing forward, his feet moving before his brain. He choked on a ' _hiiiee'_ when he found himself beside Yamaguchi's bed, his heart racing as the bolts in the bed frame groaned. Then he saw amber-earth, saw how they were snapping around from face to face, corner to corner.

"Yamaguchi-san's scared," he breathed, nearly awed in his realisation. The second he uttered a noise the eyes latched onto him and he felt his stomach go cold. But he thinned his lips and reached out slowly.

Amber-earth eyes followed the hands like they were predators, before flinching away sharply as their small size came to rest on the centre of their chest. Heart beating fast. Terrified.

"Hey, Yamaguchi-san," he greeted, voice audibly shaking in nervousness. "It's me, Sawada-san. You recognise me, yeah? I'm a bit banged up though."

The eyes blinked, wide and alert.

"You're scared right now, aren't you?" Tsuna asked gently, trying to hush his voice as well as he could. "Don't be scared, you're safe now. We're here for you, we just want to help so..."

Yamaguchi glanced away and looked about the room; it was as if they had just woken up. They blinked once, then twice, before groaning and bringing their free hand to their mouth, coughing roughly as they slumped.

"You back?" he asked, his hand had started rubbing circles at some point.

The older nodded and gently brushed his hand away, making the young Sky flush when he realised what he was doing. He nodded and moved swiftly back to the group of Guardians, staring at his hand in astonishment.

"His chest was...soft," he breathed like he didn't believe it still.

"Girl?" Ryohei uttered airily.

"W-what the hell!?" Gokudera boomed, fast to turn his confusion into anger. "What the hell, he was a girl the whole time!? The fucker!"

"Daiki-kun...My...My Dai-" Yamamoto was cut off sharply by a wet sound deep in his throat, his hand flying to his mouth.

"If you're gonna get sick, get out," Shamal drawled, rubbing his stubbled jaw and tsking in pain. "You're taking up room."

They didn't need to be told twice. The sickening smell of blood was rich in their air as they moved out, all of them walking around the red pool and skid mark that was where Yamaguchi had fallen.

 **...**

It was quiet. Oh God, was it quiet.

Tsuna sat among his friends at the dinner table, bowls of food lining the way; enough for them all to eat three times over. But no one was touching their plate. Their stomachs were unsettled, their tongues felt numb.

Yamamoto Takeshi still hadn't managed to get Daiki's blood out from under his nails. Sasagawa Ryoehi still hadn't managed to change his reddened shirt.

Nausea and numbness seemed to be a collective emotion for them all.

Reborn walked into the hollow room causally, his shoes the loudest thing in existence at that moment as the soles collided with linoleum. It made Tsuna glance at the baby, almost as if to tell him to quiet down, but he could only watch in a stunned stupor as the Arcobaleno Sun grabbed up his plate and began eating.

"How can you eat?" Tsuna wheezed, queezy as he saw chunks of curry meat get spooned into the small mouth. "After all this that...blood."

"Because I'm hungry, and it'd insult girls who worked so hard to cook for us," Reborn answered easily.

"But Yamaguchi-san could be...He-" then Tsuna paused.

Was that the right pronoun? He? Or she? They?

"You can't eat because you feel guilty, right?" Bianchi hummed, coming over from the kitchen and lightly caressing the hitman's sideburns before pulling herself a chair. "Because the memory of your friends like that causes your stomach to churn."

"...Yeah," Gokudera grunted, his arms crossed as he turned away from his plate.

Kyoko gagged a bit, the words making her mind flash with the image again, her hand flying to seal her mouth. Haru hushed gently and rubbed her back as Ryohei rigidly put a glass of water down before her, his brotherly nature near automatic despite his state.

"Then eat," Bianchi scoffed, plopping white rice into a bowl. "Eat and get stronger, so Daiki-chan will never have to suffer like that again."

There was more silence after that, moments of ticking quietly. Then Ryohei reached out and grabbed his spoon and, almost aggressively, shoved a mound of rice into his mouth. He repeated it again and again until his plate was clear, chewing with too much force.

"Bro is a girl," he said, and everyone looked up.

Someone finally said it.

"Yeah, I sure as fuck didn't expect that," Gokudera scoffed, putting his elbows on the table despite how his sister glared at him through her goggles. "You've known him for like ten years though, shouldn't you have noticed something?"

"I never questioned it," Ryohei admitted, "I mean, I was six and when you get told someone's a boy you're just like 'yeah sure' and that's just the way it is!"

"Well, they do have a bit of a feminine waist when you really look at them," Haru offered, "Wouldn't you have seen the difference in shape as you got older?"

"I just thought that was what Daiki-kun looked like! Not everyone is EXTREMELY the same!"

"That's true," Kyoko agreed gently, thinking back to the years they shared with the Yamaguchi. "But why hide it? Is Ki-nii trans?" she asked, "Do people realise so early? The teachers at pre-school called Daiki-kun a boy too so..."

More silence. Tsuna looked between his friends, feeling a hollow in his chest. They had succeeded with so much - but it still felt like they had failed.

"How could that have happened?" Kyoko asked, making them all glance. "How could all that...have happened?"

"It must have been in the weeks he went missing. He must have been here for two weeks," Gokudera supplied.

Ryohei stirred and seemed to be chewing on his spoon at this point.

"Daiki…-kun was scared," he uttered, making them think back. "When that Byakuran-san started talking to us."

"His Flames were freaking out," the Storm agreed. "I've never felt anything like that before. It must have been from the Forge."

"That explains why I didn't feel that," Tsuna sighed, understanding why he was out of the loop. "So, it was something Byakuran-san did?"

"It's most likely that Byakuran-san has been torturing Yamaguchi-san for the past two weeks," Reborn hummed, "The Yamaguchi-san from this time was shot by the Millefiore, and in the chaos, the body was lost. That must mean that when they swapped, Yamaguchi-san was taken immediately to the Merone Base."

That was the answer no one wanted to hear.

Lambo squirmed and got out of his chair with a loud sniff, getting the attention of the table as he grabbed a plate of sweet fruits that were meant to be held for dessert. He ignored the calls of the girls and began pattering out of the room.

"Lambo-kun, wait! We're not supposed to take food out of the dining room!"

The little Lightning looked over his shoulder for a moment, his lips bowed in a frown that made them stop their calling.

"Lambo-san is taking food to Papa. Papa needs to eat too!" he shouted before running away before anyone could stop him.

Tsuna looked to Yamamoto and waited, wondering if the devote husband would get to his feet and follow. The Rain sat still, staring blankly down at the empty plate. The Sky sighed and began to eat slowly, each mouthful feeling like a struggle to swallow.

All that blood. All that blood. Oh God, all that…

 **|S.T|**

* * *

I coughed at sat beside the bonfire, yellow Flames lapping at the memories and emotions that I threw on it as tinder to keep it strong. The surrounding space was black as the pit, a horrendous darkness that stretched on forever.

I wasn't asleep, the serum stopped that from happening it seemed, but I wasn't awake. This must have been a limbo or a deeper subconscious.

My Flame wavered and I dumped a handful of moments with Ryohei onto it, watching as it soared back up and happily crackled around the warmth of my brother's youth.

Ryohei…

I looked down at myself and grit my teeth, pain panging in my heart when I saw unrestricted mounds press against my shirt. It wasn't on my terms, it was abrupt and gruesome. They had found out! They had found out the worst of ways!

"Oh God," I croaked, putting my head on my knees and bundling myself up into a ball. "Oh God, they must...hate me."

With my eyes squeezed shut, I didn't notice the fire growing low.

I had heard it in between the chaos, how Takeshi had gagged on my name; the sound of a wet retch urged from the realisation of just who he had laid with.

" _Daiki-kun...My...My Dai-"_

The furious shouts of Gokudera; voicing what everyone must have been thinking.

" _W-what the hell!? What the hell, he was a girl the whole time!? The fucker!"_

My skin stung with cold and my breath caught in ice. It was so cold...why was it so cold? I bolted up, a shout of panic bursting from me when I only saw embers in my Will, panic overtaking me as I threw scenes of passion and comfort onto the dying lights.

I gasped and cursed; it was like throwing sand on a fire!

"Why isn't it working!?" I shouted, bringing up a scene of Takeshi's head resting on my chest as the fire dimmed with a pang of pain. "He loves me! He loves me, so stop dying!"

" _I highly doubt they would want to be with you anymore if they found out you were a girl."_

Kaede. Kaede.

"Stop it!" I heaved, my breath thin as I dragged moments of warmth to the Flame, digging up times where Kyoko had laced my hair with flowers. "Come on! Come on, you know they love you still! Have faith in them, _please!"_

But how could I be sure?

I stopped my frantic fueling and stared down at the low crackling fire, feeling something come up behind me and settle at my side.

How could I be so sure that they did? We hadn't talked since I passed out. Since they had found out.

But what could I do? Abandon them before they could abandon me…

I thinned my lips and glanced to my new company, purple Flames stirring quietly, finally awakened after so long in the back benches. It urged me gently, its detached element suggesting a way to end the pain.

Leave a Sky who tried to chain me. Leave a Sun who did not warm me. Leave a Rain who did not soothe me. Leave a Storm who did not guard me. Leave a Mist who did not hide me. Leave a Lightning who did not defend me. They already had a Cloud and Sun, there was no use for another. Nothing for them to miss if I left.

Go somewhere else, to someone who accepted me? Xanxus of the Varia was strong and sure. Dino of the Cavillone was accepting and warm.

"But I can't leave them," I sighed, shaking my head. "I can't. At the very least, not my Bo-kun."

The Cloud Flame shuddered a bit, wondering at my attachment. It made me smile through the pain that rocked me and I grabbed up an armful of memories and threw them upon its tinder, watching it slowly eat at Lambo calling me 'Papa', Takeshi kissing my ring, Ryohei screaming at a sheet-ghost, and so many other moments of soft pink and warm hues that made the Sun wither less.

"I care for them all just a little too much," I admitted to the Cloud which had dwelled dormant. "And I want to be there for them, even if they don't feel for me too. I want to...watch them succeed. To grow into what I know they can be, and more!"

The purple-hued Flame remained still, seemingly gauging whether or not to progress before it lunged at me with the intensity so very common in Clouds and sank into my skin with burning ferocity. I shouted and jolted, my once cold skin burning at the hot temperature and scalding my bones as it squirmed its way around, trying to find a place with so much Sun in the way.

I felt hands on me, trying to keep me down, and I convulsed against them with anger. Get off! Get off! Get off!

Gloves and lab coats.

Get off!

Metal instruments and needles.

Get off!

" _Daiki-chan! Daiki-chan, stop you're going to hurt yourself!"_

" _Shit, something's wrong with her Flames! You can feel that right, damn it!?"_

" _Quick, in my case, there's a blue needle, get it!"_

Rest. We'll fix everything.

* * *

There was the turn of pages as I opened my eyes, wincing at the light and the taste of dried gore crusting the inside of my mouth and drying it out. I tried to swallow but found my throat to be too numb to achieve the action.

I nearly jerked when I noticed the IV drip, mind flashing with the room, but my body was sluggish in responding.

"You're awake," Shamal hummed, pushing away from a table which had been brought in and wheeling across the floor to peer down at me. "Don't try to talk or move around much today, your skin is still thin and will tear easily."

Shamal? When the hell did he get here? Was he in the Base originally? No...he wasn't! He wasn't meant to be here!

"Daiki-chan! Daiki-chan, breathe," he instructed quickly, "Breathe. Good, that's good. Come on, can you sit up?"

I nodded a bit before groaning as the old doctor helped me sit up, pulling the pillows until I could rest against them. A snort came from me when I spotted Mephisto across the room, splayed out on his back on a chair and hanging off it with his maw open.

Dumbass dog.

I looked to the doctor and made a vague gesture of questioning the date, the greying man blinking before he uttered an 'uh-huh' and proceeded to answer.

"I've been working o you for two days," was the response and I baulked.

" _Tthuh-_ " slipped out of my throat instead of the number, a slurred phrase that got me a pinch of the ear.

"I said no talking!" Shamal scolded. "Jesus, you're the same no matter what age. I had to give you four more shots of anaesthetic cause you kept waking up, but I doubt you remember that."

No, I shook my head.

"That's what I expected." he shrugged, forcing my mouth open and scrunching his nose at the sticky, viscous strings of jelly blood which connected the roof and tongue in my mouth. "Healing nicely...You're gonna have a divot in your tongue for pretty much ever though."

Then he took his hands away and scrubbed them at a sink, muttering about something in Italian as his hands squeaked and squelched with soap.

"The runt came to see you," the Mist uttered, walking over to a platter of fruit and proceeding to mush it up with a fork. "He brought this so you could eat. Took me forever to kick him out. He's done it twice now."

My head quirked a bit in confusion, trying to convey the question 'who's runt?'

Shamal paused at that before sighing and scrubbing the back of his head, neatly trimmed nails scratching at his scalp.

"Runt, that dumb son of yours, Lambo-kun. He's a freaking pain in the ass to babysit you know," he whined, before spinning around and pointing at me. "On that note, don't make me babysit your son next time 'round! Do you know how hard it was, and still is, to seduce women when you've got a brat throwing a tantrum on your back!?"

I couldn't help it, the expression of indignant anger on his face irresistible, and a croaked, warbled laughter began to flow from my numbed throat. My body shook as he continued to squawk at me in ire, sounding frustrated with my cackling, but the upward tilt of the corners of his lips proved that he held no ill will.

We calmed down after a couple rounds of annoying one another and the doctor brought a bucket and a couple glasses of water, getting me to rinse my mouth out of the build-up gently, making sure to avoid disturbing the scarring on my tongue and reverse any healing. It took maybe ten times before the once chunky and gritty water turned into a pale pink. He grunted and handed the bowl of mashed fruit and ice to me, encouraging me to feed myself and test how well I could move in case of muscular dystrophy or damaged nerve ends, as well as to gauge the effects of the Sun and Cloud serums that I had been hopped up on for the past two days.

"After you eat that we're gonna take a look at your stomach and check on how it's holding up," he said, bringing up a clipboard and scribbling something down. "Aside from the deep wounds you received, most of the damages have been fixed up, like the cuts on your feet and back. There may be discolouration in certain areas, but the majority will fade with time."

I gave a grunt of understanding and nudged the cold spoon into my mouth, trying to figure out just where my lips were and avoid jabbing the stitches which acted as support for the muscle within.

How are the others? I tried to convey, getting a look of blankness before the doctor clicked in understanding.

"They've been training to get better," so they haven't come here. "Bianchi-chan and Fuuta-kun seem to be the ones who have any time on their hands - or at least, they're the ones who have been told to take care of you," he explained, bending out of my range of sight and pulling up a box or clothes and toiletries.

I blinked and looked inside, stunned for a moment when I saw menstruation supplies. My mind immediately tried to conjure a timeline and I choked on a curse when I realised that so long had passed and so much more was to come. I was going to start my period again soon since I was off my contraception pills.

"Fuuh..." I sighed, getting a whack to the back of the head.

"Stop talking!"

"Mmmm!" I screeched inside my mouth, waving him away as he continued to harass me. I paused however when something caught my eye and tilted my head to cease the attack, drawing attention to a pendant which hung from the doctor's neck; some sort of locket.

"Eh, this?" he blinked, looking down at the necklace. "Some dumb brat gave it to me a couple years ago for some weird reason; it's nothing," he grunted, but moved to tuck it into his shirt protectively and glared as I smirked at him in amusement. "I like the way it looks, get off my dick, Daiki-chan!"

I snickered before finishing the last of the ice-fruit bowl and letting the doctor take it from me, my mouth pleasantly chilled and refreshed after it's tacky and hot feeling from before.

"Okay, let's look at your stomach."

My shirt was lifted off me and I winced at the gnarly dissection that ran up my abdomen, black medical structures working to keep the skin together as Sun and Cloud serum bonded the flesh and made it tingle and itch. I grimaced; that was going to be an inward scar probably. Great.

"You seem to be holding up fine; but don't go running around or exercising until the last day. Give yourself as much time as possible to heal, okay?" he breathed, pulling out a roll of bandages and proceeding to wrap me up.

"Yamamoto-kun's jaw is well on the way to mending, but he's going to have to wear his bandages for a while longer. Most of the Sun and Cloud serum was spent on you."

I winced at that and looked at the doctor in alarm, getting a yank on the ear as a reward.

"Don't go looking at me like that, Daiki-chan. They'll survive fine without it; honestly, Sun and Cloud serum speeds up the healing process but nothing's better than the body's natural cycle."

Cloud…

I looked to my hands and frowned. I had Cloud Flames. That...made a lot of sense, now that I thought about it. The idea that there were only 8 kinds of people, spare the extra 8 Earth Flames, was preposterous. But hosting multiple Flames in a single being to add and swap traits was much more likely. A middle ground was what most people were, after all.

The Vongola squad seemed to be the exception to be Pure. As usual.

I grit my numb teeth and tried to call the Cloud up the same way I did my Sun so easily, before yelping as I was cracked across the head by the doctor yet again.

Stop hitting the injured! Is this how you treat your patients!? How the fuck did you get a license? Do you _have a license!?_

I received one last good smack to the skull before the old doctor sighed and pulled away, rubbing his chin which had bloomed purple from bruising.

"Anyway, get some rest. I've got to go check on the lovely Lal Mirch."

I nodded and settled down into the bed more, smiling when Mephisto bolted awake and looked around blearily. A snort escaped me and I clapped twice to get his attention, expression softening when he rounded to show me a visceral, full-bodied display of excitement and glee.

Mephisto barked loudly and ran around my cot, trying to find the best way to get up. He whined and jumped at the aides, dropping down with every fruitless attempt and pawing at the frame.

Shamal rolled his eyes and groaned before bending and lifting the little mutt onto the bed, nearly getting kicked in the chest in Miphy's efforts to barrel into the crook of my arm.

I smiled as my cheek was licked and my body was sniffed, the pup making himself familiar again before settling down in the crook of my right, and uninjured, arm. My hand came and I scratched his scalp, getting pleased pants as a reward for my efforts.

"I'll be off then; be back to check on you tomorrow."

Miphy responded for me by giving a loud bark, and then settled as I did.

Good dumbass dog.

…

I thinned my lips as I sat up, sheets pooling around my waist as I absently rolled my shoulders, stiff from the extended sleep. A glance to the side made me pause, a spare set of clothes, folded neatly, sat on the little table by my bed, something that was definitely not there before I had fallen back to an unrestful sleep. After a few moments of silence, turned to the clock that hung on the wall, exhaling when I saw the time.

The hands hung around the 7:30 mark, a good sized 'PM' flashing on a little screen within the face. It made a tightness in my chest and a coil of cold settle in my stomach.

"A whole day, huh," I breathed, glancing around at the empty room, medical supplies and the sleeping pup my main companionship. "They should be getting started on dinner, right about now."

My eyes fell to the clothes and a sigh left me, knowing that I had to show my face sooner or later.

"Guess..," I started, swinging my legs around and wincing as I got to my feet. "Guess I better see if I can help out."

My walk was tender and it took longer than usual to get ready, a twist of worry coming when I found no binder within the pile, before realising the likelihood of the base holding a binder - especially one of my size. Instead, I wiggled in my bandages as I pulled the shirt on, hissing when I tugged on stitches and aggravated cuts with the dark green material. Toeing on my shoes, mostly preserved from the recent aggression, I pressed my hand to my chest in a moment of contemplation before shaking my head and stepping out, the door sliding open automatically, Mephisto still out cold.

The halls of the medical ward B were quiet, no one else on this side of the base. I had no fear of getting lost, however, knowing Giannini was watching the cameras. My feet eventually carried me to where the halls widened and the scent of livelihood grew stronger, stale, metallic perfumes chased away by carpets, lighting and foods.

It was only then, did I realise how hungry I was, pausing when I tried to recount how long ago my last meal was, the blur of half-sleep making the days skip and overlap. Chewing on the interior of my cheek, I quietly made my way to the kitchen, a small smile coming when I heard Kyoko and Haru giggling away within the confines, the tell-tale sounds of splashing water reaching me.

" _Hahi!_ Kyoko-chan you got my hair wet!" Haru squeaked, defending herself with a dripping plate.

"You splashed my face!" Kyoko huffed, grinning vibrantly as her fringe stuck to her forehead, collar a darker shade of yellow than the rest of the cloth.

I smiled in fondness at the two girls, the action a bit weak, my body still numb with anesthetics. My hand raised after a moment of watching the two snicker at each other and gently rapped my knuckles against the frame, giving the two a soft inclination of the head when they paused and spun around.

"Hello," I greeted softly, "Do you mind if I come in?"

If I expected a warm greeting, I didn't get it.

The two girls went silent when they saw me, and Haru quickly averted her eyes, hands grasping the plate enough to make it squeak in her wet fingers. Kyoko took longer to drop her gaze, hesitating when she recognised my face, but then began busying herself with ringing out her drenched collar.

I thinned my lips but fought to keep my face pleasant, knocking hand falling to my side as I lowered my eyes a little as to not force them to squirm. Stepping past the threshold, I quickly made my way to what must have been allocated as the Vongola's pantry, a quiet mutter of an explanation leaving me.

"I'm just going to grab something, then I'll be right out," I breathed, opening the doors.

Kyoko nodded mutely as Haru curled on herself a bit more, using the plate in her hands as a shield, gazing at the white the surface as if it was the most dazzling thing in the known world. The Sasagawa daughter fiddled with the dish towel and refused to look at me as I scanned the cabinet for something gentle on my digestive system, teeth gritted within my lips.

Biting down on a wince, I forced myself to stretch up and try to reach for the top shelf where boxes of nut and ration bars were lined, fighting a whimper-choke as I felt stitches and new skin grow taut. My fingers brushed my selected box, before I flinched, the thing slipping from my weak grip and clattering to my feet, wrapping loud and crinkling as the bars scattered across the floor.

"Sorry," I muttered, slowly coming to kneel, ignoring the shake of my legs.

Being more careful this time, I put the products back and kept one in my hand, breathing deep to slow the warning warmth that bloomed in the back of my eyes. I shouldn't have been surprised, it was an expected reaction, the dismissal, the discount. It didn't...It didn't weaken the vice grip in my chest, however, the clog in the back of my throat as my once little sister tried to omit me from her vision and consciousness.

Shoving what was no doubt my dinner, and perhaps breakfast, into my pocket, I closed the cabinet before sending the two a closed-eyed smile, not willing to risk gazing at them again before slowly making my way to the door again.

"It's good to see you two are safe, I'll go now. Sorry for interrupting," I spoke, somehow managing to breathe out the words with such tailored sincerity, that if I weren't eyes deep in it, I wouldn't have realised I was choking on a self-loathing.

Small hands grasped a hold of my sleeve, bringing me to a halt just outside of the doorframe. I thinned my lips and lowered my head slightly, keeping a hard lock on my burn that pressed to the back of my eyes.

"Daiki-k-" Kyoko choked on her words halfway through, her hands dripping water on my wrist. "Daiki-san."

It was a push. A shove back. A forcing for a distance that evicted me from familiarity and stomped on my spine and made me bite my tongue.

"You...you need to eat proper food," she continued, sounding a bit surer.

But when I looked over my shoulder, her eyes were closed.

A bitter sting jumped from my chest into my stomach and my jaw retained in a firm lock, nose giving the faintest of a whistle as it became clogged with warmth.

"It's fine, Kyoko-san," I responded, feeling her wince. "I shouldn't eat too heavy a foods just yet anyway."

"Then we'll make you soup!" Haru interjected.

She was facing the sink, and I could see her hands shaking.

"Kyoko-san, Haru-san..," I breathed, "Thank you for trying but..."

It feels worse that you have to force yourselves. That you can't even look at me.

Gently taking Kyoko's hand, I carefully lifted her fingers off my sleeve and closed them for her, before taking a step away, a soft smile coming to my face as I kept my eyes down. Making a small farewell, I moved away from the standing Sasagawa sister, ignoring how her fingers twitched and began down the hall again, trying to remember the way back to my little room.

"Please..."

The whimper made me stop, heart in my throat as I tried to swallow the rise of heat, a dangerous blur coming to my eyes.

"Please, just… Just eat, please, Ki-san, eat," Kyoko pleaded softly, taking steps towards me, the sound unsteady. "You have to eat, so please, otherwise you'll get wor-"

"Then why can't you look at me?" I muttered, bundling my fists before me to keep my wits. "I understand that you still have affection for Daiki, but you can't look at me."

"You are Daiki!"

"Yes, but not the one you want," I breathed.

I let out a noise of surprise as arms wrapped around my waist and a face buried itself between my shoulder blades, hands careful as they tightened, trying not to aggravate my wounds as they clutched me against a small body. Kyoko held onto me with such intensity, that I saw flashes of her brother in her embrace, the soft adamants to keep me with her layered with Sasagawa stubbornness.

And all I could do was shakily clutch the arms that hugged me, the girl no doubt finally privy to the quaking of my frame and shudder of my breath.

"You are," she insisted, a soft perfume wafting up and making me see her mother lacing in her scent. "You are the one I want."

My breath hitched as soft fingers brushed my elbow, making my head spin around as see a hesitant Haru standing close, looking unsure if she was allowed to invade the moment.

"You're the same," The Midori girl breathed, fiddling with her fingers.

"So, just please," Kyoko urged, big, brown eyes looking up at me with startling sincerity. "Just let us help you. We'll leave afterwards, if you really want, so-"

"Please don't leave," I muttered quietly, making both girls pause.

Arms came to bind me to warm bodies in an instant, Haru foregoing her hesitation and joining the embrace, her nose nuzzled into my shoulder as Kyoko claimed my collar. I paused and looked down at the two of them, before breaking and curling my own arms around them, holding the two to my chest as I inhaled the scent of their water play and perfumes.

"I'm sorry," I breathed, the sound a bit wet. "I'm sorry."

"We're sorry," Kyoko hicked.

"We're sorry," Haru echoed, and I clutched them tighter, needing such comfort after so long with seclusion.

 **...**

Kyoko snorted into her cup as Haru exclaimed an indigent defence, the poor Sasagawa exclaiming as she rushed to cover her nose, her drink having apparently circled back around for an impromptu exit.

I smiled as I drank the soup the girls had poured, a cauldron of miso having already been boiled for the boys, and a larger portion just being served for me. Little cubes of tofu were soft on my stomach and the warmth of the broth settled the gnawing of my gut and ache in my throat, the laughter of my company soothing to my heart and mind.

"It's not my fault! Haru didn't know that he would open the door so fast!" The girl cried, making the young Sun cackle at her misfortune.

"And so the words on the door were stamped on your forehead?" I hummed, looking down at her ID.

"And on picture day!" She sobbed, burying her face into her arms.

I let out a chuckle around my spoon as the two continued to sip and giggle, their faces bright with laughter, before I paused. Sitting up slightly, I let my eyes follow the noise until I froze, grip on my spoon tightening until the metal threatened to bend under my fingers.

"Onii-san!" Kyoko cheered, smiling up at the group. "You're all done for the day then?"

"Y-yeah!" Ryohei laughed, tearing his eyes from me.

I lowered my gaze from the Vongola party and removed the cutlery from my mouth, picking up my two-third finished bowl and made for the sink. Bringing the bowl to my lips, I quickly chugged the last of the soup, making an effort to ignore how my stomach unsettled at the harsh intrusion, before placing the pieces down in the sink.

I could feel it, the awkward tension in the room so palpable that it could be cut with a knife into gelatinous pieces, Flames straining to withdraw themselves behind a perimeter that was my area of influence. My chest tightened when I felt Rain do the equivalent of recoil, backing away carefully as if not to provoke a reaction from dulled out Sun, a feeling of physical pain racking my body as I squeezed the countertop.

I'm...I'm so sorry.

"Hm, what's wrong?" Haru asked, coming up beside me to place the cups down.

"I think I might be heading off to bed now," I smiled softly, "Just leave the bowls and plates in the sink, I'll clean them when I wake up."

"Huh? No, you're still healing! The boys will do it!" She huffed, crossing her arms.

"No, it's fine, Haru-chan," I soothed, shaking my head as a fresh rise of emotion came. "I need something to...busy myself until I'm properly up and running, anyway."

"Then stay with us for longer, we'll keep you entertained!"

"Sorry," I denied gently, rubbing my nose as it threatened to drip. "I'm just...a bit tired."

In an instant, understanding flashed across earthy eyes, the seamstress girl realising what I was saying. She watched me as her head pivoted, before her eyes fell on the young Mafia group, her hand coming to grasp my forearm when she noticed the stale silence of the room.

"You're going to bed then?" Kyoko asked softly, stepped up beside Haru, she too had noticed the unsure glances and pointed avoidance.

"Yeah, the anesthetic's still pretty fresh," I nodded.

The two girls looked to each other, sharing expressions of distaste, before turning back to me.

"Okay, sleep well then, come find us if you need anything. We'll wake you up in the morning," Haru sighed, squeezing my forearm as Kyoko stepped forwards and cuddled into me.

I smiled at the two and pressed a kiss onto the head of chocolate hair, before moving to dark gold, but paused before I could land my lips to her crown, the sudden tension in the Vongola Sun's shoulders catching my eye and making me freeze. Kyoko opened her eyes from their pleased close in confusion, blinking up at me as I stepped back, trying to cover up my stumble with a smile.

"I'll see you in the morning then," I quickly hummed, before turning on my heel and making a large arc around the Vongola team as I slipped out, hating how they lowered their heads or turned away. "Good night, everyone."


	42. Chapter 41

**Word Count: 5319**

* * *

I sighed and flexed my arm, feeling as the new skin pulled tautly and bristled its smooth surface, hair follicles yet to begin sprouting on the fresh flesh.

The shower head spat water down on my nape and allowed my body reprieve for a moment, the red no longer pooling in my underwear as it had rather suddenly taken a turn for, the systems having reset and back with a vengeance. My lower stomach ached with tensions and I groaned against the tiles, hearing it echo in the empty bathroom.

The rest bathed in groups; they weren't sure where I fit, so I was left to bathe alone. I shouldn't complain, though. They must be... _confused_.

I groaned and rubbed my arm, feeling how tender and smooth it was, before scrubbing the last bits of browning soap from my hair and doing it all again, only satisfied when the suds were as pristine as possible. The repetitive actions and soothing waters let my mind wander, and it strayed into lands which I perhaps did not need at the moment.

Things had changed. Why was Shamal here? He was meant to have blended into the rest of the underground come the Vongola hunt. What does him being here mean? Will things change? The game of Chance, will having so many other Flames present do anything to the variables?

What the hell will we do if he's picked? Is Shamal a fighter? I know he's capable of defending himself and such, but how will he stand in a high mobility, intensive battle? Would it be smarter to get him to leave?

"What am I going to do if _I'm_ picked?" I breathed, touching my temple and slumping back against the tiles, watching a fluorescent light fluctuate in strength.

I was weak; injured. My Flames were exhausted after having been abused for weeks, forced to the brink in order to heal the Vongola Guardians, and then hopped up on the equivalent of steroids. I was beaten and tired, in all senses, and I didn't know just how much use I could be at this point.

The bathroom door opened with a groan and I glanced up, looking through my drenched fringe with a drained and distracted apathy as the figure of Tsuna froze in the doorway. We stared at each other for a while, my eyes cast over to the side to see him as he stood slack-jawed and stiff, hand clutching his towels for dear life.

"Get," I began, my mood grinding against the rock bottom of self-hatred. "Out."

"Sorry!" he yelped and stumbled away, slamming the door shut - but not before I managed to catch the flash of pain that coated his expression as he looked my body over once.

I had already been found out, so why panic? What more damage could be done to their opinion of me at this point, the image I had cultivated for the public and the personal so easily crumbled with a few unbuttoned shirts.

I blinked and quickly shook my head, water splattering about the walls as I forced a few, wet breaths to cycle through and calm my state. I sniffed and scrubbed my nose before spinning off the taps and stepping out. My stomach stirred and I grimaced as I dried myself off quickly, trying to dress and equip myself again before the flow of blood trickled out from inside me.

With my toiletries bundled in a little bucket again, I stepped out and was met with the Vongola Sky crouched in the corner of the hall's dead end, his head clutched between his hands as he seemed to hyperventilate and mutter up a storm.

"Sawada-san," I uttered after a moment of watching him.

The boy yelped and spun around on the floor, backing up against the wall as his face paled and reddened at once, eyes wide and mouth blabbering, apologies crashing into the backs of excuses.

"Yamaguchi-san! Sorry, I should have knocked or something! I shouldn't have walked in on you!"

I hummed quietly, letting him fester for a moment more, before sighing and offering my hand to him.

"Come on, off the floor."

He wavered for a moment before reaching out and allowing me to grasp him. Once on his feet, the boy was quick to tug his hand free, rubbing his nape in embarrassment as he looked off to the side, his ears still a vibrant red.

"Sorry for walking in on you," he murmured.

"It's fine, I guess," I shrugged, "Not like you haven't seen any of it before."

Tsuna's face bloomed four darkening hues at that and coughed violently on his own spit, wheezing as he tried to talk.

"N-No! None of us saw b-below the waist!"

"Oh, okay," I breathed, looking as he mortified himself all over again, his mind's eye no doubt flashing with the bathroom encounter again. "Well, it was from side on - you hardly saw anything new besides a silhouette."

"Ah!" the Sky cried, gripping his hair. "Yamamoto-kun's gonna _kill_ me if he finds out! _When_ he finds out!"

The name made me bite my lip and fall silent, feet shuffling unsurely as I fingered at the rim of the bathroom bucket. My inaction made Tsuna blink and frown, inclining closer slightly to try and see my diverted eyes.

"Are you okay, Yamaguchi-san?" he asked, and I froze.

"I'm..." he looked at me, and I thinned my lips, shaking my head to distract him and turn the conversation to a more important topic. "How are they? Takeshi-kun, Ryohei-kun, Lambo-kun."

"They haven't come to see you?" he blinked, staring up at me blankly.

"...No."

"Oh."

"Yeah," we shuffled unsurely for a while, glancing at one another and then looking away when caught. It was suffocating and awkward, and the added tension of the Sky Flames that simmered under Tsuna's skin was making an effort to rebel against its host and surge to sooth my brittle Sun not at all helping the atmosphere. "You don't seem very...perturbed by all this, Sawada-san."

"Well, I was at first, 'cause, you know, all that _blood_ \- but you seem to be getting better and-"

"Not about my injuries," I corrected quickly, gesturing to myself. "I meant about being female."

"Oh," he breathed, before widening his eyes. " _Oh_. Well, I think it got swept up in all the commotion so I haven't really...thought about it much."

"You haven't...thought about it much," I repeated, narrowing my eyes at the small Sky and making him squeak - but he held his ground.

"It - It shouldn't matter that much, right? It's not that big of a deal in the end," then he spluttered and widened his eyes, taking a step back as if realising something. "Unless you think it's important! I know that g-gender is very important to some people and it'd be rude if-"

"Sawada-san."

"Yes?!" Tsuna yelped, standing to attention and stiff.

I bit my lip and gave a frustrated growl at myself, fiddling with the rim of the bucket under my arm before putting it down on the floor and focusing all my attention on the boy in front of me.

"Hug?"

On reflection, I could probably pinpoint the moment his insides had turned to stone and his brain's cogs had ceased cognitive rotation.

"Sawada-san?" I probed gently, snapping him into reality.

"W-w-why!?"

"Because after that you deserve a hug," I hummed, opening my arms to him, before admitting in a lower voice. "And, I guess, I need a hug too."

Tsuna's joints seemed to creak as he moved forward robotically, his arms extended to keep a gap between us and making me laugh despite how my chest disliked the jolting of humour. He squeaked as I wrapped my arms around him and pulled the boy into a proper hug, winding down at the contact and closing my eyes to see Sky flailing about as it was near smothered by sunshine.

Tsuna relaxed after a little while and slowly circled my waist with his own arms, cheek pressed firmly to my pectoral as he deflated slightly under my hands. He hummed and didn't seem to mind how long the hug was lasting, accepting that I was missing some parts of me at the moment.

Then his Flames began to shift, following the route set by his arms and began to circle my Sun. My breath distilled and I tried to move away, but he kept his hold stubbornly, eyes squeezed shut and body tense.

"Sawada-san, stop," I ordered sharply, trying to push him away.

"But you're hurting," he insisted, lifting his head to look up at me with orange-hued eyes, voice unwavering. "If I do this, you'll be happy again."

"Under what pretences?"

"Harmonising feels good, no? It feels fulfilling," he promised as he squeezed me tighter, a strength that wasn't there before binding my waist and reaching for my Sun even as I wrestled it out if the Flame's grasp again. "Let's Harmonise, Yamaguchi-san, I'll make you feel better."

I frowned and looked down on him with annoyance, my arms had long left him to clutch at his biceps, ready to bodily rip him off of me should he persist beyond reasoning.

"Sawada-san, I've already said no."

"You're in pain, though, I want to help. I _need_ to help."

"There's no need to Harmonise, though," I responded easily, tightening my fingers on his arms when he squeezed closer, Flames rippling in a similar manner. "That is unnecessary and I do not wish to do so."

Tsuna frowned finally, his eyes taking a richer hue of Sky.

"What can I do then?"

"First, you can let go."

His response to this was to clutch tighter, only ceasing the increase when I winced in pain from my wounds. His expression was firm and unyielding but had a soft undertone. He was running on instinct and ideas, hiding his unsurety.

"You've become Cloudy," Tsuna uttered, "Clouds run the second you release them and I'd rather not chase you at the moment. So, just for a little while, I need you to be grounded."

I grit my teeth in a show of annoyance and hostility towards the boy, sinking my nails into his biceps in displeasure but getting nary a wince from him.

"How can I help you, Yamaguchi-san? Other than letting go, that is," he softened his expression at the end in attempts to soothe my state, making me sigh and release an arm to reach and yank his nose.

That was a sight to see, I had to admit, to watch Tsuna in near-HDWM splutter and scrunch his nose in indignation. It made me snort in amusement and further provoke him into indignation, his eyes returning to a caramelised shade as his Flames began to settle with the sound, though he was still very much under its influence, an almost-Harmonisation still ringing in his veins.

"Just...be my friend?"

He blinked before smiling and saying, "I can do that!" and the last of the orange in his eyes faded as his Flames settled with reassurance.

"So," I began, stepping out of his arms now that he was willing to let go, the boy giving a small apology as he did. "I guess I'll leave you to your business then. See you soon?"

"Yeah!"

My leg twitched unnecessarily as I turned to part from him, the sound of the door sliding shut and the fork in the hall, however, was when I stopped and glanced over to where Gokudera had taken to leaning against a wall.

"How long were you going to stand there?" I asked, tapping the bucked under my arm with my nails absently.

"Only until I thought it too close," the Storm responded, playing with his lighter, probably having long run out of cigarettes at this point. "I don't think the Tenth could handle another Rejection; especially with all this drama going on."

I hummed and nodded in understanding before beginning to turn down the opposing hall,

"Oi, you're looking better. You'll be able to get off your ass soon and actually be useful."

My lips pulled into a flat line of tension as I stared down the hall before uttering, "yeah. Soon. By tomorrow."

"Good," he grunted, and I took it as a cue to leave. "See you tomorrow then...you fuckin' giant."

I paused and spun around to look at him, before giving a breath and smiling, mood lifted and the desire to tease arising as he tried to point his face away.

"Okay, little one, come here. You deserve a hug too."

Mint eyes widened in horror at the idea and he stumbled away with a splutter, face a suspicious hue as he pushed his arms out to keep me at bay.

"L-like fuck I do! Piss off!" he turned and bolted, screeching down the hall and spinning the corner - before coming back and screaming from the end, "And I'm not little!"

I let out booming laughter, feeling lighter than I had in days and despite how my stomach ached from the action, I kept giggling as I made my way back to the med bay B, which had become my official dorm as far as the rest of the base's occupants were concerned. And as such, save Shamal, the girls and Fuuta - bless the boy -, it had been abandoned.

When the door resounded shut, I felt my smile slip in the hollowness of the place.

"They're coming around," I murmured, squeezing the rim of the bathroom bucket, hearing the plastic groan. "They don't hate me."

I hope Takeshi and Ryohei follow soon. I hadn't run into them in a while. They always seem to be... _dodging_ me.

I wasn't lying when I said that I 'needed' a hug from Tsuna then. I had grown so used to being offered affection and contact at near every turn, be it from Takeshi or Ryohei. After experiencing Byakuran's...effects for so long and the following ostracization I had been near aching for human touch, often reaching with my Flames for those who hid from me.

I sighed and shook my head before packing away my toiletries - pausing to wheeze as a wave of blood was flushed from my body - and began to rub my hair near violently to draw the moisture from it.

Takeshi...I hope he was okay. That crack in his jaw felt like it would hurt like absolute hell - and the likelihood of Shamal actually doing more than slapping a band-aid on him was…

I glanced to my hand and fingered at the ring that sat there, warm from its time hugging my flesh and gleaming under the light.

"...I love you."

"Laundry day!" Haru hummed, sliding the door open with a knock, a basket of clothes in under her arm. "Towels and clothes are washed tonight, Yamaguchi-san!"

"Oh, thanks," I smiled, quickly dropping my hand and fixing my less-damp hair after it had been unsettled by scrubbing. "Here, do you need help?"

"No, this place's got washing machines and stuff so it can run overnight. Future Tsuna-kun really did think of everything!" she grinned, dumping my sparse clothes and towel into the hamper and tottering out the door with the heavy basket. "Goodnight, Yamaguchi-san, sleep well!"

"You too - and you're sure there's nothing I can help with?" I asked again, stalling her from leaving.

Haru blinked up at me for a moment before letting out a breath and smiling softly, her eyes sad as she thumbed at the brim of the hamper.

"Kyoko-chan and I will need help hanging everything up after it's washed tomorrow morning, could you help us with that? It'll take a _looong_ time otherwise!"

"Yeah! Yeah, I can help with that, no problem."

"Well," she uttered, reaching a hand out and letting me squeeze the point of contact. "Get some sleep, and we'll get to work in the morning."

"Okay," I nodded, letting her take her hand back to let me fiddle with my own. "Good night, Haru-chan."

The young girl smiled before walking off, leaving me alone in the room as the door slid shut again.

I shuffled for a moment before sitting down on my bed, the metal frame groaning under my weight as it always did. So much as breathing could make this bed squeak, honestly

Another pang of pain pulsed in the low of my abdomen and I groaned to myself, reaching to dim the lights and prepare to just sleep through the pain. I sighed and pulled the sheets high around my shoulders, closing my eyes against the dark and the cold.

Then the door slid open and small feet pattered in.

"Papa? Are you asleep already?"

I sprung up and stared down at the waddling visage of Lambo who pattered into the dark room with hesitation, his pillow dragging behind him as he looked around trying to make out a shape in the darkness.

"Bo-kun," I uttered out, watching as his head snapped to me and his face broke out into a grin.

"Papa! You're awake!" he cried, bouncing over and peering at me over the edge of the risen bed, too short to see much further. "You're always asleep!"

"Not," I began, feeling my mouth dry and eyes sting as he expressed such joy in seeing me. "Not this time, darling."

"Is Papa feeling better?" he asked, reaching up to pat at the mattress impatiently in the cutest of displays.

"Yeah, I'm feeleh-" I paused and sighed, my tongue aching in my mouth as it finally began to tire from use. Conversations would have to be cut short for a while, Shamal had said. "Fine."

Lambo smiled with his eyes at that before he chucked his pillow up onto my bed and began squirming his body after it, huffing and whining as his struggles seemed fruitless until I grabbed the collar of his bodysuit and pulled him the rest of the way. He grinned and cooed before tunnelling under the sheets and nestling up into my side.

"Bo-kun," I murmured, voice cracking and slurred with either emotion or pain as I coiled my arms around the boy and hugged him with all the strength I could muster, kissing around his face and head in frenzied affection.

"Papa," he hummed, grabbing handfuls of my shirt and cuddling as close as he could. "Or...Mama?"

He must have seen and felt how I froze with bafflement because he sat up and pulled his pillow towards us, rummaging through the folds until he pulled out a book and handed it to me. The boy smiled and urged me to open it, and I sat up against the headboard with him tucking himself under my arm and began to read.

 _Lambo-sama's Journal! Do not read unless you are Lambo-sama! That means you, Mama, Daddy and I-pin!_

I looked to him and he huffed before nuzzling down, appearing ready for sleep but holding on to watch me. I nodded and turned the page biting my lips when I saw a young Lambo in a Namimori uniform with both Takeshi and an older me crouched behind him to hold our laughing boy between us.

 _Dady kept saying ho i was grow to fast. Mama huged me lots._

I breathed out heavily and turned the page to where a marker indicated, seeing shakily ruled lines with the same God-awful handwriting and bad grammar that made me hug Lambo closer.

 _Mama liks it wen I cal her mama. It makes her hapy. Butt I call her Papa two some time. Lik wih the Watananana - I snorted beside myself and the ache in my throat - she liks it better tere. Safer. Mor rite._

Underneath the text was the symbols for male and female penned in with some sort of glittery gel pen alongside a rather blobby image of someone shrugging in exasperation. The lines were smeared, probably by the youth's impatience with the slow drying ink, but it was 'remedied' by the future child's decision to stamp his inked thumb into a heart shape on the paper and beneath it write, _Mama & Papa + Daddy._

"Try?" I asked, making Lambo look up from his dozing. "Want to try?"

"Mama," he smiled, "Mama is feeling better now?"

"Mama is better," I coughed, nodding with a hot and clogged nose as I discarded the book and bundled my son to me with exuberance, cradling him for dear life to my chest. "Mama is better now that you're here."

Lambo cooed and pressed his nose into my breast, my heart aching as a wet spot bloomed in the fabric, his body quaking lightly as he held on tight.

"I love you, Bo-kun."

"I love you, Mama."

…

Lambo refused to leave my side after that, and I was more than welcoming to his desire for closeness, holding him in my arms or letting him cling to my leg as I helped the girls hang out clothes and deal with other chores that didn't strain the stitches and new flesh.

"Time for dinner then," Kyoko hummed, turning the stove off with finality. "Lambo-kun, can you help set the table?"

"Do I gotta?" he whined, sitting on my foot as I trudged around and tossed paired socks to Haru.

"Yes, love, go help Kyoko-chan," I huffed, kissing the top of his head and nudging him into movement as he pouted.

"Fiine!"

Haru laughed as she rolled up socks with their partners and dumped them into the separate baskets for the others to collect once they returned from training.

I smiled and dropped down beside her on the couch, taking up shirts from the pile of non-ironing and folding them in my lap.

"Ah! Ki-nee!" Fuuta laughed, gliding into the room with Bianchi tailing him. "You're joining us again, I see. Are you feeling better?"

Nee. Sister.

"Yes, I'm doing much better," I hummed, getting a warm nod from the young man. "Though, I have to say, Fuuta-kun, learn to unroll your socks before you put them in the washing. How old are you now, 20?"

The De Stella spluttered at the attack, obviously not expecting to be called out first thing - but honestly, it was driving Haru and me up the wall whenever we pulled one of his out of the basket.

"And he still doesn't make his bed," Bianchi joined, crossing her arms from behind him and making the poor lad spin with a squawk. "He relies on the maids at headquarters to deal with his mess."

"Is that so?" Kyoko uttered from the kitchen island, holding a rice scooper in hand rather threateningly. "Well, we'll have to train you out of that won't we?"

"Uh huh, can't let them grow up to be total slobs!" Haru agreed, and Fuuta progressively shrunk behind the couch under our gazes.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered, peering over the backboard.

"Does this mean you'll start picking up after yourself?" Bianchi asked, putting a hand on her hip and adjusting the goggles on her face.

"And start making your bed?" Haru continued, raising an eyebrow.

"And unrolling your socks, and stop leaving your underwear in your pants?" I clucked.

"And come out of your room for reasons other than to eat?" Kyoko huffed.

"And feed Lambo-sama lots of sweets!"

"No, Bo-kun, no sweets right now."

"But Mama!"

A gentle blanket of laughter fell over the room at the boys' expenses, Fuuta still taking refuge in the trenches of the couch while Lambo pouted by Kyoko's side, holding a tasting spoon in his mouth as he crossed his arms.

With three baskets for Ryohei, Tsuna and Takeshi done, I sighed and flopped back into the couch, Haru muttering about the sheer amount of socks Gokudera seemed to hored with his basket being the last of them.

Lambo bounced over and took up my lap with glee, watching my hands as I began to roll up the pairs of children's socks, I-pin and Lambo sharing a collaborative hamper. He hummed and played with the elastic band he had stolen from a bunch of veggies, before pausing and pressing closer as the sounds of dragging footsteps rung down the hall.

I smiled thinly and put my hand on his hair, looking down at him with as much warmth and comfort as I could muster.

"They're being weird, Mama," he murmured, the affectionate title getting a glance from Haru.

"...I know, love."

As soon as those words lifted off my tongue, the folk in question stepped into the room, ragged and tired from their training and physical abuse. The chatter that had bounced amongst them - strategy, progress, time, complaints, praise - was silenced when they noticed the elephant in the room, and the girls looked ready to roll their eyes at their behaviour.

"How's training going?" Kyoko asked, turning the fire off beneath the pot with a snap of the knobs.

"Fine," Tsuna squeaked out, face flushing as he lowered his eyes from me, obviously remembering the past night's involvement.

"Sawada-san seems to be getting bulkier, from what I can see," I offered offhandedly, playing with a curl of Lambo's hair.

Heads snapped to me at that moment and the air became tense, near palpable - before Gokudera snorted loud enough to have possibly hurt his throat and proclaimed, "well of course! The Tenth has progressed the most of all of us! He guides us forward with strength and brilliance!"

"U-uh," Tsuna uttered slowly, inching away from his exuberant companion. "I'm not so sure about that, Gokudera-kun."

The Sky wavered for a moment before he seemed to make a decision and began to make his way over to me, plonking down in the empty seat beside me in a show of companionship.

"S-so! Did you have a good sleep last night, Yamaguchi-san? I see Lambo-kun's found you again," he grinned awkwardly, showing a bit too much teeth on one side and too little on the other.

"Mhm," I smiled, giving Lambo a cuddle and making him coo. "Bo-kun came and slept with me last night."

"Ah, that's good."

The little Lightning in my lap shuffled about as I-pin pranced into the room, summoned by food. He wriggled and shouted for her in excitement before making me hiss as his elbow struck the line of stitches and sent my skin into pulses of heat and pain.

"Bo-kun, stop. Be car-" I began, but was silenced as hands lifted the boy from my lap.

"You shouldn't sit there," Takeshi murmured to Lambo warningly, making a pang go off in my heart.

He was about to move away with him, but I reached out and grabbed his wrists before he could the expression on my face pleading and scared as I tried to get a hold back on Lambo, feeling cold without him.

"Please don't take him from me," I asked softly. "Give him back. Please."

Takeshi stared down at me with some sort of pained detachment, like he was forcing himself to remain impassive before he lowered the little boy back into my arms and let me hug him to my chest. He watched as I kissed around Lambo's head and tucked him to my shoulder, listening to the boy breathe quietly, not wanting to get between us in our states.

I glanced at Takeshi and bit my lip to hold myself, seeing the bandages which bound his face and bridged his nose along with the blushing of bruises blooming from under the materials. His lip was scabbing and dry - and his knuckles were raw and bloody.

Why were they still injured? Did he reopen them during training?

The Rain must have seen me staring, because he moved them out of view and cleared his throat.

Tsuna had crept off at some point, leaving Takeshi, Lambo and I off in the living room part of the area; the rest of the group had moved to dine.

"So, he was with you last night?" he began, voice strained and lacking its cheerful spring.

"Yeah," I nodded, "Sorry, does he usually sleep with you?"

"Since you..." Takeshi paused and frowned. "Yeah."

"Oh. You must have...been lonely last night, then. I'm sorry."

I thinned my lips and thumbed Lambo's bicep as he dozed in my arms, eyes lowered from Rain's. I didn't want him to be alone, but I couldn't handle the isolation either.

"Do you want him to sleep with you tonight then?" I asked anyway, seeing his knuckles again and how they flushed a severe red.

He was hurting.

"...Yes, it'd be for the best."

My heart nearly caved at the words, but I nodded and slowly stood up, hugging Lambo to me for as long as I could. I looked down at the young Lightning and smiled encouragingly as he looked between us with worry, confusion clear in his expression.

"Why can't you just sleep together?" he asked, and Takeshi whipped around to shout at me.

"Stay in the med bay!" the way my face contorted at the snap must have plucked something in him, the dread and constriction in my chest palpable to him as he said again in a much softer voice, "You need to stay in the med bay."

The dining room was oddly quiet. They were listening. Ready to step in should the damage become too much.

I reached out a hand and brushed my fingers over Takeshi's own, feeling swords calluses that had become more prominent from the recent boom in use. He froze at the touch and gave me enough time to grab a hold of his hand, taking a moment to relish in the warmth of them, before I began soothing the raw knuckles with my fire.

"Get off!" he ordered sharply, yanking his hand from me like he was burnt.

It hurt.

"I need to stay in the med bay, Bo-kun," I hummed brokenly, pulling my lips into a smile as Lambo slowly turned his wide-eyed gaze to me, stunned by the shout. "Shamal-sensei needs to check on me every couple hours and a lot of the equipment in there."

"Then why can't Daddy sleep in the bay?"

"The bed's much too small for that, darling," I cooed, carding my hand through his hair. "It wouldn't fit all of us, especially with us all banged up."

The young Guardian continued to protest as I handed him over to Takeshi, the Rain careful to take him off my hands and hold him as Lambo kept a fistful of my shirt. He shouted and tried to drag me closer, bring his 'parents' together, but I smiled and gently pried off his fingers.

"Be good for Daddy, little baby," I hushed, kissing the top of his head. "Don't be too loud, it's time to settle down."

"No! No! Lambo-san's not gonna settle down!" he cried, fisting at his eyes as tears of frustration began to well up. "Mama and Daddy need to be happy! Stop it!"

Takeshi was visibly startled by the call of 'Mama' and there was a stir in the other room, making me bit my lip and cup the little boy's face in my hands.

"I love you, Bo-kun," I promised, kissing his cheeks. "Be good for your Daddy, eat dinner, and I'll see you tomorrow."

I looked to Takeshi then, and though he tried to hide it behind his layers, I could see his Flames were sad and aching, pulsing weakly against mine in a manner that spoke of subconscious leanings.

"Same for you, Takeshi-kun," I continued, reaching to thumb at his ear, too scared to touch his jaw and ruin any progress with healing. "Eat dinner and get some sleep...I love you."

His eyes widened and his brows dipped in distress at the declaration, but he didn't echo it like he usually would, and I nodded to the girls as I passed.

I needed to sleep. I started training tomorrow.


End file.
